New Plan for Southern Pacific Ventura Subdivision

[Colorado Ray]

 

Backstory

Several years ago, I was planning a large N scale layout based on Southern Pacific’s Ventura Subdivision of the Los Angeles Division from Glendale to Hasson.  The layout would have been double deck in a roughly 20’x21’ plus 6’x9’ space in the lower level of our Colorado home.  Fast forward to the present, and we now live on a farm in North Carolina.  I was thinking of redrawing the plan for either our barn loft or a good portion of our 40’x50’ shop building.  Fortunately, reality set in and I decided that there was no way I could ever build and finish a layout that large. 

 

My adult son and wife suggested that I build a layout in a 20 ft shipping container that they wanted in the shop building.  They want to put it on rollers so that it can be moved around if necessary, to get farm machinery in and out, and the container would “varmint proof” the layout (lots of mice and the occasional black snake in the shop).  So, for Christmas I was given a 20 ft shipping container with dolly wheels.

 

New Layout Plan

The inside dimensions of the shipping container are 7’8” by 19’4”.  This pretty much dictated an around the walls design with a lift-up or nod-under entrance.  I also decided to switch back to HO scale and limit the layout to one scenic level.  A lower level staging yard will store mainline trains. 

 

I decided to focus on just one LDE, Burbank Junction.  Bruce Petty has a beautiful layout based on this area with a focus on the Burbank Branch.  My plan is to focus on the Burbank industrial area, and the Burbank Tower junction where the Coast Line and the San Joaquin Valley Line split.  I’ll be able to model both Coast Line and Valley trains.

 

Working with 1957 San Borne Fire Insurance Maps I was able to recreate an approximation of the western end of the Burbank area and the Olive Avenue industrial lead.  Several choice industries had to be left out, but I was able to include most of them.  I fudged in the Glendale scrapyard at the east end because I wanted to have scrap yard.  Other than that, the industries and track arrangements pretty much match the 1957 San Borne maps.  Interestingly, the actual track configuration at Burbank Junction changed over the years.  As far as I can tell from mid-1950’s era photographs, the two lines each split off as a single-track line with sidings immediately after the junction.  At some later date, the Coast Line remained double track through the junction with the San Joaquin Valley line single tracked from the Coast Lines westward main. 

 

 

Burbank Junction Track Schematic by Ray Hamilton, on Flickr

 

I’ll post a track plan in the next post that shows how this will all be warped into the container.

[Colorado Ray]

 

Here’s the track plan.  Westward trains enter the visible layout in the bottom right under the road overpass.  There’s a crossover from the eastward main to westward main and then the siding for the westward trains.  The Grayson Power Plant switchback is accessed from the eastward main.  The Glendale scrapyard is on the end of the switchback tail track so it won’t interfere with switching the power plant.  Continuing westward, several industries are accessed from the westward siding. 

 

SP Main Level by Ray Hamilton, on Flickr

 

The eastward siding and Andrew Jerkens soap plant branch off from the eastward main.  Continuing westward, the Burbank Station and Freight House are accessed from the westward main, and Tidewater Oil and the Olive Avenue Industrial Lead are accessed from the eastward main.  The east leg of the Burbank Branch wye diverges from the eastward main line and serves Burbank Lumber before dropping down to a hidden staging track.  Burbank Lumber should be on the other side of the track, but the darn aisle got in the way.  Before reaching Burbank Junction, the west leg of the wye joins the siding and the spur to General Water Heater branches off from the westward main.  Burbank Junction then concludes the visible layout with the crossovers and split between the Coast Line and the San Joaquin Valley Line.

 

In reality, the Olive Avenue Industrial Lead is perpendicular to the mainline, but I’ve had to fold it parallel to the main.  The branch includes all of the industries served according to the 1957 San Bourne maps.  

 

Additionally, there are several other compromises.  The most glaring is that I had to relocate the Burbank Station to the other side of Olive Avenue from the prototype.  I couldn’t connect the legs of the Burbank Branch wye, so it’s non-functional for turning engines.  Therefore, the Burbank turn from Taylor Yard will have to backup from Burbank, and the Burbank Branch Local will also have to back on direction.  Once built, I’ll have the west leg out of service with a trackwork crew at work to justify the reverse moves. 

 

The ramps and staging are a whole other story for a late post. 

 

Ray

[Neptune48]

Ray,

Nice looking track plan.

How are you fixed for structures?  While I've been doing research on interlocking towers for a project of my own, I ran across some material on the Burbank Jct. tower you might find useful.

Regards,
Bruce

[Colorado Ray]

Hi Bruce,

No structures are built yet.  I've been collecting as many photos as I can from various web sources (Burbank historical society has some great photos).  I've got dimensioned data on the Burnank Station, but nothing specific to the actual Burbank Tower other than photos.  If you have more information to share with the group, I'm sure it would be appreciated.

 

Ray