Chronicles of a Shortline

[MilesWestern]

Hello Everyone, welcome to my California Shortline: The Mission Valley and Pacific.

I'll be recording the progress of my layout in this thread, and I hope you'll enjoy it!

First of all, there is a trackplan! :thumb:

It doesn't look like much, but It's a traditional 4X8 foot layout that grew a little bit, with the addition of a 1X6 yard, and a yard lead made from an old fence post! ops:

I have created a paint scheme for my locomotives, and you can see that here: http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=20840&highlight=MV%26P


The Layout was offically started in July of 2005, and has progressed from this...(Picture taken june 2005)

To this(!) in a little over a year and a half. (Taken June 2006)

And that's not even close to what it looks like today, due to some major improvements!

A Little Over one year (look at when I joined) later, I have made 1000 posts! Boy, you guys must be sick of me already!

Cheers! aussie

 

[UP SD40-2]

Miles!, your starting a thread!!!:thumb: THATS GREAT!!!:thumb: now we get to see what YOU have going on:thumb: AWESOME! LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE POSTS!!!:thumb: -Deano

 

[MilesWestern]

Indeed Deano! :thumb: I just Announced that in YOUR thread Let's see some more layout of my layout, shall we?

Ok, so here's a medely of early (grainy) shots of my layout.

I created this temporary diorama the same day I took the picture of the "clean slate"

Here's what it looked like in Sept 2005, THE day I joined the gauge!

Looking west: Note New Alco S1!

Looking east, look at the genesis of the Tunnel

...More to come!

 

[viperman]

Good to see you have a post for your updates now. I actually did see the announcement in Deano's thread, and had to check it out.

Made a lot of progress in a little over a year. Lot more than me! Then again, I keep changing my mind on the trackplan, but check out my post in the ho forum to see my updates

 

[MilesWestern]

As time progressed, inetivably my layout did too. Here's some more pictures from the early days:

Picture taken in front of the engine house, one of my earlier attempts at weathering lay in the foreground, the gondola, and the scrapped steamer.

My First Scratchbuilt building! This was taken just a day after I built it:

It has an interior, as shown in the next shot: those are banks of walk-in freezers on the left there, it was part of the packing plant complex, currently it's a warehouse that recieved wood for crates, and the freezers have been removed. Like thos skylights?

Here's a very early concept of what the downtown would look like, the gas station is no longer there, it's a walther's cornerstone State Line Farm Supply now.

Fun with perspective! I once again apologise for the quality of the photos.

 

[MilesWestern]

Side Track: Cabeese. I love cabooses, and have way more than I should. Most of all, I love bobbers, just can't get enough of 'em! :thumb:

I'll see if I can get a good pic of mine, do any of you guys have some bobbers you'd like to share?

As poor as this image is, it's the only record of the early stages of mountain construction. It would stay that way until one remarkably cold night, when my friend Cadillac_SD9 and I decided to build, sculpt and finish off the mountain! Whew!

My enitre non- tank loco steam fleet at just after the Pleasanton Train Show, I got the 2-6-0 Mogul in the foreground at the show!

Over thanks giving break I had a brainy Idea to make the downtown removable, so I could bring it inside occasionally to detail it. I made a little street scene here:

Looking more like a constructionh site than anything else, somne more downtown shots:

This was going to be the site of some victorian house, but I never got around to building it, Today, it's a mockup for a spanish style house, that remains to this day, unbuilt.

 

[MilesWestern]

Sidetrack: TRIP TO RICHMOND!! The largest layout in Northen California resides here, and it's impressive! I got to run THE FIRST TIME I CAME THERE!!! :thumb: Those guys were great!

Here's my (!) switcher rounding the bend out of the yard!

A cabforward passes in the backround of this mind-bogglingly sharp curve for the Key system line out of oakland, note building on hill.

Here's the Terminal in Oakland, CA in HO scale, It's amazing to see in person!! The real one burnt down in the 1930's.

Niles Canyon on Minirature!

HEre's the end of the run, in nearly the same spot as the last having made a nearly 40 minute trip around the layout! (that was ONE lap!)

Note nice "East Bay" Sign the backround, you Santa Fe Modelers!

 

[viperman]

That layout you are runnin the SW1 on looks pretty cool. Did you get any idas from it, that you are incorporating in your own layout? I know we all do that, to some extent.

Do you plan on building that spanish style house, or is it going to be the remains of what was once a house?

 

[doctorwayne]

You've got a nice looking layout there, Miles, and you're certainly making good progress on it. I like your streetscapes, too.
It must've been a blast to run on that big club layout. Lots of nice scenery, and that terminal building is a real gem.

Wayne

 

[TruckLover]

WOW Miles, Nice to see your layout. You are making great progress!! Can't wait to see more work from you!!

Keep it up:thumb:

 

[MilesWestern]

Thanks All! There will be more (and better quality) Pictures t come very soon! Stay Tuned!

 

[ratjag]

Youv'e a GREAT LOOKING layout coming there Miles.:thumb: :thumb: . Looking forward to some more shots.
I bet you had a fantastic time running on that huge club railroad. I know I would have done !!

 

[MilesWestern]

I had an absolute BLAST runninon thwat layout, I wish to come back another day and do that again! :thumb:

About A year ago, I started work oon the depot parking lot, as you can see, it was quite a transformation. For large flat areas on my layout, I use elmer's Board, availble at Micheaels' and Aaron Brothers art supply.

Here's an aerial shot: It'a also filled in with sculpta,old, not the best idea for a paved area, unfortunately. I should have used the plumboing puttty!

Next, my only TOFC car us being waiting to be unloaded on the ramp in the foreground.

My new Walther's Cornerstone Golden Valley frieght deopt arroved just in time to be placed on the its new lot.

On the right, the begining of the Orange grove. The trees have just been planted on the fertile plywood ground and they'll grow a whole lot by the time it's done!

After a couple of weekends of work, here is the finished depot lot!

 

[MilesWestern]

Sidetrack: My Old layout.

I built this layout when I first moved to my house in niles. It was Ill-fated. It had badly lian flexrtrack curves, and I only built a single switch into the whole layout I quickly got bored with it, and dismantled it in favor for the new layout here. We're back to bad pictures for these folks, so bear with me.

Here's a view of the old downtown, with the only nice scenery being the farm in the foreground.

The stockyard is what that single spur was for!

A sheep on the hill, my first ever hill!

The station has cHanged alor since this picture was taken, unfortunately, you can't really tell! :cry:

That's it!

 

[MilesWestern]

So, time always goes on, and more progress was to b had!

In the forground of this next shot was a mockup for a future water tower, te tank being from an old (and very useful for you kitbashers out there!) western homestead kit. The orange grove will occupy the left side of the spur, eventually.

Here's the very begining of the junkyard, note the blocks in the foreground made a quickie fence so I could see if I wanted a chainlink (see though) or a corrugated metal (opaque) fence. I still haven't installed either to date! All the scrap come from my destructive tendencies, against non-hotwheels vechicles! (With a hammer, no less! Also note near-HO leslie (old pre-matchbox) trucks! :thumb:

The cop directs traffic down plywood blvd, meanwhile a flat car awaits transshipment of a large crate onto it's deck.

 

[TruckLover]

Great pictures!!:thumb: :thumb:

I have a couple of those very old matchbox's to. They are cool.:thumb:

I think that you should go with the corrugated metal fence for the junkyard?? Just my opinion though.

 

[viperman]

Metal fence would be good for the junkyard.

I too have a bunch of old hotwheels and matchbox cars, that used to be my uncle's

 

[UP SD40-2]

Miles, i REALLY like how you are bringing us up to date with your layout!:thumb: VERY NICE!:thumb: . now you have me in suspense to see more:thumb: . keep em coming Miles!!:thumb: -deano

 

[UP SD40-2]

Ooooooops!

 

[TruckLover]

Josh, GREAT!!:thumb: as for your question, NORMALLY, it wouldn't matter what size engine is first, the question is, what road are you modeling. if you are modeling BNSF, you can darn sure bet they would normally have THEIR engine on the point...and vice versatooth1. -Deano

Thanks Deano, I am going for the BNSF scheme so I guess I will have to put the DASH 8-40B in front.

Wait a sec. How did you answer my question in this thread when I asked it in your thread?? OOPPSSSS. How did that happen?? sign1 sign1