Layout Tours & Operating Sessions

QwikLinks to Owners

Accucraft Trains will be having an Open House where Iron Horse Express 2013 convention attendees are welcome to stop by to see their display of models they have shipped in 1:24, 1:32, 1:20.3 and other scales. Some of their products will also be on sale. Visit their website for more information on their product line.

ACCRS, or as it's often called, simply "the Pleasanton Club", located on the Alameda County Fairgrounds has two layouts separated by a central aisle allowing viewing of both the O and HO layouts simultaneously. Both scales are designed to operate either with analog or DCC operations. The O Scale layout features narrow gauge and trolley operations as well as standard gauge, while the HO side of the aisle has only standard gauge.

The most notable change since the last time the club was open for a PCR convention is the harbor scene with a large container ship on the HO layout.

Please note that due to other events, you must show your IHX 2013 registration badge to park without a fee and enter the Fairgrounds on Saturday.

The Black Diamond Lines is an HO scale layout that occupies approximately 1500 square feet of space. Track elevation ranges from 46 to 82 inches above floor level. All track is hand-laid on wooden ties, and all turnouts and crossings are hand made in place.

The Black Diamond Lines Model Railroad Club began in July 1981 as a group of model railroaders who gathered in the back of a local hobby shop. Later that year, they incorporated as a non-profit organization and in December began work on their first layout, located in the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. In December of 1985, the fairgrounds decided not to renew the club's lease and they were forced to move to a location obtained through the City of Antioch in May 1986, where the layout remains to this day.

The Agassiz Basin is a proto freelanced bridge railroad in HO scale based upon Canadian National practices of the late 1950s at the very end of the steam era. It is set in summer 1959, when the last steam engines ran in Western Canada. I grew up watching the last of the steam locomotives as I walked to and from school and wanted to capture that memory in model form.

The layout room is 16x24 in my (rare for California) basement. It is a twice around the room design where the track passes through each scene twice. Once as a focal scene and a second time as background or mostly hidden trackage. The "twice around" design allows lots of running time between towns and a mainline of about 225' point to point. There are 2 staging yards. One represents North/South (Winnipeg/Thompson) off layout traffic and the other East/West (Swan River/Saskatoon). Operations is my main interest and the layout is intended to run according to the practices of the late 50s in Canada, which is Time Table and Train Orders.

The layout is still very early in its construction. I used CAD to design both the layout and the benchwork. The benchwork is complete and is all made out of 3/4" birch plywood ripped to dimensional sizes. Both staging yards are on "sliders" that allow me to lower the yards 18" down for maintenance or repairs. Track laying has begun and trains are beginning to roll. The layout is controlled using Digitrax DCC.

If you are looking for a beautifully scenicked, fully operating railroad, this is not your place to stop! But if you are interested in the design approach I used, the unusual staging yard design, or other aspects of construction or design, I'd enjoy sharing my experiences with you!

"The Livermore Valley Lines" features SP railroading in the Bay Area during the 50s. Its theme is Bay Area agriculture featuring the food canners, can makers and bottlers for the produce grown in the Bay Area. It is a 4 level, 2 garage layout with over 1300 feet of track. There is a 9 level helix and both a large passenger terminal (22' -135 cars)) and a freight yard for over 200 cars. There are separate diesel and steam engine facilities

Track is 90% complete and the scenery is about 40%. The layout was designed for operations, with many industrial locations with spurs throughout the layout. I have been building for the last 3½ years. The layout is controlled by a NCE DCC system. It features a wye bridge and and an expansion to a HOn3 mining and logging subdivision.

SP's Vasona Branch models the Santa Clara Valley in the early 1930s. The layout tries to reproduce actual scenes along the San Jose - Los Gatos - Santa Cruz branch based on photos and Sanborn fire insurance maps.

The layout is a two deck 10' by 14' HO layout in half of a two car garage. Track is complete. Most rough scenery and some finished scenery is in.

Operation focuses on switching the canneries, packing houses, and other industries in the valley; commute trains and freights heading to Santa Cruz also run to add additional traffic. A pair of two-man crews do heavy switching during the session.

Layout control is via EasyDCC wired throttles. Most locomotives are sound-equipped; all locomotives are the small steam engines seen on the actual branch. Much of the layout runs in "yard limits", but signals and informal dispatching control the track over the hill (as on the prototype); a 2:1 fast clock sets the pace of the session. Switching is done from switch lists.

