La Mirada, CA BNSF Switching (No longer Denver Project)

[Trucklover]

La Mirada, CA BNSF Switching

After Russ (a buddy of mine over at the Gauge) pointed me in the direction of modeling something closer to home (actually very close to home, about an hour at most from me), i have decided to go with a spot local to me, which is La Mirada, California. The BNSF serves quite a few industries in this little area. There are 2 what looks to be small yards just off the mainline that runs through the area. This is a definite plus since this will not be a continuous run, and instead a group of modules.

Rather then start a new thread, ill just edit this one.... lol

It all comes down to this area, the yellow markers border the industrial district that the BNSF serves:

This will give my M&ET some serious competition, And i may just go all out on this one and scratch the M&ET plans (well not scratch completely, just hold off for a long while and maybe something later on in life lol). 2 Reasons for this, 1. is this area is SO CLOSE TO HOME for me. I can make several trips out there when i need to, and the M&ET located in Modesto, CA is about 6 hours away from me, so getting pictures will be pretty dang hard lol. 2. i can use all my locos for this project, i will not have to get locos in other paint schemes like the M&ET since the BNSF does its own switching in this area..... More money to spend on building supplies and track laying lol

Here are some pictures of the overall area i snapped off real quick. I know the tracks are pretty hard to see close-up pictures will be posted when im working on certain areas to better see the tracks....

Shows one of the small yards id like to model. Right/Center

Thanks Russ for pointing this area out to me, this will definitely make the prototype modeling process alot easier on me

Next to come will be the start of the area in the planning program

 

[Trucklover]

So here is what i got so far, an overhead shot of the area ive been working on for the past 2 hours or so lol:

You can see the BNSF mainline on the right/center running next to Stage Road. The tracks and the road both cross that narrow little channel for water.

Here are some closer shots showing this general area for a view of the tracks and buildings/streets:

and finally the plan where im at right now using the above aerial images and Google Earth:

BLACK Numbers are module dimensions

• 
  1. 18"x60"
  2. 18-20"x60"
  3. 24"x60"
  4. 24"x60"
  5. 18"x48"
  6. 18"x60"

WHITE Numbers are Special Tracks and Buildings

1. Beaulieu Group Llc‎
2. US Foodservice‎
3. States Logistics‎
4. Metrics LLC‎
5. G a Doors Inc‎
6. Cook King
7. Kyees Aluminum Inc‎

RED Numbers are Streets and Watter

1. Water Channel
2. Stage Road
3. Desman Road
4. Dolly Ave.


Specifications of the modules include:

Name: La Mirada Switching District
Gauge: HO Scale
Size: Coming Soon lol
Prototype: La Mirada, CA - Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Era: Modern
Style: Modules ranging in size from 4-6' long x 18" wide
Mainline Run: not known yet
Color Code: RED = Mainline, BLACK = Branchline, Sidings, and Yard Tracks, Orange = Buildings
Minimum Radius: 28" all around
Minimum Turnout: no. #8 Central Valley's
Grade: None
Benchwork: Box Frame with 2" Blue Foam
Height: 50"
Roadbed: Woodland Scenics Foambed
Track: Mainline ~ Central Valley Code 83, Branchline and Sidings ~ Central Valley Code 70
Control: MRC Prodigy Wireless


Well thats all that i have so far, comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome

 

[Laidoffsick]

I'm a conductor for BNSF and have worked the road switchers there at La Mirada. It was several years back but there were some very cool industries to spot and pull cars from. A lot of them no longer get rail service any more.

The Corona Local also services some cool industries and that yard is just a few miles east of La Mirada. Either way, those industries have been there for decades and can be very fun to model. Just make sure you have a way to run around your cars because some industries are spotted shoving west and others shoving east. Working on the real thing taught me a lot about track planning, especially when it comes to spotting cars.

 

[Trucklover]

I'm a conductor for BNSF and have worked the road switchers there at La Mirada. It was several years back but there were some very cool industries to spot and pull cars from. A lot of them no longer get rail service any more.

The Corona Local also services some cool industries and that yard is just a few miles east of La Mirada. Either way, those industries have been there for decades and can be very fun to model. Just make sure you have a way to run around your cars because some industries are spotted shoving west and others shoving east. Working on the real thing taught me a lot about track planning, especially when it comes to spotting cars.

Man that would be a sweet job

This whole area looks like fun to model, and i never even knew it was so close to me

Thanks for the bits of history

 

[Trucklover]

Got some more with the planning program

And a couple shots of the aerials of the areas i added in on the plan above:

This is the large building on the left side of the pic above is at the end of the line (well the prototype keeps going a bit i chose to stop mine here) on my plan (#12)

This is the yard thats at the top

And this is where Stage Road and Alondra Blvd meet right above the tracks. This is raised above the tracks, this overpass will be modeled.


Numbers in the above pics:

BLACK Numbers:


7. 18"x60"
8. 24"x48"
9. 18"x60"

WHITE Numbers:

8. Cordova Bolt Inc‎
9. Remet Corporation‎
10. NO BUSINESS NAME AT THE TIME, HAVE TO DO MORE RESEARCH lol
11. Wesanco Steel Products Corporation‎
12. Corporate Express Imaging‎

RED Numbers:

5. Trojan Way
6. Alondra Blvd.

 

[Trucklover]

And here is where i am currently at

This is getting to be VERY lengthy lol.

