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SP Coast Division, Monterey Branch
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The railroad models the Southern Pacific Coast division in 1941 and is designed and built for operations. It resides in a purpose-built 24&#39; X36&#39; building, with a double deck lift gate for easy egress. The railroad is double-decked, with the Southern Pacific Coast Division from Gilroy to Salinas on the lower deck and the Monterey Branch on the upper deck. The decks are connected by a single- track 5 level, custom built hidden helix that is equipped with sensors to indicate the location of a train.
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The layout has a 12 track staging yard. Each track is a through track, with the South representing King City/San Luis Obispo/Los Angeles and the North end representing San Jose/ San Francisco /Roseville.
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The layout currently has 100% of the track in place. 66 FastTrack turnouts have been built and installed.  Turnouts are Fast Tracks ~118 (73 done, 45 left). Scenery has just started but most scenes are mocked up with models and temporary structures.
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The layout is NCE DCC controlled with wireless throttles, and hand thrown turnouts.  Dispatching is done using TT&TO over telephones. Concise documentation of all train operations is provided to assist operators in stepping into a new job.
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Crew positions:1 dispatcher, 2 Train Order Operators, 3 yard men, 5 train operator. Emphasis is on switching, yards and towns
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Dave's Website is 
<a href="https://southernpacificcoastdivisionmontereybranch.com">Southern Pacific Coast Division Monterey Branch<a/>
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Note this layout is about 80 miles from the hotel but much of the ride is through beautiful &quot;Steinbeck Country&quot; that will be brilliant green following this winter's rains! 

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Modified 12/12/2024
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