If I model the Santa Fe’s Los Angeles to Kansas City main line -including Raton pass- Do I have to use diesel locomotives only -since Santa Fe dieselized in December 1953 or I have to use both steam and diesel.
sper,
Only if you invite,a lot of rivet counters over to view your layout and they tell you it’s not correct for the era…Otherwise,it’s your’s and you do what you want,period…Have Fun…
Cheers,
Frank
Umm, what year are you planning to model exactly?
Steam helpers were used up till 1958 on the Santa Fe.
Hi,
As previously indicated, steam helpers were used thru the late ‘50s. BUT, its your RR to do with as you please. If you dont’ want steamers, don’t have them.
Your proposed undertaking is colossal in size, and unless you have the space (plus time/money/energy), you will be doing some serious compressing. So along with that, you can leave the steamers in the roundhouse and use the FTs and F3-7s and do your thing.
Your proposed undertaking is colossal in size, and unless you have the space (plus time/money/energy), you will be doing some serious compressing.
I’ll say!!! Modeled in true scale, you’d need something like 20.6 actual miles of track to do it (it’s about 1790 miles between LA and KC).
As previously indicated, steam helpers were used thru the late '50s
True, but only between Belen and Mountainair thru Abo Canyon on the southern route. 4-8-4 #3780 was used on the last steam helper trip on August 27,1957. http://www.wheelsmuseum.org/stagner.html
Andre
Mobilman44, we ALL compress. David B
Depending on how much room, the layout can have a few representative scenes. Operations can simulate more of the Santa Fe line than is actually included in the layout.
I would be interested in seeing the layout design. My first professional design was for a fellow who wanted to model Trinidad Colorado (the east end of Raton). It was a very challenging project. Not many small towns have 4 railroads meeting. Trinidad had the round house in place until the mid 1980s. I saw it all and then went back to get some good photographs and they had torn it down in the mean time.
However my interest for what you have done is Raton itself. Other than the scenery, the only operationally interesting thing I could find in Raton was is Wootton. Even that isn’t all that much.
On this fellows layout I had more fun with the Colorado & Wyoming branch up to Stone Wall.
Really not much nowadays. At least the classic Santa Fe sign was still there last winter…although it lost the Santa Fe herald:
The Raton Tunnel sign still had it’s Santa Fe herald:
