Mainline and Switching Action

In February 2012 the Vice President of Web Page Operations of the Louisiana, Texas & Pacific made an inspection trip on the Outdoor Division with President and Trainmaster G. Payne. The inspection included various trips around the length of the existing mainline, behind both locomotives currently in operation. As of that visit, about two-thirds of the dogbone-shaped mainline is in place, with work underway on the raised portion of the line on the north end of the property. We operated trains for several hours on a sunny Sunday afternoon, including some switching operations as we rescued a dead NW2 switcher and put the rolling stock in the storage shed at the close of business. The mainline looks great, with curved turnouts, clean ballast, and a smooth S-curve snaking through the corner of the storage shed.

Over the Christmas holiday I enjoyed a fantastic day of outdoor and indoor railroading with my dear friends the Payne family. The day started with a morning of O Scale running on the Inside Division with Gordon and James, moving long freights and passenger sections around the new Tehachapi Loop. Then midday, under clearer skies, we moved outside and prepped the Outdoor Division for an afternoon of running. I was anxious to ride the full length of the outdoor mainline, much longer since my last visit with the addition of the tangent track and northern return loop. The mainline performed flawlessly, and we made numerous trips around the dogbone run shooting pictures and video along the way. The NW2 still impresses me as a heavy hauler, moving three cars and -- more impressively -- three big men up and over the line every time. We had a such a good time running trains, it was hard to pack it all up at sundown and say goodbye. A visit to the LT&P is always a reminder that the very best equipment in this hobby are the friends you make along the way.

Every visit to the Outdoor Division just gets better and better. I could not be prouder to know Gordon and his modeling skills. The current LT&P looks and runs great. Despite iffy weather on the day after Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful Black Friday running trains. I enjoyed many runs around the entire length of the mainline and its dogbone loops, but I also enjoyed my time on the ground taking ample action shots. Thanks to two new passing sides and a fiddle yard in the northern loop, there is now plenty of switching action to enjoy. You have to love a model railroad that requires two-man crews for operation! What great fun, hauling in "loads" and hauling out "empties." The fiddle yard are is my favorite spot on the railroad, as the reverse switch lead requires LT&P crews running in the normal mainline direction to run-around a train in order to service either of the two sidings. That makes for interesting moves, particularly in mixed train service. And the raised trestle of this sometimes-swamp railroad turn out to be really helpful in switching moves: turnout throws are within easy reach for LT&P brakemen. I hope you enjoy all these action photos. I cannot wait until me next inspection tour of the fabulous Outdoor Division. Hopefully it will not be another full year before my return.