The Layout

Below is the text and images that Bruce Petty wrote on his old site.

My layout is modeled after Southern California during the early 1960s. It is built as a round the room shelf type layout, 14 to 18 inches wide allowing for close up photography. Enjoy the photo tour and be sure to check out more web-article links for model building projects at the top and the bottom of this page.

These are a new item from Century Foundry, Relay cases with electrical detail equipment inside.
Here is the link to Century Foundry

I’ve wondered how forklift’s get into freight cars and reefers from the loading dock, so after some
research I made a brass master pattern to cast up. I now have
Dock Plates on my loading docks, if you need some of these for your loading docks, check here. Forklift Dock Plates

This is Athearn’s new Southern Pacific’s, HO Scale, GE U-50 running with a Kato U-25 B, These model diesels both run well together on a DC power supply. Back in the 1960s-70s, these two diesel prototypes ran together on Los Angeles transfers from Taylor to Colton Yard and back.
I give this model U-50 an A+++!

newly painting desert backdrop for the Southerrn Pacific’s, Jawbone Branch out of Mojave.

The prototype of this commute train in 1981 was known as “Baxter’s Choo-Choo.”
Baxter Ward was a L.A. County Supervisor, 1974-80. His idea for a commuter
rail system eventually turned into the L.A. Metrolink.

Here is the new Athearn, MT4 Locomotive out for its test run and photo.

The North Hollywood depot is now used for Railway Express and Pacific Motor Trucking freight shipments long after
the Pacific Electric stopped running passengers in 1952. In later years SP repainted their structures to gray.

This fine model kit is now produced by Showcase Miniatures on a limited production run.

The Burbank local makes a stop at the maintenance of way yard to set out several hopper cars of ballast.

newly painting desert backdrop for the Southerrn Pacific’s, Jawbone Branch out of Mojave.

There is new SW 1500, Athearn switch engine on the layout, the SP 2467. You can see from the prototype picture below that both engines are waiting on the main line for the orders to move.

The SP 2462 (SW1500) and gravel cars wait on the main line at Sun Valley. The work train will back up all the way to San Fernando for the rebuilding of the main line there after the Sylmar Earthquake in 1971.

The SP trackage runs along the Los Angeles River for many miles and also crossing it in several places.
This fascia model was made from a corrugated cardboard box and Latex indoor paint.

The Westbound “Coast Mail” train is about to depart the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal.

The “Coast Mail” seen here passing Burbank Junction Tower.The layout module in only fourteen inches wide at this point. On the prototype, a concrete drainage channel does runs
along the tracks in the same place, however on the model, one channel side wall is used to make the facia.

Richard Hughes is a retired railroad conductor and owns this HO model of an SP, AC9. He worked for the SP back in the early 1950s and ran these monster locomotives on the Modoc Line in Northern California. He says “these locomotives were very easy to operate!”

The Chatsworth Hauler eastbound off the Coast Line at Burbank.

New power 5840 and 2913 waiting at the Burbank Depot.

There goes the local up the Valley Line to finish the day job at Sun Valley.

Switching work at the San Fernando Sunkist Packing House.

Local passing the Sheller Feed Company.

GEMCO local eastbound off the Coast Line.

GEMCO local eastbound off the Coast Line.

Picture of the day when SP 2467, a brand new EMD, SW1500 has just arrived on the property in 1967.

Working the gravel loader facility is this Mack switcher by Scale Structures Ltd.