[PRCo] Pittsburgh_--_San--Francisco__Connection
James B. Holland
PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com
Mon Oct 24 05:57:13 EDT 2005
Good Morning!!!
This section includes some model photos -- just two from a small
layout in Zion, IL, and then more from a larger layout here in San
Francisco.
05 - Didn't have tripod and used available lighting for this shot which
has extremely short focal range so most is out of focus but the
"O"-Scale model of PRCo PCC Interurban 1705 with roof light activated is
still intriguing!!.
06 - A 270-degree double track curve in streets under construction for
an "O"-Scale layout when I lived in Zion, IL. The layout traversed
3 walls around the living room and had a loop with wye inside on the
short side, then ran the long side down behind open book shelves and
across a very long trestle between shelves, then dropped down to this
curved on the short side and looped to drop again and then run along a
shelf underneath the aforementioned trestle. Then it looped under
the loop/wye and dropped to a third level and another loop along the far
short end to return. The loop/wye were double track, the curved
section in this photo was a siding, there was another siding on the
parallel short side, and then the loop under this photo for the lowest
level and to make a return!
The following photos are an "O"-Scale layout built here in San Francisco
over 20 years ago. It was operational for a month or two without
scenery and then had to be dismantled. This was in a large room
and had three main platform sections about 15-feet long and 2-4--feet
wide each; it was necessary to duck under to get to one side or the
other of the center section - other two sections against the wall.
a)-Market Street is the first platform section against the wall;
b)-EBT, Ocean, San Jose, and Broad Avenues are all on the center second
platform section; c)-High Speed and Judah Street are on the third
platform section:::::::
07. - Lombard and Market - Good place to start description - 4-tracks on
Market with the outer inbound track giving two choices:: 1)-Subway
or 2)-East Bay Terminal (EBT) ramp. There was a choice of
2-tracks on the EBT ramp, each one leading to a different outbound track
on Market. Choosing the #2 track would allow one to constantly
loop in one direction and come back to the same place! The inner
inbound track led to the 40-San Mateo High Speed Line!
08 - View of Lombard and Market from overhead. Outer track is
standard 12" radius - three inner tracks spiral into and out of the turn
to prevent the overhang from fouling the other tracks - this is standard
prototype practice.
09 - View of Lombard and Market from inside the Sunset Tunnel.
Note that the outer outbound - 1616 on far left - and inner inbound -
SDERy 400 - lead from Sunset tunnel while inner outbound and outer
inbound tracks turn left onto/from Ocean Avenue. These two sets of
tracks form a large balloon route. From Lombard we enter the
Sunset Tunnel upgrade and cross from the first platform section to the
second and on to the third where we emerge and travel downhill on Judah
Street, leveling for a cross street and continuing downgrade to 41st
Avenue where we are back on level once again. We loop 180-degrees
from the 3rd platform to the second platform onto Broad Street
immediately underneath the 40-Line, then angle across San Jose where we
have 6-yard tracks, three for each of the double tracks for each
direction!. Once we travel Ocean we come back to Lombard on the
outer 4-tracks. If we loop around on Ocean, San Jose, Broad, Judah
we come out on the inner inbound track!
10 - Shows San Diego (SDERy) 400 coming up out of the subway;
PRCo PCC Interurban 1705 appears to have been shot out of a canon on the
EBT ramp where there are two tracks; and private car Amy is inside
EBT where the Key System would be except this is the 40-San Mateo
Interurban! EBT is on the second - center - platform
section. Leaving the EBT terminal ramp on one of two tracks we
traverse Fremont to Market where we must head outbound. If we take
track#1 on EBT we get the inner outbound track which gives us the option
of traveling a)-Market to Lombard, Ocean etc. or b)-entering the
subway; taking #2 track and we must travel outer outbound track on
Market, Lombard, Sunset tunnel etc.
11 - Market / Subway Junction. The switch from the outer inbound
track to First and EBT is just out of view to the left. One can
enter the subway from: a)-outer inbound track; b)-inbound
40-San Mateo Interurban from the right ala private car Amy in the
photo; c)-by looping through EBT on track #1 only which brings one
back to the inner outbound track and the option of Market or the
subway! Leaving the subway gives the choice of turning right, ala
SDERy 400 in the photo, to the 40-line or turning left to the inner
outbound track to Lombard, Ocean, San Jose etc. Entering the
subway the TrolleyCar descends to underneath the 3rd platform section,
makes a right and runs the length underneath then thru a 180-degree turn
to underneath the 2nd platform section where the length is run and then
another 180 brings it under Market where it runs the length to
Embarcadero stub end terminal and scissors crossover.
12 - The photo shows PRCo PCC interurban 1705 turning from First onto
track #1 of EBT; PCC 1616 is turning from Broad underneath the
40-line onto San Jose and is right at the turnout leading to tracks 1,
2, 3 of outside storage. Private Car Amy has just traversed Ocean
Ave. and is now on San Jose; tracks 4, 5, 6 were accessible to Amy
when she turned from Lombard to Ocean and this is inside storage - cars
exit these tracks in the direction of Amy. SDERy 400 sits on the
high speed line on the second platform section and is past the switch to
inside storage tracks 7, 8, 9 above tracks 4, 5, 6!!!!!!! An
X-Over inside EBT allows for maneuvering to these tracks. The
40-San-Mateo Interurban line is accessible from the inner inbound track
on Market and also accessible when exiting the subway. A right
turn is negotiated at the end of Market and then again onto the far side
of the 2nd platform section and into the upper level of EBT. SDERy
400 has just exited EBT heading outbound and will negotiate the Twin
Peaks Tunnel and a 180-degree turn onto the 3rd platform section.
We run the length behind Judah Street, take a 270-degree turn at the end
of which we enter gauntlet track and climb upgrade to a three track loop
in San Mateo above Twin Peaks Tunnel which is above Sunset Tunnel.
There was Always More Than Ample -*Reason-* for confrontation
elsewhere with The Twins and Myself operating the layout so giving each
a special layover track in San Mateo prevents a tiny amount of conflict!!
Plans For The Future:::::::
I Think B--I--G ---- but recognize these plans may be whittled
down considerably. With the Superb St.-Petersburg Trams Models for
the PRCo system I hope to have something representative of the South
Hills with concentration on the Charleroi and Washington Interurbans,
the 42-Dormont My Hometown Line, 38-Mt.Lebanon and a few cross lines
downtown. But that is still some time in the future!
Jim__Holland, Owner
Holland Electric Railway Operation
Dealer for the SPTC Line of "O"-Scale Models &
Q-Car trucks and detail parts!!
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