Bob's "Tuolumne Forks" is a 28' x 28' On3 Sierra logging and mining RR, highly detailed and completely sceniced layout set in the Roaring Twenties. Included are 3 sawmills, a stamp mill, a resort hotel and lots of scratch-built structures. He recently added a Victorian O gauge section with a big hotel. Many of Bob's prize-winning models are incorporated into the layout.

Bob is editor and publisher of the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette. Bob also has the On30/O standard gauge Shoehorn Mining Co wharf and mine layout, an On30 Lime Kiln shelf layout, and a garden railway. There is also an extensive collection of models from the hobby's pioneers of 50-70 years ago. DCC.

Jack's layout replicates the prototype Yosemite Valley Railroad circa August 1939 via a multi-deck design. The scenery, scenes, vegetation, and details on the layout all match the prototype. All seven of the YV's prototype locomotive roster circa 1939 are modeled. The rolling stock is a combination of scratchbuilt, resin and styrene kit models and the models reflect the types and ownership of freight cars which might have been on the railroad in the time period being modeled. All 100+ buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt from plans based on photos and available information.

Jack's Yosemite Valley Railroad has been featured in numerous articles in Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, Model Railroad Hobbyist, Great Model Railroads, and most recently in the 2013 issue of Great Model Railroads.

An HO and HOn3 club layout located in the historic Agnew Depot, built for the narrow gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad in 1877. The club runs steam through diesel, and dispatching is done differently according to era. The 1,000 feet of track represents California connections to the Pacific Northwest, Southeast, and East. Fully sceniced with backdrops painted by Mike Kotowski. There is a small dual-gauge branchline. The layout has been featured in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman.

The layout represents a portion of the original transcontinental railroad and old Southern Pacific Railroad running between Oakland, CA and Sparks, NV . The timeframe varies from the 1950s to the present, allowing both steam and diesel locomotives to be operated through time-appropriate scenery on the layout. Notice that the mainline is double tracked, allowing operators to swiftly run from destination to destination without stops at sidings to wait for trains to meet and pass.

The track is constructed on three levels with two large helixes on opposite corners providing a connection. The "mushroom style" layout is narrow with long tabletops that are stacked like bunk beds. This design provides maximum linear track space without having unrealistic twists back and forth, an undesirable, but typical characteristic of older "spaghetti bowl" designs. Code 100 track is used on the 1st level and helixes only, and code 83 track is used on the rest of the layout. Nominal minimum track radius is 48 inches. Maximum 2% grade is found on the helixes. The club consists of 50 members, is growing and welcomes new members. The UP mainline passes adjacent to the club's second floor location.

The layout is a "mushroom" design running from the foothills at Oroville up the Feather River Canyon, through the Keddie Wye, with a Highline extension up to Crescent Mills and staging, and into Portola. Leaving the forested, rocky canyon the railroad continues east into the desert, via Reno Junction with the Reno Branch, to Desert Staging and a reversing loop. The year being modeled is spring 1981.

An HO scale, operations-oriented, proto-freelanced 1970s era layout depicting the line from Eugene, OR to Klamath Falls, OR, as if WP built it instead of the SP. Heavy mainline freight, WP with SP trackage rights, BN and Santa Fe run through trains. L-shaped room, 22' X 34', double decked, around the walls with center peninsula. 280 ft. mainline, NCE wireless DCC control. Track-work is 90% complete, scenery is 10% complete. Track Warrant / Car Card Operations. The layout IS NOT ADA accessible.

A beautiful re-creation in HO scale of the Western Pacific RR in the Spring of 1938. The area of the WP modeled is along the Feather River, including the Keddie Wye and a small logging area. The fidelity to prototype of the scenery has been praised by old WP employees, who readily recognize the scenes.

An interesting touch is the many sound modules included in the many detailed scenes. The layout has been featured in Railroad Model Craftsman June 1996, July 2000, March 2011, Railmodel Journal May 2000, Model Railroader Sept. 2001 and Model Railroad Hobbyist May-June 2010.

The Los Arabis Creek Railway Co. is unique among garden railways in that it models a mid-1950s mainline railroad. The railroad is located in a space approximately 30’ x 150’. It features a double track mainline of approximately 350 feet with 10 foot radius curves and long straight runs. A third 300 foot mainline winds its way up a river canyon and through the mountains. A fourth 200 foot line features numerous bridges. We like to run passenger trains and long freights, pulled by track powered diesel and steam locomotives. The railroad is located in a beautiful setting. It features several tons of rocks over 100 miniature trees (some trees being 15 years old), a river and pond, some unique structures and detailing, and an uncluttered feel.