Much like the M&ET plans i had, these will not be all set up together all at once, a few hooked up to run on at a time. Im going to have to do some work on the yard to make this doable though, So the yard will need some turnouts so i can maybe run half the large yard at a time, picking up cars and switching into the industries on the left (still havnt been drawn in yet)....

and the over head of the yard

This is a very large yard, being about 21 feet. As i mentioned above, i will likely not be able to run all these modules together, just hook up a few at a time. The yard needs to be re-worked with turnouts added in to better make this happen

Where that turnout comes off the yard is where a short branch will be. I am also going to add one more short branch in on the far left and that will be all of it that i would like to model

The real yard is 8 tracks yard, mine is only 6 lol. The 2 modules are offset to allow the extra track at the bottom, still keeping the 24" width of the modules. Ill post another shot when i re-work the yard

 

[Trucklover]

Here is the rest of the plan that i would like to model.

First off, some shots of the overhead areas that i put in:

A broad look at the left most peninsula on the plan and zoomed in shots of the area. In this first pic, i left out the last building and siding at the end of the branch, just too much confusion lol

And a broad look at the other peninsula in the plan:

Followed by 2 close-ups of the same area above (you can see part of the yard in the second pic:

And here is the plan for the areas above:

In my next post, ill describe the numbers and such....

 

[Trucklover]

Here is the overall plan:

BLACK Numbers represent Module Dimensions:

1. 18"x60"
2. 18-20"x60"
3. 22"x60"
4. 19-22"x60"
5. 18"x50"
6. 18"x60"
7. 18"x60"
8. 24"x48"
9. 18-19"x60"
10. 18-24"x60"
11. 21-24"x60"
12. 21-24"x60"
13. 20-26"x60"
14. 18-24"x60"
15. 18"x38"
16. 13"x7" Triangle
17. 20"x60"
18. 20"x60"
19. 16"x20"


RED Numbers are Streets and Water Ways

1. Water Channel
2. Stage Road
3. Desman Road
4. Dolly Ave.
5. Trojan Way
6. Alondra Blvd.
7. Canary Ave.


WHITE Numbers are Businesses

1. Beaulieu Group Llc‎
2. US Foodservice‎
3. States Logistics‎
4. Metrics LLC‎
5. G a Doors Inc‎
6. Cook King
7. Kyees Aluminum Inc‎
8. Cordova Bolt Inc‎
9. Remet Corporation‎
10. NO BUSINESS NAME AT THE TIME, HAVE TO DO MORE RESEARCH lol
11. Wesanco Steel Products Corporation‎
12. Corporate Express Imaging‎
13. Estenson Logistic Llc
14. Kittrich Corporation‎
15. Airgas Specialty Products‎
16. Latex International‎
17. Pactiv Corporation‎
18. United States Gypsum Co
19. JCS Industries Inc‎
20. JCS Industries Inc‎
21. Monad Railway Equipment
22. Amoco Chemicals Corporation-Packaging Products Div‎

I know this an quite an ambitious project, so comments, questions, suggestions are welcome :mistht:

 

[vato loco]

I was born in san dimas then 5 years later moved to upland lived there 4 years then moved here........Glad we got out, man did LA grow! All the orange groves I use to play in are all gone:-(! LA is a good choice for a switching layout!

 

[UP2CSX]

I've spent some time in the La Mirada and it's an excellent starting palce for a switching layout. Lots of modern industries with track running in between warehouses and small to mid-size manufacturing companies. Looks like an excellent plan so far. The only thing I would do is repeat what LOS already said - you need runaround tracks. That left handed penisula has no runaround tracks now, which will make it hard to switch the industries. You can add a runaround track by connecting the outside track at building 18 back to the mainline.

 

[Trucklover]

I was born in san dimas then 5 years later moved to upland lived there 4 years then moved here........Glad we got out, man did LA grow! All the orange groves I use to play in are all gone:-(! LA is a good choice for a switching layout!

Hey Chris, your right, the LA and Orange County area has certainly grown ALOT over the past years. Im only 19 years old, but even i have noticed the increase in not only houses but also LOTS of businesses and warehouses over the past few years in just about every area around me!!

 

[Trucklover]

I've spent some time in the La Mirada and it's an excellent starting palce for a switching layout. Lots of modern industries with track running in between warehouses and small to mid-size manufacturing companies. Looks like an excellent plan so far. The only thing I would do is repeat what LOS already said - you need runaround tracks. That left handed penisula has no runaround tracks now, which will make it hard to switch the industries. You can add a runaround track by connecting the outside track at building 18 back to the mainline.

hey Jim, i totally agree with you, and the fact that its alot closer to home for me is even better

Hmmmm i do see your point about that left peninsula, but im not sure i would need a run-around track in there. I copied the tracks exactly from the prototype, no run-around tracks. This area is backed into for switching im pretty sure. But a short run-around on that curve at the top by building 16 might be of some use, it wouldnt be very long and i will have to do some modifying to the tracks around there, but it might be pretty useful and make it so i dont have to back into it all the time.... lol

thanks for the suggestions Ill see what i can do to squeeze a run-around in there lol