Layout Updates

The Spreckels Sugar Beet Refinery towers over the Southern Pacific beet train below

A coal merchant waits for the daily local to pass at Moss Landing

While I prepared to reinstall the layout, I realized that a number of different activities were going to happen at once. I had installed the backdrop and given it a basecoat of paint, but before I could install the layout in front of it, I wanted to get the backdrop more-or-less finished. Doing this before the layout was up would give me more room to work, and make things easier in the long run. 

The Spreckels yard is to the right

The Gabilan Mountain Range in the distance, with produce fields in the foreground. At least that was the intent. 

After roughing in the outline of the mountains, I went in and added shading and highlighting to add some dimension and depth. I included foreground elements like trees, fields, and a few workers to blend the foreground and background. I didn't worry about getting things just right, it was more about creating the look or feel of the Salinas Valley.

The real Salinas Valley with the Gabilan Range in the distance

Once the backdrop was more or less complete, I could reinstall the layout. Before doing that, however, I decided that it would be wise to put a base layer of scenery down (plaster cloth and a coat of tan paint). This is the messiest phase of scenery, especially when covering large areas. By doing this while the layout was in sections, I could work outside and save myself a potential mess inside. 

A layer of plaster cloth coated with tan paint forms the scenery base. This area will be farm fields with a dirt road paralleling the tracks.

Now I could begin to install the benchwork. Because I rearranged things (removing the Buena Vista Branch, pushing the Spreckels Sugar Factory into its place), and because the walls of the basement are now straight, and the dimensions of the room are slightly narrower, things took some finesse to reinstall.

I couldn't simply put layout sections back where they were and call it good. Starting at one end (Spreckels), I worked my way around the room until I got to Moss Landing. This involved filling in some gaps in the benchwork, and trimming things to fit the new space.  

Once installed, I needed to reconnect the track and wiring. Trains can now travel from Spreckels to Moss Landing, and back again. I also added short staging tracks representing the Salinas and Alisal branch lines. 

The northern portion of the layout. Moss Landing is on the left, with temporary mock-ups of the Pacific Steamship Co.'s warehouses

The southern end of the layout. Spreckels yard is in the center, and a mock-up of the Spreckels Sugar Factory dominates the far end. The buildings are scale width and height, however I only had room to fit about half of the scale depth. 

A close up of the Sugar Factory. Unfortunately I could only fit a portion (about 1/3) of the large sugar warehouse on the the left. I believe the full scale model would be over 3' long. The main factory building should be closer to 44" deep. I have room for about 24". 

Now that the trains were running, I needed somewhere for them to go. Using foam core, I created rough mock-ups of the Sugar Beet Factory in Spreckels, and the grain warehouses operated by the Pacific Steamship Co. in Moss Landing. 

I also used this time to finish the installation of the fascia. It still needs to be stained in some areas. Having this fully installed, as well as a mostly painted layout surface makes a big difference in how things look down here. 

The fascia at Moss Landing. The turnout knobs need to be fixed, and the left end needs some stain.

With things up and running again, I've come across some issues with the passenger cars. For some reason, they have had trouble staying on the track on one curve while connected to one another. To date I've checked and adjusted and leveled the track, the wheels, the car weight. I think it's the couplers, and their lack of lateral movement, combined with the abruptness of a curve following a straight turnout. The track radius isn't too sharp, and a slight adjustment to the straight of the turnout has lessened the problem. There are far too many variables to be confident at the moment. 

All in all, it's been a busy and productive month. Next up: finish the wiring, stain the fascia, lay the track for the Sugar Factory, finish the overhead lighting...