The main line is SP and the branch line is Sierra RR up to the sawmill. A logging railroad runs up to the logging camp. There are two towns, Citrus Grove, with an SP station, ice house, facilities, freight dock and more, plus Oak Flat with an SP and Sierra RR station and more. The engine servicing facility features a turntable, 5-stall roundhouse and machine shop. The logging line features a mill, blacksmith shop and logging camp. The mine includes head rigging, boiler house and blacksmith shop.

The San Juan Central is Malcolm Furlow's seminal HOn3 project layout built for Model Railroader magazine and featured in a series of articles in 1983-84. It was also featured in a Kalmbach book, now reprinted by Benchmark Publications.

This layout will soon be part of the NMRA Gallery exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, so this may be one of your last chances to get "up close and personal" with it.

N scale layout located in two 12’ X 30’ loft rooms in the Bay Hills Community Church in Hayward. Very innovative use of space. Layout has over 300’ of track with many switching options. Those interested in operating can contact me. Photo is of the 1st of the two rooms.

Don's aptly named Harper Valley Lines is a freelanced, fully sceniced bi-level Sn3 layout. Don says he builds what he likes. And we like what he builds, especially his fifty plus scratch built structures. The Harper Valley has been seen in Model Railroading in March 1988, Model Railroad Craftsman in April 1990 and June 2004, 3/16 Scale Model Railroading in June 1991, Great Model Railroads in 1999 and Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette in April 2004.

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This large S scale layout represents the New York Central in the Catskill Mountains in 1948. Steam is resisting diesel pressure to retire early, but is losing the battle. Hauling long freights and fast passenger trains over the mountainous terrain is a routine daily task on this layout. Scenery is 95% complete with a detailed backdrop, huge mountains, tall waterfall, long bridges and an unusual lightning/thunderstorm animation. Industrial areas include a coal mine, logging camp, sawmill, oil refinery and a city area.

Not only has this layout been featured in Great Model Railroads in 2005, Model Railroader in November 2008, Model Railroad Hobbyist e-zine in October of 2009 and NMRA magazine in September 2010, the layout was also featured on PBS TV's program TRACKS AHEAD.

Don's layout is based on a route in Alaska that was proposed and surveyed, but never built. The route runs north from port facilities on the Pacific Ocean to the Yukon River. The principle traffic consists of copper, zinc, coal, and forest products. Motive power is mostly 1st and 2nd generation EMDs, with some early ALCo power running out their last miles. Track is 95% complete, scenery 25%.

Entry to the layout requires negotiating 3 steps and a 50" high by 20" wide nod-under, so it is not wheelchair accessible. All aisles are 36" or more once inside the layout room.

The Mill Valley Lumber Company railroad is an On3 freelance logging operation set somewhere in Northern California in the late 19th century. It is an out-and-back layout from the mill to the woods. Two truck geared locomotives and an 8 ton Porter work the line, while equipment is mostly early 24 ft. Carter Brothers log cars and a string of disconnects. The MVLCo includes crew cars, various supply cars, several pile drivers, and steam donkeys. Virtually everything on the layout is built from scratch. The layout is built in a small 10' by 10' spare bedroom.

The layout can be seen in the 2003 and 2010 Finescale Railroader Logging Annual and many projects have been published over the years in Timber Times logging history and modeling magazine. I am also in the early stages of building a second layout in a larger space depicting a freelanced version of the South Pacific Coast Railroad.

Howard McKinney's freelance On3 Denver Rio Grande & Western Railroad is a point-to-point railroad running between Victoria, CO and Notell, CO. The time period being modeled is the late 1930s through the early 1940s. This part of Colorado has no mining, but has lush pine forests, which provide timber for the mining industry in the state. Engine turning and servicing facilities exist at both Victoria and Notell. Dual standard and narrow gage trackage at Victoria connects this railroad division with common carrier railroads.

Both C&S and RGS equipment can be seen operating on the railroad as both have been given trackage rights on this DRG&W division. Lumber is being harvested from the lush forests of this area. The Sierra Western Co. that also has trackage rights on the railroad is doing the principle logging operation. Logging trains powered by geared locomotives transport logs from the logging camp near Notell to the saw mill at Kerberville which is on the way to Victoria.

