LDE

Well, this is getting kinda tiresome.  About every few months I muster enough enthusiasm to post something, only for my overly critical eye to pick up on some flaw or other.  Between the hyper-critical and the unfocused enthusiasms (Chinese steam, German eloks, O scale Highlands blah blah) I’m really going round in circles.

In a vain attempt to get something out of the starting blocks, here’s an LDE based on the south end (the interesting end) of Guadalupe.  An LDE (Layout Design Element) is simply a small chunk of railroad chosen for its interesting ops potential or some other feature, and designed such that at some future point it can be incorporated into a bigger layout.  In this case, a 1980s set Coast Line Southern Pacific layout.

The Coast Line offers a compelling mix of interesting but not overwhelming ops, varied traffic types, mixed locomotives (the full spectrum of contemporary SP road power) through trains, locals and yard blocking.  All based around a pretty compact yard at Guadalupe.  I’ve liked it since I saw an N scale scheme in the Model Railroader some years back.  The LDE incorporates the Santa Maria Valley interchange, the yard ladder, grain spout and locomotive siding in 12 linear feet.

The north end features an unusual ‘pin-wheel’ ladder, a team track and a dead-end siding which backs onto one of SPs early concrete TOFC ramps.  But we’re only concerned with the south end for this exercise, hereafter known as ‘plankzilla’ because it’s a monster of a plank.  Some limited switching can be carried out, enough to keep boredom at bay one would hope, while waiting for the happy day when enough real state becomes available to model the north end, plus a representation of the Bettaravia beet processing plant and the yard in Santa Maria.

The multiple crossovers seem a little ‘overkill’ but make sense in relation to the missing north end of the yard.  Plus, on the prototype, they are spread out a lot more and form a useful small run round between the yard and the SMVR branch.  It’s all rather reminiscent of the famed Cat Mountain and Santa Fe ‘Industry yard’ LDE from the mid-90s Model Railroader.  With the distinct advantage that it’s more firmly based on prototypical practice, and therefore, to my eyes at least, more convincing.  Slap a ‘battleship’ staging yard at either end, plus one at an angle for the SMVR and you got yourself a full operational interchange yard.

And that’s nice.

The LDE (marked in orange) with a corner unit – a small battleship – in the full blown ultimate shed scheme.  Would be a joy to operate, as it would support yard work, locals, a branch line, unit trains to the Holly Sugar refinery, the LA-Guadalupe haulers and a bunch of LA-Richmond trains.  Locomotives would include SW1500, MP15AC, GP38-2, GP40-2, SD9, SD40, SD45 and both types of tunnel motors… Ticks all my boxes.