Wednesday, November 30, 2011

More Coyote Wells...










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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Coyote Wells, CA

This has been a fun part of the layout. Those of you who've been following the progress know I started with Plaster City on this side of the scenic divider. Figured out it would kill my zero based budget to build the large structures and industry to represent U.S. Gypsum. Then I thought Dos Cabezos. Problem there. The switches were in for Plaster City and I didn't want to tear them out. So I was caught by Coyote Wells, knowing there was a main, passing and hold there with a wye and an engine lead. I decided to model it with the engine lead appear as a spur off the El Centro side (I-8 overpass) to a crude diesel and water facility. The first pictures of it came out great. I have been improving the area this week. Needed to paint the roofs of the MOW and buildings roofs green. The walls were already yellow in accordance to SP colors.

I am elated the process of paint, sand, sandpaper, paint came out great.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Going to replace my scratch built SD&AE depot in El Centro with this...

Just need to repaint and add the columns and this baby will be El Centro SD&AE depot.

Coyote Wells, CA 9/86

On The Atlas Forum, there was an inquiry on how this sand look was achieved.  It is real desert sand from Yuma, AZ. I painted the area with the craft paint, sifted the sand on...Let it dry, take some sand paper and work it a bit...Vacuum the area, then I take a bowl of water and a soppy brush with the craft paint and blob it on. The paint follows the contours of the sand. When it dries it looks like N scale sand. It's almost like this:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/2897

But I would call it "wet texturing" - It works because you can't really use dirt or sand in N scale, it's too large, the granules. The paint is the 99 cent stuff from Wal-Mart: Folk Art #420 Linen. It looks like sand.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Coyote Wells starting to take shape


New El Centro and Calexico pics from John Totten

 Looking at the North side of The El Centro depot
 Minimal engine facilities at El Centro
 Shed at El Centro engine facility
 Agri complex near El Centro
 Beet loader at Calipatria
 Calexico border
 More border
Much like Tijuana and Tecate, line goes into Mexico

Friday, November 25, 2011

Trip to The Gorge

http://sdsons.org/Club%20Documents/carrizo%20gorge%20article.html

Once upon a time a railroad was built east from San Diego to Seeley{El Centro} as the San Diego & Arizona which was known as The Impossible Railroad which was completed on November 15, 1919. It ran from San Diego south to the border with Mexico at San Ysidro, crossed into Mexico through Tijuana to Tecate. Northeast of Tecate the railroad crossed back into the United States to Campo. East of Campo it ran through clover Flats then across the high 600 foot long Upper Campo Creek Viaduct. It crossed the Coast Range at Hipass at an elevation of 3,660 feet. The line then headed down the grade to Jacumba and Dubbers. From Hipass to the desert floor 3440 feet down, the railroad builders faced their greatest challenge, the Carriso Gorge, in order to complete the line. So the railroad could keep it 2.2 gradient and keep the curvature down the need for extensive tunnels and trestle work was needed to build the line. The line was built to a 2.2 grade and hung on a ledge 1,000 feet above the normally dry stream. The 17 tunnels in the Carriso Gorge have a total length if combined of 13,385 feet. The whole 11 miles through the Carriso Gorge cost $4 million dollars in 1919. Some of the final cost of building the San Diego & Arizona came from the 21 tunnels which covered almost three miles of the line at $1.8 million. There was nearly 2.5 miles of bridgework on the line. Total per mile cost came to $129,000 which would be very high for building a railroad in those days.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

SD&AE El Centro Depot



I tried over the weekend building the SD&AE El Centro depot out of cardboard. It didn’t look too grand. Then I broke out the Evergreen styrene sheets and went to town. I have no dimensions to work with, but lots of Google Earth shots. This depot is gone now and everything will come from photos. I thought I would try a couple of brand name kits for this and I really don’t have the funds to play with. We are on a pretty strict income.

The depot came out great. I painted what looks like “terra cotta” and added the pillars on the colonnade design. I used computer generated roof sheets and front and end panels I designed in Paint.  This should suffice until I have the time to cut out the windows and doors and add Grandt Line attributes. 





Friday, November 18, 2011

Coyote Wells this weekend


Going to begin work on the "B" side of the HCD layout this weekend. My 49'ers are 8-1 and play Arizona so I won't be that football crazy. This plan will keep some of the components of the yard and old engine tracks and maybe the wye there. I'm looking at the main, passing and hold that's still there today. And in the parts and structure box, I have enought MOW buildings and some tanks for the engine spur.

Friday, November 11, 2011

SD&AE Photo Fun



Heading to San Diego this weekend...

You know I brought my camera, you never know when and how you get a chance to sneak in destination to go with the grandchildren and our daughter. We are going to Balboa Park to The San Diego Model Railroad Musuem. Patrick will be 5 in February and he loves trains. He knows the area that pop pop is modeling, The SD&AE from El Centro to Coyote Wells. I can't wait to show him the HO and N scale versions of the SD&AE at the museum tomorrow. And of course the LOOP!

