santa-fe-inspiration-gallery-volume-2 https://www.trains.com/mrr/how-to/model-train-layouts/santa-fe-inspiration-gallery-volume-2/ Santa Fe Inspiration gallery volume 2 - Trains In this photo gallery, we encourage you to enjoy two fantastic Santa Fe layouts that are inspired. We hope they inspire you on your journey to creating a new model railroad layout, even one based on the Santa Fe! The first railroad is Gary Hoover’s interpretation of the Santa Fe Railway on Aug. 29, 1951. [...]Read More... https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MRR_santa_fe_inspiration_gallery25_0121.jpg InStock USD 1.00 1.00 model-train-layouts how-to article MRR 2021-01-20 2021-01-14 87970
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How To Model Train Layouts Santa Fe Inspiration gallery volume 2

Santa Fe Inspiration gallery volume 2

By Rene Schweitzer | January 14, 2021

| Last updated on January 20, 2021

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The Santa Fe Railway and predecessors parsing the American Southwest have inspired countless artists and dreamers. Model railroaders using scale equipment and precision tools to re-create these railroad scenes are only the latest in that line.

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A two-one orange Southern Pacific passenger train glides through a high-desert southern California scene depicting Cajon Pass.
Southern Pacific trains occasionally operated over Santa Fe’s Cajon Pass, as was the case on August 29, 1951, when this westbound Golden State detoured over Cajon because of flooding on the SP at Yuma, Ariz. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A two-one orange Southern Pacific passenger train glides through a high-desert southern California scene depicting Cajon Pass.
Santa Fe blue-and-yellow freight-painted cab units roll through Gary Hoover's depiction of southern California's arid mountains in this HO Scale model railroad
Santa Fe blue-and-yellow freight-painted cab units roll through Gary Hoover's depiction of southern California's arid mountains in this HO Scale model railroad. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
Santa Fe blue-and-yellow freight-painted cab units roll through Gary Hoover's depiction of southern California's arid mountains in this HO Scale model railroad
Second-generation diesel locomotives pose in front of a depot — a main thoroughfare for the Santa Fe in the steam-to-diesel transition era.
Second-generation diesel locomotives pose in front of a depot — a main thoroughfare for the Santa Fe in the steam-to-diesel transition era. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
Second-generation diesel locomotives pose in front of a depot — a main thoroughfare for the Santa Fe in the steam-to-diesel transition era.
A blue-and-yellow Santa Fe diesel locomotive leads a train through an HO Scale stone walled gorge.
Just above Wootton Ranch on New Mexico’s Raton Pass, Santa Fe F7 freight units pass the tail end of another freight sporting a waycar with highball signals. In the days before radios the rear-end crew wagged the signal back and forth to communicate with the locomotive crew. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A blue-and-yellow Santa Fe diesel locomotive leads a train through an HO Scale stone walled gorge.
A Santa Fe steam locomotive helper pushes on a caboose upgrade through an arid-looking mountian landscape.
A friendly wave from the engineer greets these Colorado natives as they watch the 3800-class 2-10-2 steam helper pound over a stone culvert just north of Wootton Ranch. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A Santa Fe steam locomotive helper pushes on a caboose upgrade through an arid-looking mountian landscape.
Red-and-silver Santa Fe passenger locomotives pull a train to meet with a blue-and-yellow Santa Fe freight locomotive-hauled train in an arid scene in front of a livestock loading area.
A westbound Santa Fe passenger train and an eastbound freight meet at Dick Wootton’s ranch just north of the Colorado-New Mexico border. Gary scratchbuilt the barn from stripwood. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
Red-and-silver Santa Fe passenger locomotives pull a train to meet with a blue-and-yellow Santa Fe freight locomotive-hauled train in an arid scene in front of a livestock loading area.
A Union Pacific refrigerated boxcar train gets pushed upgrade in a desert scene west of California's Cajon Pass.
Rainbow Bridge, just railroad-west of Victorville, Calif., carries historic U.S. Route 66 over the Mojave River. The tonnage on this westbound Union Pacific freight warrants a helper. The presence of UP steam helpers was one reason Gary chose to model 1951. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A Union Pacific refrigerated boxcar train gets pushed upgrade in a desert scene west of California's Cajon Pass.
A Santa Fe steam locomotive and caboose are posed at Gary Hoover's HO Scale representation of "Summit", the top of the grade for the Santa Fe in California's Cajon Pass.
A Santa Fe steam locomotive and caboose are posed at Gary Hoover's HO Scale representation of "Summit", the top of the grade for the Santa Fe in California's Cajon Pass. A trolley car that was at Summit in the 1950s is easily seen in the background of this parched scene. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A Santa Fe steam locomotive and caboose are posed at Gary Hoover's HO Scale representation of "Summit", the top of the grade for the Santa Fe in California's Cajon Pass.
A Union Pacific train nears the top of the grade in an arid scene at "Summit" in Cajon Pass while a Santa Fe steam locomotive idles near the dispatcher's station.
An Alco-powered UP freight smokes up the cut just west of the Summit yard. To warn the crews at Summit, the “TRAIN” sign rotated into view when a train entered the block. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A Union Pacific train nears the top of the grade in an arid scene at "Summit" in Cajon Pass while a Santa Fe steam locomotive idles near the dispatcher's station.
A Union Pacific train nears the top of the grade in an arid scene at "Summit" in Cajon Pass while a Santa Fe steam locomotive idles near the dispatcher's station.
With Fairbanks-Morse Erie-builts on the point, the westbound Union Pacific Los Angeles Limited glides past Summit depot on California’s Cajon Pass. Union Pacific operates via trackage rights over this part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry., and the variety of traffic is a key reason why Gary Hoover included Cajon Pass in his 1951-themed Santa Fe layout. This model railroad layout was featured in the October 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Gary Hoover.
A Union Pacific train nears the top of the grade in an arid scene at "Summit" in Cajon Pass while a Santa Fe steam locomotive idles near the dispatcher's station.
A red-and-silver Santa Fe diesel locomotive leads a train paused at a southern California city.
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s Golden Gate, led by Alco PA no. 51, stops at Oxnard on Rick Stern’s HO scale layout. Though the prototype’s Golden Gate only ran north of Bakersfield, Calif., on Rick’s freelanced Southern California branch line, it’s the premier passenger train. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi
A red-and-silver Santa Fe diesel locomotive leads a train paused at a southern California city.
A visitor's eye view of a large-room HO Scale layout.
This view of the original part of the layout room shows Oxnard to the right, Casitas Yard to the left, and the Casitas engine terminal straight ahead. Railroad postcards and artwork decorate the lighting valance above the layout. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi
A visitor's eye view of a large-room HO Scale layout.
2-6-2 steam locomotives with freight train trundles down dirt-covered tracks in a small-town Western scene.
Engine no. 1075, a 2-6-2, switches Reyes. Other than the general store-gas station in the former opera house, the storefronts are mostly abandoned. Rick used Reyes as a place to test structure weathering techniques. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi
2-6-2 steam locomotives with freight train trundles down dirt-covered tracks in a small-town Western scene.
In the arid mountains along the Santa Fe rights-of-way, a Southern Pacific cab-forward steam locomotives operates on a trestle over a short Santa Fe diesel-powered freight train.
Occasionally the Southern Pacific will detour a train over Rick’s Santa Fe branch. Here, a Broadway Limited Imports Cab-Forward pulls a sugar beet train over the Sespe Creek trestle, while a Santa Fe local freight passes below. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi.
In the arid mountains along the Santa Fe rights-of-way, a Southern Pacific cab-forward steam locomotives operates on a trestle over a short Santa Fe diesel-powered freight train.
Santa Fe 2-10-2 no. 3012 is under a slow order as it rolls through a Cuyama grade crossing, since the wig-wag signals are being repaired.
Santa Fe 2-10-2 no. 3012 is under a slow order as it rolls through a Cuyama grade crossing, since the wig-wag signals are being repaired. The town’s “Wild West” look was inspired by a trip to Virginia City, Nevada. The locomotive is a West Side brass import. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi
Santa Fe 2-10-2 no. 3012 is under a slow order as it rolls through a Cuyama grade crossing, since the wig-wag signals are being repaired.
A Santa Fe doodlebug and passenger car pause in front of a scratch-built passenger station.
Westbound passenger local No. 43, consisting of a Doodlebug and a round end observation, stops at Cuyama. Rick scratchbuilt the station from wood blocks and cardstock, following plans for the Santa Fe freight house at Capistrano. This model railroad layout was featured in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader. Photo by Lou Sassi
A Santa Fe doodlebug and passenger car pause in front of a scratch-built passenger station.