Howard's On3 railroad is in a 7 by 19 foot room with 5 by 6 foot dog leg extension. All of the presently planned hand laid narrow and dual gage trackage is complete and operational. Scenery is approximately 95% complete. Many major structures, including the coaling tower and sand house at Notell are in place. All trains are DCC controlled, using the NCE system and essentially all locomotives are Soundtraxx sound equipped. Tsunami Soundtraxx decoders are in most of the locomotives.

Access to the main room is via a duck under and an additional view of the Notell yard, engine facilities and town is available on a platform through an access window external to the railroad room. Approximately 5 visitors can be accommodated at a time.

HO scale WW2 Port of Oakland to Richmond shipyard area. The era is set in Fall of 1942-43. The port has several vessels under construction, a Liberty ship, an "S" Class submarine, a Canadian Corvette convoy escort, a car float, tug boats and float planes. The ships are being readied to support the defense of Alaska. It depicts the area of the Naval Supply Center-Oakland Army Base area. It includes a downtown Oakland portion with a three loop Key System and street cars.

I have a point-to-point shipyard railroad that served Kaiser Yards in Richmond and a Sacramento Northern point-to-point, which runs between Oakland and the tunnel to Moraga with yard track for building trains and transferring cars to/from the main line.

Track is 95% complete, wiring is 50% complete, and scenery is 25-30% complete. Everything is under construction. The layout is in a former 450 sq. ft. two car garage remodeled into a comfortable train room. The table is built on hollow core doors with foam surface and homasote and cork road beds. Currently DC evolving to DCC. It is "U" shaped in the middle of the room with walk arounds on all sides and middle. Control panels are slide out and local to the track and turnouts. Cars are brought on and off layout with a hybrid cassette system employing a modularized fiddle yard employing a combination turn/transfer table of my own design.

When visiting, your GPS will lead you astray. Going up Sequoyah Road to the Country Club, go all the way to the STOP SIGN at Sequoyah and (upper) Oak Hill Rd. A right turn enters the Country Club. Make a Left turn to send you uphill on Oak Hill to the top of the hill. (Take Oak Hill !!) Make the Right turn on Briar Cliff Rd. Please park in the street as parking is limited and the driveway is shared by another home who needs access. I will place a large red/orange road cone at the end of the drive way. There is plenty of parking on the street.

Rich Melconian's HO layout models the contemporary Santa Fe and also has some steam and Chief passenger trains. The single track mainline and sidings are laid with code 83 rail and #8 switches. The sidings can accommodate trains consisting of twenty-five 50 foot freight cars. The two yards have code 70 rail and #6 switches. There are numerous industries with sidings using code 70 and 55 rail. The layout landscape reflects the foothills of California with the mainline elevating to a mountain crossing and descending to a valley area. The scenery is about 70% complete.

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Includes other Chicago interurban and CSL street cars. 16'x13' in a 2 car garage. Loaded with prize-winning models. The heavyweight C&NW "400" was featered in Model Railroader July 1986. 1940 to 1960 era models on display. Trackwork is complete with partial catenary, benchwork is 48" high.

A “proto-influenced” part of the B & O, spanning from Brunswick, MD to Cumberland, MD, sometime in the fifties. The layout is still under construction, with a major portion of the deckwork in place. There is a double track main that has branches to Winchester, Frog Hollow and Berkeley Springs.

The layout is 44 ft x 14 ft, in the shape of a Z with a fat middle with two decks and a 240’ mainline run with plenty of staging. There is an elevated walkway that provides a panoramic view of Harpers Ferry, with plans to include the Salty Dog speak-easy.

There is also a separate 22 ft. “cave” with 9 tracks in the Martinsburg yard and features a swing-out bridge.

The layout is set in the East Bay Area in 1999. The railroad represents the former Western Pacific San Jose and 1st Subdivisions, now the UP Niles, Oakland and Milpitas Subdivisions. The railroad is a branchline which supports an auto plant (NUMMI) and a number of smaller industries.

The layout is built in a 400 sqft purpose-built room. Construction is single level. Dispatching is by TCS (using CATS), which replicates a Digicon console. All signals are repeated on color light signals above the layout. We expect the layout to be about 80% sceniced for the convention.

