This year’s anniversary of the start of construction in August, 2012, marks thirteen years of construction. Perhaps even more important for a layout built for operations is that this also marks ten years of operations on the full mainline of the railroad. I have been having flashbacks to 2015 when I:
1. Completed the mainline with a Golden Spike in April, 2015.
2. Held my first operating session on the completed mainline with a local crew in June, 2015.
3. Opened my doors for layout tours and an OpSIG (Operations Special Interest Group) operating session as part of the NMRA PDX2015 national convention in Portland, Oregon. That OpSIG session was only the fourth operating session on the full mainline. From my owner-builder perspective the layout was very raw (lots of switches needed fine-tuning). My guest operators were happy to be part of bringing my vision into reality. Several of those folk were here for WOOPS in June of this year, so my memories of 2015 have been refreshed.
The railroad has come a long way since that initial “Plywood Pacific” as will be seen in this annual photo survey of the railroad. Last year’s survey may be found at:
https://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-railroad-at-year-twelve.html
Befitting a railroad built for operations, I chose to use photos taken during the regular August 2nd, operating session. This was the 86th operating session on the full mainline. We had a modest-sized crew, but got all required railroad work done with the exception of servicing the Eugene city industries. Along the way we introduced a new crewmember to the railroad by pairing him with one of the experienced operators. Follow along as the photos document this regular operating session as well as highlighting progress of the past year.
The Eugene Yard crew is busy as a RR-East freight rolls into the Eugene terminal on the mainline. Mike L. (foreground) works as the East Yard Switcher. Further back, Craig P. works as both Yardmaster and switcher, classifying cars at the RR-West end of the classification yard. Jim L. (black shirt) watches his arriving road freight on the mainline. Across the aisle, Mike B. works the first Springfield switching job.
Eugene Arrival-Departure Yardmaster Vic N. (wearing a hat) looks out upon his yard near the start of the session. Eugene Classification Yardmaster Craig P. (green shirt) has come over to the A-D yard to confer on transfers between the two yards.
The busy space between the two Eugene Yard complexes. A transfer cut of cars is being moved from the A-D Yard to the left over to the Classification Yard to the right. Those green BN covered hoppers will end up in the Albers feed complex at the far (RR-West) end of the Eugene yard. Against the wall are a number of industries normally serviced by the Eugene City Switcher. Each represents an industry served by the SP in Eugene that appeared on a 1970s SPINS diagram (Southern Pacific Industry Numbering System). Track revisions and industry models in this area were all part of my “Covid Project” of 2020.
Orchestrating train movements as Dispatcher was John B. John is one of two regular Dispatchers. We are working on training additional Dispatchers.
Mike B. works the first Springfield Switch Job (Turn). This job services Springfield industry on the backdrop side of the mainline. All of the industries modeled have been in Springfield, from Borden Chemical in the background, alongside the Willamette River, to Tillbury Cement (green silo), Clear Fir moldings (low gray building plus the transfer crane and chip bin in the middle-right), to Rosboro Lumber in the foreground.
Around the corner at the end of the Springfield peninsula is the Marcola branch area of Springfield. This area is served by the third Springfield area local switch job. Mike B. is guiding his train on the mainline between Westfir in the background and Springfield. The major elements of the Neste Resins plant are in place along the Marcola Branch. The cut of freight cars in the foreground is on the interchange track for Weyerhauser—unmodeled except by the interchange tracks.
Mike B. (green shirt with back to camera at left) is guiding his RR-East train through Springfield on the mainline. Jim L. (black shirt, right) has come off road freight duty to work the second Springfield local switch job, working the industry on the aisle side of the mainline. His local power can be seen beside the orange cars of the road freight and behind the rock bunker in the foreground.
Westfir hosts one of two large forest products mills that bracket Oakridge. This one began as Western Lumber and had the distinction of having the contract to mill all of the timber cut as the Cascade Line was built up out of Oakridge in 1926.
