Tehachapi Pass at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA w/ Photos
San Diego Model Railroad Museum at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA is a fantastic place to visit, with modest fees for the public to gain entrance. Among others, a large, multi-level, multi-room layout is on display of world famous Tehachapi Pass and the Loop therein.
While the museum has been featured previously with photos at these Kalmbach Forums, the following multi-post Tehachapi layout photographic essay attempts to give those at the forum a feel for the place and its quality. Perhaps those that have never been to the San Diego site will be inspired to visit it. It is a great place. This forumist has no financial stake or membership in the club, and the posted photos are just a labor of love ... Enjoy.
The presentation is multi-posted (to avoid photo retrieval lag time) on a north (west) to south (east) basis... The period modeled is probably fifty to sixty years ago ...
Part I (of VI)
Kern Junction tower in Bakersfield
One of Bakersfield's yards.
The south end of Ilmon siding. Both the north and south ends of the siding have an alignment away from the main. Note the lit signal.
This is the north (old west) end of the TWO parallel Caliente sidings.
Continued at the Part II post ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Part II (of VI)
The south (east) end of Caliente: Contemporary railfans may be shocked to know there was once a depot there!
The sharp, 15 M.P.H. u-shaped curve just south (east) out of Caliente
This is the famous, well known bridge out of Caliente over the curvy auto roadway that every visitor recognizes.
Between Caliente and Bealville: Details all the way down to fencing and cattle
Continued at the Part III post ...
Part III (of VI)
The north (west) switch of Bealville
How Bealville looked fifty to sixty years ago.
Realistic siding ...
Realistic signaling ...
Continued at the Part IV post ...
Part IV (of VI)
Realistic everything ...
Then I ran into a friendly chap that was part of the operating crew. And, he took me to areas not open to the public, at least not yet.
The Woodford siding was clearly marked as so many other locations were.
This is a bridge on the way up to the Loop.
Continued at the Part V post ...
Part V (of VI)
The track zigzags up to the Loop, on the upper left.
The center right is the Loop itself.
The track comes out of the tunnel (center) and loops (on the lower left) so as to eventually go over itself from right to left on the photo top. Note the detail of a tickler structure just before the tunnel. Those ticklers use to warn workers standing on the top of cars of an impending tunnel.
Then the tracks head up to the town of Tehachapi ...
Continued at the Part VI post ...
Part VI (of VI)
The nice gentleman that offered me a tour then took me down to a special place UNDER the Cliff siding area, the operation center with a CTC machine and computer screen!
Bakersfield ...
The trackage up, over, and down the Pass is shown on the CTC machine from left (north, old west) to right (south, old east).
The Mojave area, downgrade at the bottom south (east) foot of the Pass.
If you are ever in the San Diego, CA area, the Tehachapi model display as well as the museum is a great place to drop in and visit ...
The official website for the museum currently is at http://www.sdmodelrailroadm.com/.
Very nice!! I just feel sorry for anybody that still has dial-up!!
Loved the tour....I always go to see whats new on the layout when I visit my daughter and her husband in San Diego
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
That is an amazing layout-----and the CTC center!!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Balboa Park makes a trip to San Diago worthwhile in my opinion. It's been a few years since I have seen it, however. I'll have to return.
THANKS for posting the photos. They are inspiring to say the least.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Awsome photos!!
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
One Word: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the photo tour. If I had enough room the Tehachapi Loop line would be my choice too.
We have visited the layouts in the Musuem several times in the past few years. There are five major layouts in that building and all are interesting. The Tehachapi Pass is my favorite, but the N scale layout with their San Diego station scene is great.
I copied some information about the La Mesa club below.
CZ
La Mesa Model Railroad Club
OIC Calendar
The club layout represents the joint Southern Pacific/Santa Fe railroad from Bakersfield to Mojave, California of the 1950's. The current layout consists of the area from the Southern Pacific Bakersfield Yard through the famous Tehachapi Loop. After 2 1/2 years of major construction to build the mezzanine and public viewing area, we are now in high gear to finish the dream started over 20 years ago – building the best ever historical model railroad! Current projects include building switches, installing benchwork, adding details, buildings and scenery, adding to our rolling stock and wiring new railroad for DCC. The areas currently being added are Bena to Sandcut, and a New Mojave yard, as well as additional storage for our locomotives and rolling stock. As of October 2003, we have resumed Time Table/Train Order Operation Sessions. We have had 4 successful two-day operation events since 2004, and are looking forward to an expanded and enhanced railroad for our annual “November on Tehachapi”, to be held on November 10-11, 2007, Veteran’s Day weekend. If you would like more information, please go to opsontehachapi.com, where you can see photos of past operations and sign up for future operation events. La Mesa Model Railroad Club is located inside the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, in the Casa De Balboa building in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Saturday/Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Tuesdays are special days for the club. After operation ceases, many members meet at the Whistle Stop Model Railroad Shop on Fourth Avenue for browsing, then proceed to one of the many restaurants that populate the community of Hillcrest. After dinner, members return to the museum and club to spend several hours working on the railroad. In March, June, September and December on the Second Tuesday are Business Meeting, where the various departments report to the membership what was accomplished during the last quarter, discuss enhancements and building of the layout, and discuss membership issues. Prospective members are encouraged to come by on any Tuesday night, and if further interested are invited to submit applications for the next Business Meeting. Teenagers are welcomed, but must be 13 years old to become youth associates. Under 13 should have a parent or guardian become an adult associate, and then may participate as long as the parent or guardian is present. La Mesa Model Railroad Club, C/O San Diego Model Railroad Museum, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92101.
The club layout represents the joint Southern Pacific/Santa Fe railroad from Bakersfield to Mojave, California of the 1950's. The current layout consists of the area from the Southern Pacific Bakersfield Yard through the famous Tehachapi Loop.
After 2 1/2 years of major construction to build the mezzanine and public viewing area, we are now in high gear to finish the dream started over 20 years ago – building the best ever historical model railroad! Current projects include building switches, installing benchwork, adding details, buildings and scenery, adding to our rolling stock and wiring new railroad for DCC. The areas currently being added are Bena to Sandcut, and a New Mojave yard, as well as additional storage for our locomotives and rolling stock.
As of October 2003, we have resumed Time Table/Train Order Operation Sessions. We have had 4 successful two-day operation events since 2004, and are looking forward to an expanded and enhanced railroad for our annual “November on Tehachapi”, to be held on November 10-11, 2007, Veteran’s Day weekend. If you would like more information, please go to opsontehachapi.com, where you can see photos of past operations and sign up for future operation events.
La Mesa Model Railroad Club is located inside the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, in the Casa De Balboa building in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Saturday/Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Tuesdays are special days for the club. After operation ceases, many members meet at the Whistle Stop Model Railroad Shop on Fourth Avenue for browsing, then proceed to one of the many restaurants that populate the community of Hillcrest. After dinner, members return to the museum and club to spend several hours working on the railroad. In March, June, September and December on the Second Tuesday are Business Meeting, where the various departments report to the membership what was accomplished during the last quarter, discuss enhancements and building of the layout, and discuss membership issues.
Prospective members are encouraged to come by on any Tuesday night, and if further interested are invited to submit applications for the next Business Meeting. Teenagers are welcomed, but must be 13 years old to become youth associates. Under 13 should have a parent or guardian become an adult associate, and then may participate as long as the parent or guardian is present.
La Mesa Model Railroad Club, C/O San Diego Model Railroad Museum, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92101.
I LOVE photos of the right-of-way with NO trains on them- what a pleasant change. Thanks for posting.