A unique feature of the layout is that there is no yardmaster, only a clerk. This is because the prototype Milpitas Yard has no permanent switcher. The clerk is assisted by a working RFID reader which prints "track lists" of cars in order as a switch job pulls cuts over the reader. The clerk is responsible for managing the yard and the neighboring NUMMI complex, writing switchlists to instruct the crews where to place cars. All crews do their own work when passing through the yard.

A typical op session runs about 5 hours and uses 9 operators. Jobs include: Dispatcher, Clerk, NUMMI Job (2 crew, 2 shifts), UP 54 Local, BNSF trackage rights local, 5 through trains and an industry switcher.

NCE DCC with wireless throttles, all mainline engines have sound decoders, FRS Radios, 2:1 fast clock, switchlists. Uncoupling 100% manual using pics.

The Cumberland West is a model of the Baltimore & Ohio and Western Maryland railroads in the vicinity of Cumberland, Maryland in 1953. The bulk of the layout represents the track in the city of Cumberland and the routes to the southwest. The two class 1 railroads run side-by-side in western Maryland and northern West Virginia. Both railroads are major coal cariers and have major junctions in Cumberland, interchanging traffic at several points.

The B&O has Color Position Light signals controlled by five towers with touch-screen CTC panels. There is a detailed backdrop, rough scenery base, and a few bridges and structures. Cumberland West resides in a 1200 square foot room excavated under an existing house. The ceiling is 8½ to 11½ feet high and without interior posts. The layout is single level with truncated scenery dividers so that most of the layout can be seen from an elevated entrance platform.

All visible track is hand laid. Stage and ramp track is flex track. All switches are hand laid using Micro Engineering rail and Tortoise stall motors controlled via DCC stationary decoders. There are about 1200 feet of visible track for both railroads and 2400 more in staging. The mainline run is 243 feet of double and triple track for the B&O and 320 feet of single track with passing sidings for the WM. The Cumberland West system uses Digitrax DCC with Duplex Radio for control. All track switches are controlled with stationary decoders. The throttles are a mix of radio DT400 and UTX. Switches can be controlled by computer, throttle or fascia mounted momentary toggles.

The Lone Pine and Tonopah is an imaginary railroad operating during WWII. Motive power of steam and early diesels run on a single track mainline with reverse loops at both ends and there is a logging branch line.

Kermit is the master of animation and lighting effects which have been featured in the October 1999 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, and March 2011 Model Railroad Hobbyist. Some of his animation and lighting features include ballroom dancers, a fireworks display scrap metal loading and logs dumping into a millpond.

Kermit also has a Museum of Technology and a Garden Railway for visitors to enjoy while waiting their turn in line for the HO layout.

The actual BNSF PLSD occupies a 21 by 17 foot California basement (a garage) and was designed with operation in mind. There are three decks of track work that flow around the room, hugging the walls on three walls, and protruding into the room on a peninsula. The track work starts and ends in big looped staging areas.

We usually run 10 to 20 trains during a session. There is enough operating for 8 to 10 operators. including a yardmaster with two assistants and a dispatcher. Car movements are generated by car cards. Train movement is by Track Warrant Control (TWC). Communicaitons is by two-way FRS radios.

The layout is controlled by NCE/System One DCC. Wireless and tethered throttles are currently being used. The mainline run is approximately 250’. Scenery is approximately 20% complete

The San Leandro Historical Railway Society operates two model railroads and a railroad museum. The first is a large HO display that depicts the Southern Pacific route from the SF Bay Area over Donner Summit to Reno and Sparks, Nevada. The second is a new garden railroad that consists of both G and O gauge (3-rail) trains.

The museum has an excellent collection of railroad china and other artifacts. Construction of the HO scale model railroad display began in 1991. This layout was designed by the famous model railroad track planner, John Armstrong, and was featured in the March 1988 issue of Model Railroader Magazine. According to the NMRA's (National Model Railroad Association) Kalmbach Memorial Library, the SLHRS has the largest HO scale helix in the United States, both in height and in diameter.

The main line extends from Alleghany, Virginia to Prince, West Virginia with staging representing Clifton Forge, VA and Handley, WV. There is a branch line off the main at Prince leading to the town of Raleigh, WV with three coal mines to work and some industries in the town of Raleigh. Mainline industries include a large power plant, limestone quarry, produce distributer, lumber mill, lumber yard, and coal dealer. Most online towns have a freight station to work. 5 passenger trains operate during a session, as well. Operating sessions, when I have them, last 5 hours with a meal break in the middle.

