7x8-foot Santa Fe switching shortline
A small switching layout fulfills a childhood dream
Growing up following Chicago, Burlington & Quincy way freights through downtown Aurora, Illinois, on my bicycle in the early 1950s, I dreamed of someday running my own miniature locals and replaying the actions of the engineers and switchmen I so fondly watched. But moving to seven different homes while raising three children, lacking adequate space, and sticking to a strict family budget postponed by almost 50 years my dream becoming reality. My freelanced Santa Fe Shortline (SFS), the only layout I’ve ever built, is the product of those years of dreaming and planning.
A dream becomes reality
After I retired in 2002, I began to build in earnest. I chose a corner of the basement, walled in an 11 x 12-foot space, and built an 7 x 8-foot island in the center of the room so all parts of the layout could be viewed from all angles. The island is a 4 x 8-foot sheet of 1⁄2" plywood with two extensions, one for the town of Dalton Junction and a smaller one that houses a citrus exchange.
The layout itself sits on two homemade bookcases, an idea I drew from a back issue of Model Railroader. One bookcase is for magazines and books while the other holds rolling stock that's not currently in use on the layout. To add a touch of realism, I painted the walls of the train room depot buff, the color the Santa Fe used on many of its small-town stations.
I designed my freelanced SFS for operation. It’s loosely based on a short portion of the line the Santa Fe built in 1954-55 connecting Dalton Junction and Dallas, Texas, and passing through
Denton. After my wife, Mary Lou, and I visited the area to research and photograph, I decided to include Dalton Junction, Sanger, and Denton in my plan. A 1961 calendar from a department store in Fort Worth and a Santa Fe route map with a “You Are Here” arrow hang on the walls of the train room to help set the time and place.
Still restrained by a limited budget after sending three children through college, I chose to build using a step-by-step approach. After I completed construction of the layout board, I immediately laid and wired track, using Atlas code 100 Snap-Track and no. 4 turnouts. An MRC Tech 4 220 provided power. I’m probably one of the comparatively few model railroaders who still run on DC … it’s simple stuff for me! The 16 turnouts are operated by ground throws from Caboose Industries.
To make sure everything would fit, I then drew footprints on the plywood base for each of the ten industries, a TOFC ramp, and a team track … and I began operating. I was finally the engineer and switchman I had dreamed of being as a youngster!
Structures and scenery
As time and finances allowed I added, a step at a time, structures and scenery. Structures are painted and detailed kits from Wm. K. Walthers Inc., except for
one. The only scratchbuilt piece is Stally’s Black Bull Saloon, a hangout for railroad crews in Sanger. The walls and roof are balsa wood. Windows and doors are leftovers from Walthers kits. I painted the walls tan and sprinkled them with sand to give them a stucco texture. After that dried, I added another coat of tan. A beer truck, a few empty beer cases, and a few friends complete the scene.
I was very free with my freelancing. In the mid-1950s Dalton Junction, so it is said, was a rural spot where the new line to Dallas left the mainline to Fort Worth. It was named after nearby Dalton Cemetery. I took the liberty of creating the small town of Dalton Junction. All the industries are fictitious, particularly the citrus exchange.
Although a few locals manage to grow orange trees for personal enjoyment, citrus on a large scale isn't found around this part of Texas. Since I liked the Walthers model, I put the citrus exchange in anyway.
Scenery, which mimics the landscape around Dalton Junction, Sanger, and Denton, consists of a few rolling hills of Sculptamold over foam, with roads, talus, grass, bushes, and trees from Woodland Scenics. Several small vignettes on the layout depict scenes common in small Texas towns.
In place of a view-blocking divider to separate the towns, I chose to use the main road as the divider between Sanger and Denton, and a line of low hills to separate Sanger and Dalton Junction.
The only scenic aberrations are a few palm trees that aren't found in that part of Texas. But I like palm trees!
Rolling stock and operation
My engine roster consists of two Alco RS-2s, one by Kato (zebra stripes paint scheme) and one by Walthers (blue and
yellow paint scheme introduced by the Santa Fe in 1959); and one General Motors EMD SW9 by Life-Like. I built most of the rolling stock from Athearn “blue box” kits, adding other cars from Atlas, Branchline, InterMountain,
Kadee, Mantua, and Walthers. Total freight rolling stock, all of which I’ve had fun weathering with powdered chalk, numbers around 50 and reflects mostly western railroads. Passenger, baggage, and mail cars from Rivarossi round out the list.
As I said earlier, I built the SFS for operation. I enjoy operating alone, but it’s even more fun with friends. During typical operating sessions, which can last anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours, we run a variety of trains from short locals that serve individual towns to the Sanger Turn, which involves switching at all three cities.
Dalton Junction hosts Miracle Tire & Rubber, Arrowhead Brewing, a TOFC ramp, and a team track dock. Sanger is home to Pioneer Packing, Lone Star Milling, Sanger Fuel & Oil, and the East Texas Citrus Exchange. Denton has TexMix Cement, Mustang Wood Products, Anchor Distributing, and the ATSF freight house. This mix of industries makes for interesting switching with a variety of rolling stock. Switch lists determine a crew’s duties.
All trains originate in Dalton Junction where there is an interchange track off the main line to Ft. Worth. Crews make up trains by pulling cars from the interchange track and sorting them in the small two-track yard. Short passing sidings on each side of the layout, one at Denton and one at Sanger, allow engines to get from one end of the train to the other for switching purposes. But sometimes a consist has more cars than a siding will hold, and it’s fun to watch a crew find a way to prototypically accomplish their business. Operating rules prevent a crew from running an engine around the oval to get to the other end of the train.
Switchmen are required to use hand signals to communicate with engineers.
In addition to freights, a mixed daily carries passengers, mail, and milk from town to town. Crews consist of a dispatcher who prepares switch lists and oversees the operation, a switchman or two, and an engineer.
A dream come true
As my railroad has developed, four generations of relatives, friends, and their children and grandchildren have become part of the operating crews. Our youngest operator is Riley (10) who is a well-qualified engineer. I’m the oldest (80). In between are three other retirees, two young fathers, and one collegian.
I have a great deal of admiration for the model railroaders who exhibit their craftsmanship on a larger and grander scale in Model Railroader and at hobby shows. My circumstances have allowed me only a small portion of that experience. But inspired by other model railroaders, this octogenarian is still making his boyhood dreams come true.
This article would not have been complete without the expertise of photographer and good friend, Rich Hall.