The In-ko-pah Railroad

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R

Ray Dunakin

Member
Hi, I just discovered this site. I have a 1:24 scale outdoor layout called the In-ko-pah Railroad. It's not a traditional "garden railroad" but more of a model railroad that happens to be outdoors. It's built on a steep hillside behind our house. I started work on it almost three years ago. In May of this year I completed the mainline.

The setting is the harsh, rocky mountains of southern CA. Although it was inspired by the SD&A's Carrizo Gorge area, my railroad is a fictional narrow gauge serving several mines and small towns. I hauled in tons of rock, which was all carefully cemented together to create realistic mountains and cliffs.

There are numerous trestles, bridges and tunnels. Everything is scratch-built. I've only finished a couple buildings and mines so far, but there are many more to come.

Here's a pic of an abandoned mine and stone cabin, which is made of real stone. The plants are artificial and handmade - eventually there will be many more such plants. I used Photoshop to add the loco's smoke:

w7700_4B.jpg


And here's a pic of the Cliffside Mine, which is still under construction and will eventually be served by a tiny tram running on HO gauge track:

w7965_23.jpg


There are more pics of the layout at my website. Just click the link in my sig, then go to the In-ko-pah RR page. Enjoy!
 
Ray, call it a garden railroad, call if toy trains, it doesn't matter. That is a very nice layout!!!! Please post more pictures, maybe an overall view of the entire layout??
 
Thanks! Here's another pic:

w7700_13B.jpg


And here's an overview from the roof of our house. It's about six months out of date, and not very big, but at least it gives some idea of the way everything is laid out...

2898_18Overview.jpg


This water tower is a replica of the old San Diego & Arizona RR's tower at Dos Cabesas, in the Anza-Borrego desert. The shot was taken before I'd added the plants:

3186_17ATower.jpg


And here's a shot with some of the artificial plants:

w9215_13.jpg
 


Wait until you see the stuff he does with model rockets! Welcome aboard again, Ray. Have you shot your layout from a rocket yet?
 
Welcome, awesome layout Ray! I've been working on my outdoor empire for a couple of years now. Our yard (4+ acres) was part of a quarry so lots of rock (some in excess of a ton) and hills to move. Sometimes when we're working we dig up 45lb rail from the old tram. The challenge is going to be building the track work strong enough to withstand all the traffic in the form of dogs, deer, and our resident bear "Hoover".

BTW: excellent tutorial on the stone arch bridge!
 
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Thanks! I wish I had a quarry on site, it sure would have saved me a lot of wear and tear on my Trooper! On the other hand, I'm glad I don't have to deal with any critters bigger than the occasional squirrel or possum.
 
Welcome aboard Ray, that is one well done and impressive railway. Great photos I hope you'll be posting more.
Cheers
Willis
 


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