My Home Layout

Index

LOS ANGELES Staging Yard

ORANGE

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

SAN CLEMENTE

OCEANSIDE

SAN DIEGO Staging Yard

Orchards

In summer 2005 I started to build my new home layout.

It is based on the Santa Fe 4^th district, also called the “Surf Line” from Los Angeles to San Diego. I took my main inspiration in articles and plans published by Keith Jordan.

The layout has staging yards at each end, i.e. Los Angeles and San Diego. They are for receiving and making up of trains and therefore are not totally scenicked except for ballast and turf.

Locations en route depict towns of my personal interest and which capture the essence of the line.

Trains are made up in LOS ANGELES 1^st street yard for their journey along the Surf Line to San Diego.

Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal

The first town is ORANGE. As the name tells us, citrus is the premier commodity, reefers, ice houses etc.

former Santa Fe Depot in Orange Packing House north of the depot

Next comes my favourite, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO with its mission style depot, build in 1894 with bricks from the nearby mission.

Bell tower of the depot Platform with former freight house at right

Leaving SJC the line touches the Pacific Ocean at SAN CLEMENTE.

Looking south in San Clemente

The next town is OCEANSIDE, with a small yard and lots of industries to be switched.

I have no actual picture of Oceanside so I substitude it with this view of Redondo Beach

Leaving Oceanside brings us to SAN DIEGO’s 22 street yard which is the second staging yard on my layout.

The fabulous Santa Fe mission style depot in San Diego

My layout under construction

These are the first shots of my layout under construction. Benchwork is L-girder attached to wall supports.

Trackwork for Oceanside almost completed.

In the meantime (May 2007) tracks in Oceanside are completed and work on San Clemente has started. Also the framework for San Juan Capistrano is underway. Sorry no pictures for the moment. Will follow in the next couple of weeks.