LAYOUT TOURS &
LAYOUT OWNER LIVE PANEL Q&A

The Sierra, Clovis & Western depicts Southern Pacific and Santa Fe in Fresno and vicinity during the mid-1970s to early 1980s. The layout is a 13’ x 22’ double-deck along all the walls with helix connecting the levels and center peninsula. This is a switching layout with plenty of track mileage recreating both railroads and the many industries they worked in Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Reedley, Dinuba, Goshen, Ivanhoe and surrounding areas before the attempted SP-SF merger. Several custom-built structures match prototypes in the area. Layout is supported by welded steel benchwork.

Hazards: No steps, one duckunder to enter/exit the layout room.

Operating Session Info:

Bob Jakl’s “O” scale layout completely fills its own 34’ X 80’ building and depicts mainline railroading with trains of the UP, AT&SF, CB&Q, and Katy railroads operating from the Midwest to the western mountains in the 1950s through the 1970s. Scenery is 100% complete and includes a mountain scene with spectacular bridges, a large freight yard, a dockside cargo ship, a large city, and an industrial switching district. A 7-track passenger station is dwarfed by city landscapes, many of which were the late Lorell Joiner's buildings.

All three mainlines are operated from an overlooking tower, while yards and industrial trackage are operated from floor level. Five to nine trains may be operated simultaneously. Be sure to visit Bob's website for a spectacular composite aerial reconnaissance set of photographs. Here's an in-cab video of Bob's layout.

Some of the amazing statistics on this layout:

• 2,694’ of handlaid track
• 80,820 ties
• 117 locomotives
• 43 cabooses
• 1,000+ freight cars

This legendary layout has been featured in O Gauge Railroading magazine. For more info and photos, visit Bob's website, https://oscale.homestead.com/.

Hazards: Access is by a half-flight of stairs.

The Southern Pacific, Los Angeles Division/Bakersfield Subdivision, 1970s era, is located in a 34’ by 38’ purpose-built building behind Jim’s house. The layout is a multi-level mushroom design with 400' of mainline, featuring double and single track, with passing sidings and represents the Bakersfield to Mojave line. The layout is a walkaround point-to-point, with NCE DCC control using wireless/wired throttles and Raspberry Pi/JMRI interfaced smartphone throttles. The layout is fully operational with scenery underway. Dispatching is by CTC and radio-issued verbal track warrants. Car forwarding is by Car Cards and Waybills. Between 20-26 trains are run in a 4 to 5-hour operating session.

Hazards: One step required to enter/exit the layout room.

Operating Session Info:

Glenn models the Sierra Railway, circa 1923, with as much historical accuracy as possible in HO scale. The railroad is built on 3 separate decks in a 12’ X 50’ space, and is operations-oriented with DCC. It includes the entire mainline and several of the Sierra’s branch lines that were operating in the 1920’s. Most of the layout is complete, with scenery, historically accurate structures, and full sound effects. A particular focus is the movement of huge amounts of gravel for the construction of the original Don Pedro Dam, including newly installed-models of the large gravel loading bunker at the quarry, near Oakdale, and the huge gravel unloading trestle at the dam construction site. Other featured scenes include a lumber mill, complete with interior detail, the roundhouse at Jamestown, and an extensive town area in Tuolumne. Access to the layout requires one step up and one step down.

Also available for inspection at Glenn and Kathy’s home is a full-size “modeling” project – a guest room which replicates the interior Sierra Railway caboose #7, which was built in 1923. Glenn designed and built the interior based on measurements and photos taken from the real caboose in Jamestown. It includes bunks, the cupola, and accessories. If you listen hard enough (and if you believe), you can hear the clickety-clack of the wheels under your feet.

Hazards: One step up and one step down to access layout. Caboose NOT handicapped accessible.

Operating Session Info: