Santa Fe Northern..........Modeling Ideas

The area modeled in the Santa Fe Northern is so vast that it is impossible to model the railroad town by town.  Also, this part of the country is extremely desolate. The land is a barely inhabited, high plains geography at the edge of the Rockies.  To create the feel of the countryside the backdrop is emphasized and only specific scenes are modeled. 

Conspicuously absent is Raton Pass.  This famous pass requires it’s own model railroad to do it justice and so it was avoided.  In a “tip of the hat” the high point on The Junction Route at York, New Mexico is known as NOTAR (Raton backwards).   Near York is a faithful replica of Apache Canyon, New Mexico, which is actually near Lamy.  This was a famous spot for ATSF passenger train photographers and fans.  Experienced ATSF rail-fans have noted the canyon is accurate except for missing the “skinny dippers”.

La Junta yard is a fairly accurate arrangement of track. Operating sessions attempt to replicate the train building and block swapping that actually occurred at La Junta until shortly after the merger.   The Las Animas “Little Lift” operation is designed to incorporate elements of the Q-Train service of the late 1980’s.    Proceeding further east Dodge City is modeld although no attempt was made to be quite as faithful as with La Junta or apache Canyon.  Operationally Dodge City does orgrinate locals each day to La Junta and down the branch to to Boise City, Oklahoma and Dumas, Texas

Click here for a PDF layout schematic.

P.S.  My aplogies to the fairthful for the UP unit.....The day I took the photo this unit was in the consist of a baretable which had paused at Raton