Orange Empire Layout

[JoeD]

Now that I'm settle in the new house, I broke out all the components I've been working on and staged a quick photo shoot.  http://www.southernoregonz.com/  After looking high and low for a shortline that SP had dealings with or owned outright, the Visalia Electric
Railway in the eastern San Joaquin Valley jumped out at me.  I wanted to do something that was more landscape intensive and less dependent on fleets of rolling stock and motive power.  Up until they aquired a Diesel Electric Boxcab from SP/Pacific Electric, SP roamed the line with all sorts of steam.  I want to model mid 1950's, so a pair of the Bachmann 44-tonners is all I need for a complete roster...throw in a few Wheels of Time Harriman's, various Reefers and GP Gons...all SP and you have all you need to operate.

Right now the plan is to build this on a series of Bi-fold door blanks that will link up to form a layout that can be hitched to a N-Track module at the terminus.  This way I can take it to shows and link up with the rest of the modules.  The first one that I have laid out is based around the bridge over the Kaweah River just down the tracks from Lemon Cove (real name....honest)  I've compressed the area towards the Smudge Oil Depot, but I want to show the ramp to the bridge and the lower track that drops down into the sand pit in the front of the module to good effect.  Now all I need is a good Steam Shovel Kit to fill out the scene.  The base is 15" x 80" and will give me a nice long run from end to end.  While I haven't figured out the rest of the layout right now, using this system allows me to expand as much as I want...or not.

More to follow.

Joe.

[Nato]

   Joe, Nice planning work so far. I think your choice of the VE to model is wonderful. I like the old orange Crate and advert images you were able to find. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[tom mann]

Looks good, Joe.  Do you have the Morning Sun book?

edit:  looks like I stickied this topic by accident - just un-did it. 

[JoeD]

Hey Tom,  yep, picked it up on Amazon for $20.00 used.  I have a number of these books and I think Phillips Kauke produced one of the better ones written.  Very complete with enough maps and detail photo's to build the whole line. At some point I want to build the Diesel Boxcab using a lifelike SW9 chassis and kit bash the EP&SW wood caboose they used.  Here is a shot of the Kaweah Bridge I built from the Central Valley Kit.  Lots of left over parts.  Have yet to Tom Mannasize it.  ;D


Joe


 

Looks good, Joe.  Do you have the Morning Sun book?

edit:  looks like I stickied this topic by accident - just un-did it.  

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Very cool idea. I like it a lot.

It kinda reminds me of the Walla Walla Valley layout that was in the mags a few years back, which I also really liked.

Keep us in the loop with lots of pics. This should be great to watch come together.

[mcjaco]

Love those SP California branch lines.  My goal, when we finally move into digs with a basement, is to model the SP Northwestern Pacific branch up through Napa and the Russian River valley.  How can you not want to model hop fields?   ;D  And the SP ran 1st gen SDs and GPs through the late 90s.

Can't wait to see more, Joe! 

[Denver Road Doug]

Joe, that's good stuff!  Glad to see some "fruits" of your labor.   ;D

[Sokramiketes]

Nice bridge!  That kit is extremely versatile... I'm really glad they finally released it. 

[jmlaboda]

Don't forget... Bob Smaus had a great article on building a packing house many years ago.  It was in the August '91 Railroad Model Craftsman.  Great model... equally great article.

[JoeD]

Yes...great resource.  We exchanged emails a few months ago.  I also had a chance to visit John Signor's layout in Dunsmuir and posted some shots on my web page (not there right now as I revamp it) and he had some nice packing houses built too. 

The bridge is cool, lots of great parts for bashing.  I picked up an extra one to do an SP 100' Pony Truss Turntable. .
 ;D

Joe

[SirTainly]

Looks good, although it being SP themed doesn't bias me at all!

[NorfolkSouthern9708]

I don't understand what the bridge thing is in the middle of the turntable.

[JoeD]

Had a few quiet moments last night and modified an MTL 50,000 series Caboose with additional roofwalks and bracing to better match the SP C 30-1 proto.

Here is a shot with my yet to be decaled Mike.

markings are pretty simple...a VE and the road number.  Got some close up shots of the markings on the steps and the coupla ends...ought to give the ALPs a run for it's money.   The only thing left to do now is the wood tool box along the centerline of the Car.

Joe
Mtl

[sirenwerks]

I don't understand what the bridge thing is in the middle of the turntable.

I'm no expert in turntables, but I believe it's the structural means by which power was fed to the turntable to run the motors that turned it. The center top of the 'bridge thing' is the central pivot point where a wire could be run to and fed down without getting in the way of everything. If my logic is correct, this would imply a turntable that was originally hand-turned and was motored later. Otherwise, the wiring would have been run under the whole shebang to begin with.

[Iain]

The steam's hot