ATSF Los Angeles Division, circa 1949

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, it's a lovely Sunday here, so I decided it's time to take a break from HO "work" and run some trains on my own layout. Here's a hot GFX block going up the pass below Devore, blasting through "town" in Run 8 at 15 mph, with a set of helpers pushing hard ahead of the waycar, (caboose in Santa Fe parlance). The sounds of EMD 567B's are emanating from both ends thanks to the Paragon 4 decoders. Quite the sight and sound, I am enjoying JFRT for a change!
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

No more JFRT... back to "work" on the big Rock Island bridge. Multi-segment bridges are a bear (bitch) to line up, horizontally and vertically, while kept level😜 Laser is your friend. Progress made to date... gonna look awesome
Otto

[Cariboomodelworks]

Hey Otto, Is that Rock Island bridge scene you're working on part of a  GN 1st sub layout or BN/BNSF/freelanced?

Cheers,

[superchief]

looking great as always Otto!!!!!! we just had our first FULL op session in almost 3 years!!! but sometimes it is fun JFRT!!! Gordon

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks Gordon, and good for you. I hope to be able to come for your ops someday!
Caribou, the bridge is a GN prototype based as you already know. The model setting is freelanced as is the whole Western-themed railroad. The bridge scene sits on a 7'wide peninsula with the cliffs providing a visual separation between the two sides of it. Thanks for looking.
Otto K.

[OldEastRR]

I'm wondering how many more monster bridge scenes you'll need to do on the HO layout. Not complaining, it's your hobby, but I'm more interested in your N scale stuff. For me, somehow HO seems to be the "easy" scale, with its large dimensions and unlimited supply of almost everything railroading. If HO floats your boat, that's fine, but my heart belongs to N scale.

[Cajonpassfan]

You'll be pleased to know, @OldEastRR that there are no more monster HO bridges to install. The HO railroad's mainlines are now (mostly) complete, all 1,000 plus feet of them, and that was the goal when we set out only two years ago. What's left to lay is a branch line and a long narrow gauge line up the mountain, and of course remaining scenery, structures and myriad details to be added. All 4,700 square feet of beautiful model railroading's worth! I've enjoyed the design and construction process tremendously; it's been an amazing creative experience to share with our guys. BTW, we are having an invitational open house July 16 to celebrate the two year anniversary. PM me if you're local to SoCal if interested.

I'm not sure I agree that HO is "easy" (although I do tell the guys that working in HO feels like cheating😎) In all seriousness, it's just a whole another another set of challenges to overcome at this scale and SIZE, and it is not "easy", just different. I do love railroading and model railroading in any size or scale. So there...

But, you do bring up a legitimate point: maybe this doesn't belong in my N scale ATSF layout thread, even if my modeling time over the last two years has been mostly consumed by work in HO. It's not MY HO layout and I don't feel comfortable having a dedicated thread in HO (if there are any real HO threads here, not under the N and Z umbrella), so I threw it here, along with my slow N scale layout progress pics and posts. If that's inappropriate under my layout thread, I'll consider other options...
Otto

[MDW]

I’ve enjoyed following both the bridge builds and progress on your own layout on this one thread..... no worries here!
Michel

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, first op session on my friend's Pacific Coast Lines II today. It was a bit of a free for all, with visiting operators bringing stuff from all different eras, but everyone was excited to see the layout come to life. A truly enjoyable day...
Otto

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The weathering on those UP units is fantastic.

[Cajonpassfan]

The weathering on those UP units is fantastic.

Ha! I'll pass it on to my young friend John...thanks!

[keeper]

Well, first op session on my friend's Pacific Coast Lines II today. It was a bit of a free for all, with visiting operators bringing stuff from all different eras, but everyone was excited to see the layout come to life. A truly enjoyable day...
Otto

That looks fantastic.

Thomas

[Cajonpassfan]

The weathering on those UP units is fantastic.

Here's a better shot of those @Ed Kapuscinski Fun stuff, regardless of scale or time..
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[Cajonpassfan]

I had built a two track testing/programming shelf in an alcove of my workshop, see pics below.
The rear track is for addressing/programming off the main; the front track is for testing both DC and DCC locos. There's a DPDT selector switch on the extreme right to allow access to both. Today I added a "cleaning track" feature, based on @peteski 's setup. I like to use GooGone on the really gunky stuff followed up by 91% IPA, or just the alcohol for lighter cleaning. Works like a charm!😎
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Speaking of cleaning wheels, I put my old misbehaving Geeps through the paces and then ran them on the rairoad to test them. They are not great pullers but did okay, will need a rear helper anyway to get them over the Pass. This is the most modern power for my era, and I'm just keeping it to one road set and maybe one two unit helper, to show what's coming. I always thought Geeps were ugly, compared to first generation power (and steam) but these Zebras are growing on me...see pics.
Otto