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.
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 Tom and Peggy Noblitt’s Santa Fe Railway, Emerald Springs Division. It is the Noblitt’s interpretation of the AT&SF in HO Scale (1:87.1). The large freelanced basement layout measures approximately 28.5 by 55 feet. Trains on the “Emerald Springs” traverse southern Colorado in September 1956. HO Scale steam-locomotive- and diesel-locomotive-hauled trains operate over approximately 192 feet of mainline with 36-inch minimum radii. The maximum grade is 3.5 percent.
The Noblitts used Peco code 75 and Atlas code 83 track on presentable portions of the layout with Atlas code 100 track used in staging areas. Minimum turnouts are Peco no. 6.
L-girder benchwork supports homasote and cork roadbed, plaster-soaked paper towels over cardboard webbing scenery and the track — at 45 to 59-inches high. The backdrop is painted drywall and the operating system is Digitrax’s Digital Command Control.
The second layout is Bob Foltz’s approximately 45-by-47-foot layout based on Santa Fe Railway’s New Mexico Division, specifically northern New Mexico, circa 1951. Trains on this railraod have about 350 feet of mainline track to run on with a minimum of 36-inch radii on mainlines, 30-inch minimum radii on all other standard-gauge sections and 26-inch minimum radii on narrow gauge sections.
Minimum turnouts are no. 6 and maximum 1.5-percent grades on the mains and 3.5-percent on the Santa Fe district.
L-girder benchwork supports cork roadbed, hardshell scenery, tempered hardboard and drywall backdrops, and code 83 (mains) and code 70 (narrow gauge) flextrack 44 to 56.5 inches high.
Foltz operates trains using NCE Corp.’s Digital Command Control system.
I collect Santa Fe myself and this photo gallery showing this layout is very impressive. Thank you for posting.