Just beyond Westfir, the railroad plunges through Tunnel 22 into Oakridge. New-to-the-layout Engineer Doug C. (blue shirt, middle) moves the front part of his train forward to make way for inserting the mid-train helpers. His Conductor, Rodger C. (gray shirt, right) is listening for Dispatcher instructions. In the background, Jim L. (black shirt) also listens to the Dispatcher for instructions moving his train from McCredie Springs.
Engineer Jim L. got permission to move out of McCredie Springs down toward Oakridge. This took him through Tunnel 21 and then past Rooster Rock (Montieth Rock). A lot of this past year’s effort has gone into this scene. I applied an external layer to the base of pink insulation foam and Scultamold that had been the rock for the past several years. I worked from pictures of both sides of the rock to guide my sculpting efforts with Paperclay. I then applied color to the rock, trying to match the photos. Other efforts in this area included a revision of the backdrop painting, ground cover and then trees. I have more trees to build and install in this scene, but Jim is taking note of changes since he helped out with WOOPS operations in June.
In an opposite direction view of Rooster Rock, Doug C. and Rodger C. plus Helper Engineer Pete H. (rear, dark green shirt) begin their long climb up out of Oakridge toward Cascade Summit. The new scenery catches the attention of old and new crew.
Back at Oakridge, Joe B. brings the Oakridge Turn into town. He will service industry and company spurs in town before returning to Eugene via Westfir.
Later on, Joe B. (center) has nearly finished his work in Oakridge, but needs to get out onto the mainline to switch Standard Oil, set against the backdrop. Jim L. (rear) guides his train on the Oakridge Main as he moves RR-East toward Eugene. Meanwhile, another RR-West train has arrived in Oakridge and needs a helper. Craig. L. (light blue shirt, right) is awaiting further movement of the train he will help after it just made the cut between cars for the helper.
Early in the session, Mike L. (foreground) controlled his RR-West train at McCredie Springs with Craig L. (light blue shirt, rear) controlling the mid-train helpers.
A meet at Wicopee. Wicopee is the mid-point siding on the climb between Oakridge and Cascade Summit—both in the full-sized world and on my scale model recreation. Doug C. (right), Rodger C. (gray shirt, left) and Pete H. (green shirt, front) have moved their train into the siding with a RR-East (downhill) train piloted by Pat LT. (gray shirt and green apron, center), holding the main. Downhill trains generally stay on the mainline and take precedence over the uphill trains. It is safer to keep a train rolling downhill rather than have to apply air brakes and then hope for a brake system re-charge before needing them again as a train starts rolling downhill again. I applied a few rock molds to the terrain seen on the left side of the picture.
Doug C, Rodger C, and Pete H. watch their train as it leaves Wicopee and begins crossing Salt Creek Trestle. Salt Creek Trestle is the longest of three steel viaducts on the Cascade Line.
Pat LT. and Pete H. work a train uphill (RR-West) over Noisy Creek Trestle, the second of the steel viaducts on the line. 130 feet of this trestle was washed out during a December 1964 storm, cutting the Cascade Line for weeks.
Pat and Pete continue to monitor their train as it climbs through Cruzatte. A few more trees were added to the Cruzatte scene this year, but they disappear among the roughly 300 other trees already planted in this scene.
Mike L. and Craig L. bring their train into Cascade Summit, where Craig’s helpers will be removed from the train. Those helpers can be seen in the background, about to enter the summit tunnel.
Later in the session, Pete H. (right) is removing his helpers from the train crewed by Pat LT. (left) at Cascade Summit. Craig L. and Jim M. are down below in Oakridge.
Completing his run over the railroad, Pat LT. guides his train into Crescent Lake. This is the upper staging yard for my railroad. The lower staging yard, the Eugene Arrival-Departure Yard, can be seen below with an actual height change of over three feet.
This past year has seen development and refinement of mountain scenery and a lot of operation!