This 20' x 40' O scale layout is diesel to steam transition and heavy on steam. Emphasis on extreme detailing and smooth running. About 50% sceniced with generic California theme. Double track mainline, 6 track passenger station, 13 track yard, and 14 stall roundhouse with 18 garden tracks. All cars and engines are highly superdetailed to exactly match specific prototypes. Control is DCC with Tsunami sound.

Founded in 1979, Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) is a freelance HO scale model railroad club located in San Jose, California. Construction of the current layout began in late 2000 and is located in the basement of an industrial building near downtown San Jose. The railroad occupies a 23' x 72' space, and is a multi-level design built using commercial steel C-channel as a benchwork system with over 600 feet of mainline. The upper level is a single-track division, while much of the lower level is double tracked. The layout features two large operating yards, as a well as ample hidden, yet accessible staging. We operate using NCE DCC, and utilize Direct Traffic Control (DTC) operating rules.

The SBHRS operates HO and N-scale layouts in the historic Santa Clara Depot (opened in 1864), across the street from Santa Clara University. Both layouts include extensive signaling. Like many model railroads, they are works in progress and are undergoing constant change. Both layouts have many handcrafted scenes, such as a winery, dam, two helixes, row homes and a yacht harbor (N-scale) and meat packing, lumber mill, oil storage tanks, plus a replica of the San Jose Southern Pacific Depot, ca 1950 (HO-scale). Scenery is about 90% complete on both layouts. Handicapped access ramp on track side of depot. Control on both layouts is by Digitrax DCC.

A large and varied collection of historic railroad artifacts is also on display in the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History located in the Depot. This now includes the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation business car #184, which was loaned to the Museum and placed on the siding on June 26, 2009.

See the latest PCR Branch Line Apr - Jun 2013 issue, pages 29-30, for a description of this layout, which features HO scale, narrow gauge Swiss trains and scenery.

The modular layout is currently displayed in a building in a warehouse district just north of the San Francisco airport. We are next door to the Chrissa Imports building, at the right side of the building. Look for the single glass door into the entryway, with the stairs immediately on the right leading up to the second floor. The space is on the second floor and does not have elevator access, so those with mobility difficulties may find attending a challenge.

The Niles Passenger and Freight Depots, located in the Niles District of Fremont, California, are home to a railroad museum and two all-new model railroad layouts, which are currently under construction. The N-scale layout is being constructed in the passenger depot and the HO-scale layout in the freight station.

Using historical documentation, the planners and builders of both railroads are recreating the features of the nearby communities with Niles as the center. Included are the depots and the nearby Niles Tower with the crossing of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads as well as the many neighboring communities and industries. The non-profit Niles Depot Historical Foundation runs the museum and operation of the passenger depot which contains many local artifacts and railroad displays.

Transition-era steam and first generation diesel power in the East Bay. Passenger traffic is still significant business for the railroad when the Southern Pacific was still the "Friendly" railroad.

Piggyback service was inaugurated in 1953. There are yellow reefer blocks, black Overnights, locals, and short commuter runs found on this railroad. There is also an ectopically placed scenic loop located in the Bay Area.

The Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society can trace its beginnings to 1948, when the original group began meeting in each other's homes. Their display of a 4x8 foot portable layout at special events such as Walnut Creek's annual Walnut Festival led to their first permanent railroad in a freight shed moved onto a leased site near the Walnut Creek Southern Pacific depot in 1950. This location served to house an impressive 20 x 40 foot layout until 1970 when flood control work along the creek, from which the city derives its name, required relocating the SP track and, of course, the WCMRS clubhouse. At that time the WCMRS solved their clubhouse problem by reaching an agreement with the City of Walnut Creek for the present site with a structure that was the first in California (and one of very few in the world) to be designed and built specifically to house a model railroad. The actual construction work was done in two years by members of the Society and upon completion in 1974 the building was donated to the city of Walnut Creek and the building of the Diablo Valley Lines Railroad commenced.

The current Diablo Valley Lines has over 4,300 feet of hand laid track on 175,000 individual ties with more than 340 turnouts. The entire road is HO scale and has standard gauge, narrow gauge, freight and and interurban trolley lines. Under normal operating conditions, it requires about 45 minutes for one train to complete a single circuit of the mainline.