Playa Desnuda Branch of the Pacific Electric

[coosvalley]

(Ok, that was bad.)

Yes, yes it was.

[johnb]

The dispatcher really messed up this afternoon, sending 1445 to the freight station and 1011 to D’Amato Lumber to pick up cars as 1124 was running through town….

[johnb]

Looking at another scratch build.

I have decided that the citizens of Playa Desnuda need a passenger shelter, and was guided to this structure. I am thinking about using a friend’s Cricut machine to make the end and center supports out of .020″ styrene.





These passenger shelters were built around 1906 by the Los Angeles Pacific Railway, more commonly known as The Balloon Route. They had to have been one of last items built, due to the merger of the LAP into the Pacific Electric on March 19, 1906.

[Jbub]

That's quite the coupler swing on the trolley

[johnb]

Yesterday, while cleaning up my garage, I came across an old kit that I forgot about.  Today I painted up an Atlas Suburban Passenger Shelter in Pacific Electric colors. While not perfect, it is a decent stand in.

[johnb]

Just like my obsession with the freight station that started me down the path of modeling the Pacific Electric in N Scale, the Pacific Electric interlocking towers got stuck in my mind.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a kit in N Scale that matches the prototype.

https://www.pacificelectric.org/pacific-electric/southern-district/amoco-tower-by-charles-lawrence-2/

Fortunately, there are plans for a basic interlocking tower, just move some windows and doors around..

http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/interlocking-tower.87092/#post-945884








I built this using Evergreen 0.020″ V Grove siding with 0.040″ spacing, Grandt line windows and doors, Plastastruct stairs and handrails, and finally the roof of a Micro Trains box factory. I will also add in the 90*crossing....

[johnb]

After months of not having a layout up (it was standing up in a corner of the garage), I mounted Playa Desnuda to the wall of my garage. 



I am 6'5", and I think that I need to build a railroad style stool (like a Pullman step stool) for visitors

[eja]

Very well done, sir!

[johnb]

 April 9, 1961, the MTA closed the chapter of interurban passenger service in Southern California. Today saw the return of interurban passenger service…in my garage. Looks like I need to do a little bit more track cleaning!

[johnb]

My interlocking tower needed a reason to exist. I found an old Atlas 90° crossing that I have had forever and a day, and I decided that it needed to be on my layout. I simply measured the distance from the edge of the layout, cut the rails with a Dremel, using a 420 cutting wheel (perfect for the day), poured some water onto the area of the track work and used a brand new razor to work my way down.

Looking through my scrap track box, I came across a piece of Atlas 9 3/4″ radius track and a inch long straight…and it fit perfectly up against the backdrop. I then remembered my old Arnold ALCO S2 that I saved for, stripped down, and painted it into Southern Pacific tiger stripes as a kid, never to really run it…and now it has cracked gears…..but it fits perfectly with a Micro Trains Line 33′ hopper!

Up next, a piece of tangent track, more street repairs on Washington Blvd, and a street crossing made out of some old Micro Engineering wood ties…if I remember where I put them.

[johnb]

This afternoon when I got home from work, I decided that the new Southern Pacific branch was exactly where I wanted it, so I have glued them down.

I then turned to my attention to the crossing at 14th Street. The old “asphalt” between the rails didn’t look as nice as I wanted.



The new crossing is some old Micro Engineering turnout ties, I glued them to the ties.

[narrowminded]

I then remembered my old Arnold ALCO S2 that I saved for, stripped down, and painted it into Southern Pacific tiger stripes as a kid, never to really run it…and now it has cracked gears…..but it fits perfectly with a Micro Trains Line 33′ hopper!

For those gears, I'm guessing you saw this.  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=617276;topic=43314.45;last_msg=617287

[johnb]

Yes i have

[johnb]

 I re-glued 14th Street down and trimmed it to fit


Now, I am going to turn my attention to the missing ground cover at the Shell oil depot. I have sifted dirt for the parking lot, but I don’t know if I should use dirt or cinders around the tanks.

I also plan to use a lot of dirt near the junction.

[johnb]

More ground cover and a 1940 Ford Coupe