Weekend Update 10/15/23

[Wolf N Works]

Great work everyone, love the how the Ice platform is turning out.

[Lemosteam]

Thanks @Wolf N Works , almost complete.  Just need some rails up top and some T scale ice carts and chutes.  Still dreaming them up in my head, but I have the hardware from @Jesse6669.

[Cajonpassfan]

Great Journal entry Ed! Glad that the stars aligned. 

Isn't this a great testament to our hobby? A fellow in Vancouver BC drops a good word for a friend in Baltimore so that said friend could run on a layout in San Diego (based on a railroad through the Tehachapis). Got to love that!
Otto

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Isn't this a great testament to our hobby? A fellow in Vancouver BC drops a good word for a friend in Baltimore so that said friend could run on a layout in San Diego (based on a railroad through the Tehachapis). Got to love that!
Otto

Amen to that!

[chuck geiger]

What did I do this weekend?

No big deal, just got to run at a La Mesa Ops Session.



https://conrail1285.com/running-trains-over-tehachapi-with-the-la-mesa-model-railroad-club/

Check THAT one off the bucket list! Thanks @GaryHinshaw !!

Favorite place on the layout Ed? - Mine Caliente and Bealville.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Favorite place on the layout Ed? - Mine Caliente and Bealville.

Go read the story. I got to spend plenty of time enjoying Caliente!

[chuck geiger]

Are you hooked on The West now? My pics from a visit in 2015 and the real place from 2008.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Are you hooked on The West now? My pics from a visit in 2015 and the real place from 2008.

Lol, nope. It made me appreciate even more that I can hide my terrain misdeads with trees (even if they're dead ones).

[C855B]

Go read the story. I got to spend plenty of time enjoying Caliente!

https://conrail1285.com/running-trains-over-tehachapi-with-the-la-mesa-model-railroad-club/

Great write-up, Ed. Congratulations on your privileged experience there.

The modeling is fantastic. Every scene you highlighted brought back strong memories of railfanning the area, "Yeah, I was there", or "That's where we almost got stuck that one time." Not a lot had changed in the 20 years between what they portray versus what I knew of the line in the '70s, the primary difference being all the RR structures and two of the tracks at Caliente were gone by then; a few buildings remained at Bealville.

Ilmon was inaccessible by car in my day, so my memory of that location with the unusual track split is from riding the San Joaquin Daylight between home and Bakersfield a few times. I really wish I could find my 8mm reel from the last such trip in 1970. Not only did I have footage from around Walong, but the camera caught a glimpse of an Alco DH643 on the whiskers at Bakersfield.

Last time we were in SD exploring the park and museums had to have been 15 years ago. It would be nice to see the layout again - not to mention family in SD - but our ability to travel is constrained these days and I don't see another visit in our future. Thanks for sharing yours.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Great write-up, Ed. Congratulations on your privileged experience there.

The modeling is fantastic. Every scene you highlighted brought back strong memories of railfanning the area, "Yeah, I was there", or "That's where we almost got stuck that one time." Not a lot had changed in the 20 years between what they portray versus what I knew of the line in the '70s, the primary difference being all the RR structures and two of the tracks at Caliente were gone by then; a few buildings remained at Bealville.

Ilmon was inaccessible by car in my day, so my memory of that location with the unusual track split is from riding the San Joaquin Daylight between home and Bakersfield a few times. I really wish I could find my 8mm reel from the last such trip in 1970. Not only did I have footage from around Walong, but the camera caught a glimpse of an Alco DH643 on the whiskers at Bakersfield.

Last time we were in SD exploring the park and museums had to have been 15 years ago. It would be nice to see the layout again - not to mention family in SD - but our ability to travel is constrained these days and I don't see another visit in our future. Thanks for sharing yours.

Every scene IS accurate. That's one of the most mind blowing things. I forgot to get a photo of it, but there were a few spots where they had perfectly cut profile boards to get the terrain right.

The fact that they do that at THAT scale is absolutely amazing. The fact that they can only work on it one day a week is pretty amazing too.

I'm glad I could bring back some good memories. I'd love to go see the real thing now, but I have a feeling that I'd spend the entire time imagining how much cooler it'd have been in the second gen era.

[davefoxx]

I'd love to go see the real thing now, but I have a feeling that I'd spend the entire time imagining how much cooler it'd have been in the second gen era.

I hear you, because that’s likely what I would do.

DFF

[southernman]

Majority I found still looked pretty good lettering wise, but I found this pic and the wheels started turning. I do wish I'd have just left it alone.

(Attachment Link)

Looks every bit as good as the ones MT did this month.

[Cajonpassfan]

Amen to that!

And I'll add that the aforementioned fellow in gorgeous scenic BC models Tehachapi, and the friend who models Conrail goes gaga over running 50's era black widows in California, and me, a Cajon Pass nut, who thoroughly enjoys operating on a friend's New York, Ontario & Western
Got to love this hobby and (some of) the people in it
Otto

[chuck geiger]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KEXH5hTaX80

[chuck geiger]

Milkshake Oil in Las Piedras Canyon, CA closed in 1999. The last oil-producing derrick in Las Piedras County, CA. Operations and drilling moved to Bakersfield.