Now maybe afterwards Grandpa can talk the clan into a trip to Campo! Or at least Reed's Hobby Shop in La Mesa with a trolley ride there.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

El Centro Motors from a box

I recently engaged the help of Railwire fans to help with cardboard mock-ups. Wow I can't believe what Lance Mindheim accomplished with card board and digital photos. I didn't have scale, front, side and back shots of El Centro Motors, so I made them in PAINT and cut them out and glued them to foam panels and they are decent placeholders until I build the dealership out of styrene.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

El Centro - Coyote Wells

Now I remember that was my original plan for my SD&AE HCD layout was to represent El Centro with part of the wye from The SD&AE into The SP, the depots, the small industrial area in El Centro and a backdrop representing what I could do from the track, the depot to the businesses in the back of the depot area.

This is the area modeled on the A side of the HCD layout. The redlines show the
LDE parameter. Modeling the depots is a challenge. They are both colonnade design, the SP and junior SD&AE depot next door. As of July 2011, they have both been torn down. UP was using the main SP depot as offices and shops. I will have to rely on Internet pictures and the few I was able to take in 2009.



This is now the B side of the HCD. I was going to do this originally, then thought I could model Plaster City and the massive U.S. Gypsum plant there. Too much month at the end of the money to do that. I shifted to Dos Cabezo which has a derelict water tower, SP style concrete phone booth and what was left of a rock loading siding. I shifted back to Coyote Wells which included two sidings a team track, engine and water leads. This was a service point for steam on the original railroad.

The best track plan ever (SD&AE)

http://www.sdsons.org/images/pdl-layout.gif


Great resource

http://www.sdrm.org/history/sda/drawings.html

B side of HCD, first Plaster City, then Dos Cabeza now Coyote Wells:

When I laid the track on the B side of the HCD SD&AE layout, I put in a tandem of switches, Code 80 mainline and code 55 for the sidings. I can easily convert this to Coyote Wells. (see below)


Thursday, November 3, 2011

SD&AE Timetable 1939


San Diego-El Centro Subdivision - Via Tijuana and Tecate
Stations
Distance from San Diego
Distance between stations
Time Table Notes
Elevation (ft)
Notes
Photos
Additional Photos
San Diego
Register
0.0
..
..
..


Figures shown Between San Diego and Market Street are for Information Only.
Be Governed by Current Timetables A.T. & S.F. Ry.
Market Street
0.4
0.4
..
..


First Street
0.7
0.3
..
..


Eighth Street
Train Order - Register
1.1
0.4
Yard
KBPOWY 
10
Start of the Lakeside Subdivision


Twelfth Street
4.8
3.7


Chula Vista Jct.
(Crossing C.V. Line)
7.4
2.6
P
14
..


Boal
9.1
1.7
P
55
..


Otay Gravel Pit
10.1
1.0
..


Palm City
11.1
1.0
P
20
35 


San Ysidro
Train Order - Register
15.5
4.4
KP
99
100 


Tijuana
Register
16.2
0.7
PY
110
100 


Agua Caliente
18.5
2.3
30 
..


Garcia
24.0
5.5
P
47 
210 


Matanuca
27.5
3.5
33 
350 


Redondo
36.6
9.1
PWY
46 
765 


Rita
44.9
8.3
P
41 
1315 


La Puerta
48.4
3.5
P
42 
1590 


Tecate
Train Order - Register
52.8
4.4
PW
31 
1690 


Lindero
59.6
6.6
22 
2120 


Division
60.3
0.7
P
16 
2190 


Campo
Train Order
65.8
5.5
PO
67 
2590 


Clover Flat
71.9
6.1
PW
33 
2925 


Pueblo
78.4
6.5
P
33 
3425 


Hipass
84.5
6.1
PY
45 
3660 


Jacumba
Train Order
92.9
8.4
PW
10 
2830 


Titus
94.0
1.1
PO
37 
2757 


Carriso Gorge
100.7
6.7
P
19 
2380 


Tunnel 15 Spur
102.3
1.6
.. 


Dos Cabezas
109.7
7.4
PW
72 
1670 


Sugar Loaf
117.7
8.0
P
36 
790 


Coyote Wells
122.5
4.8
PWOY
85 
290 


Plaster City
130.0
7.5
P
62 
40 


Marea
131.7
1.7
P
73 
27 


Dixieland
134.4
2.7
73 
-10 


Seeley
139.8
5.4
P
97 
-44 


Aspara
141.6
1.8
P
34 
-46 


Wilsie
145.1
3.5
15 
-47 


Train Order - Register
148.1
3.0
Yard
KBPWY
-49
Connection to the Southern PacificCalexico Sub of the Los Angeles Division



The Colonaide SP Depot El Centro


Across Carrizo Gorge

The Carizzo Gorge Railway (NOTE: Mission Impossible Theme for The Impossible Railroad)