santa fe cajon-ish 1947 in a Kansas basement

[Cajonpassfan]

Adam, PM me your address, got something you can use for you.
Otto

[draskouasshat]

Now you have me excited otto!
Pm sent!

Thank you!

[Cajonpassfan]

It's the one on the left, built by an Aussie friend of mine, Rob McLear, who abandoned his N scale venture and returned to HO. I had already built mine, so it's a spare. Nothing wrong with it, other then the pilings should be round...an easy fix. I'll get it in the mail today or Monday.
Otto

[jagged ben]

What's that streetcar on the bluff?

[draskouasshat]

Thank you Otto! It will definitely find a home on the layout!

Ben, that's the descanso. It's an old funeral car taken up there. It was used by visitors watching trains on the pass.

Adam Draskovich

[Cajonpassfan]

Yes, it's the Descanso. When the Summit office closed and there was no oversight, it was moved to the Orange Empire Railway museum in Peris where it can be seen today, restored to its former glory. No transition era Summit model can be complete without it...
Otto K.

[draskouasshat]

I didn't get much done this week due to my son having eye surgery but i did make a hill for alray. I also laid some track for the EB main from pine lodge to the alray tunnel. I have an ebay lot of 25 pieces of me/railcraft c55 coming in. This week I'll order some turnouts so i have things stockpiled for when i get back home. This should allow me to finish most of if not all of the track on the upper level and return loop under summit. Of course that depends on if my son gets his tonsils and adenoids out that week.

Adam Draskovich

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[draskouasshat]

I had to see what the scenery looked like with a mixed freight and helpers!

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[GaryHinshaw]

Great progress!  But it looks like your helper is on the ground.   

[draskouasshat]

He loves crawling around the basement!

[draskouasshat]

Big update here!

I'm seriously rethinking the scope of this layout. Im honestly thinking about ripping down this layout and rebuilding summit in the middle of the long wall. I would basically just have summit with a little bit east and west of summit modeled. I don't like the compression and transition between scenes as things stand right now.
I also don't like the summit I've built so far. It just doesn't look "right" to me. I think i might just like a depiction of summit better instead of everything compressed this much.

Adam draskovich

[davefoxx]

Big update here!

I'm seriously rethinking the scope of this layout. Im honestly thinking about ripping down this layout and rebuilding summit in the middle of the long wall. I would basically just have summit with a little bit east and west of summit modeled. I don't like the compression and transition between scenes as things stand right now.
I also don't like the summit I've built so far. It just doesn't look "right" to me. I think i might just like a depiction of summit better instead of everything compressed this much.

Adam draskovich

Listen to your gut.  It usually doesn't lie.  If the current layout bothers you now, you probably will never get over that.  Besides, if you're going to start over, it's better to do so sooner rather than later, so that you hopefully don't waste any more money on the current layout.

DFF

[C855B]

I dunno, Adam. Obviously you're the one who needs to be satisfied with the finished result, what you had done so far at least conveyed the general ambience of the area around Summit for this area native. I had the good fortune of spending at least some time there before the big realignment of 1972, so I certainly appreciate what you're trying to do.

But carry on, you know what's best for you.

[Cajonpassfan]

Sorry to hear that Adam, I know you have a passion for Cajon, so welcome to the club. Yes, it is infinitely more challenging to model a well known, much photographed, and specific location, than generic scenes. If it doesn't look right, it just looks wrong (deep wisdom there ) But true.

But, not having seen your work to date other than the few photos, I don't know if it's the degree of compression you're struggling with, or the topography; your track geometry appears correct and as long as the degree of scenic compression follows the track layout, you should be good, and it should "feel" right. However, the topography needs to be modeled accurately, generic hills and cuts will not do. Jon Harrison has taken this to the extreme on his HO Summit layout, and when he's done, I'm sure it will look and feel like the real Summit.

As to modeling just Summit, I'm sure you could make it look and feel  right, but what kind of an operating potential will you have... a large diorama to how showcase your trains. Not knocking it, to each his own and who am I to know what you like, but I know it wouldn't work for me... a lot of work just to build a diorama without operating potential.

Ultimately, it's about what makes YOU tick and happy, and what YOU want his thing to be...what is the end game for you? Best of luck!

Otto, attempting to model Cajon since 1980

[superchief]

ditto what Otto said .......... to model a certain area that EVERYONE has seen, read out or visited other layouts that are based on the same area that you model can drive a layout builder crazy. But you have to make sure YOU are happy. if that means modeling a smaller area but 100% correct is what you what then reduce and put staging yards at both ends. Summit would become your STAGE for your trains to cross as they exit stage left or right.  tough choice but you will fiqure it out. I like the long runs and long trains and we never have enough space............(I heard they still have no plans for the former Astrodome.....MMMMM to model the entire Santa Fe mainline mile for mile)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL..Good luck buddy, Gordon ATSF Chicago to La 1953