In this photo gallery, we encourage you to enjoy two fantastic Santa Fe layouts that are inspired. We hope they inspire you on your journey to creating a new model railroad layout, even one based on the Santa Fe!

The first railroad is Gary Hoover’s interpretation of the Santa Fe Railway on Aug. 29, 1951. The HO Scale model railroad is expansive at 24-by-49 feet. On the layout, Gary models Southern California, Raton Pass, New Mexico/Colorado, and Chicago. The mainline run is approximately 150 feet.

Grid benchwork supports cookie-cutter plywood roadbed, code 83 flextrack, plaster-soaked paper on chicken wire scenery, and backdrops made with painted hardboard. The layout is 52 to 59 inches high. Minimum turnouts are no. 8 and minimum radii are 30-inches. Grades are 2.5 percent or less. Trains are controlled with Digitax’s Digital Command Control system.

The second railroad is Rick Stern’s freelanced Santa Fe Railway. The HO Scale railroad is also an expansive layout covering approximately 30-by-48-feet and is intended to evoke southern California in the early 1950s. The main line run is approximately 360 feet with minimum radii of 34 inches on mains and 26 inches on branch lines. Mainlines have minimum no. 6 turnout, secondary routes have minimum no. 5 turnouts, and branch lines have minimum no. 4 turnouts. The ruling grade is 4 percent. 

A combination of open frame and L-girder benchwork support mostly Homasote roadbed, code 70 and 83 flextrack and a few handlaid turnouts, zip-textured hardshell scenery, and painted tempered-hardboard backdrops.

Trains are operated with Digitrax’s Digital Command Control system.

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