Santa Fe's Passenger FT Diesels in Victorville, and Finalizing the Staging Track Plans

Our featured Victorville locomotives this time will be Santa Fe's EMD FTs in passenger service.  We'll also take a look at the final (I hope) changes to the staging track plans.

During April through August of 1946 the Santa Fe converted 11 sets of their 4-unit FT freight diesels to passenger service and repainted them into Warbonnet paint.  They kept their numbers of 158 through 168.

Here is FT set #159 rounding the curve at Cajon with the eastbound Grand Canyon Limited, as shot by Chard Walker in Sep. 1948:

 

In this next view by Jack Whitmeyer, an FT set is bringing an eastbound passenger train through Victorville, with the depot at the right and the Upper Narrows cliffs in the distance:

Here we see FT set #162 passing under a large signal bridge:

 

In July of 1947, Chard Walker shot FT set #158 leaving Victorville westbound through the Upper Narrows with the Grand Canyon Limited:

Stan Kistler shot FT set #159 with the eastbound Chief climbing Cajon Pass in Nov. 1947:

 

In May of 1948, when the Santa Fe had acquired enough passenger F3s, they converted three of their passenger FT sets back to freight service and colors.  Then in July of 1950 they converted almost all of their other passenger FTs back to freight service and colors.

Set #168 stayed in passenger service until 1954, but it was split into two A-B sets, #168LA and #415LA, to pull shorter trains.  Here is #168LA in San Diego in 1954, as shot by Harold Williams:

 

Between passenger assignments, these A-B sets sometimes served as helpers on freights, as seen here on Cajon Pass in a shot by Robert Heuerman:

There have been several HO models of these locos, with the first ones by Stewart (these are the ones I have).  Note the correct broad curve of the Warbonnet on the roof:

Later they were also made by Intermountain, with a sharp point on the roof:

Division Point also imported a brass model:

Bachmann made only an A unit, and its Warbonnet was too short on the side.

Bill Messecar has been helping me by scratch-building more Victorville structures.  He has recently completed the first of three beautiful pump houses with derricks that were beside the Victorville water tanks:

And Tim Fisher has been helping a lot by recommending final improvements to my track plans.  I'm up to Version 5, which now has the A Yard track curves evenly spaced, and which now has a new C Yard with six tracks instead of five.

I saw a chance to redraw the C Yard when I removed two 2x2" legs that were in the way and were not needed.  I also removed two 2x4" legs that were in the way of curves elsewhere.  I had planned to move them nearby, but the layout stands just fine without them, now that the sections are all bolted together.  My other minor benchwork changes will have to wait until next week.

Here is the new straight-line schematic for Version 5:

Here are the new storage lengths and radii of all the storage tracks:

Here's the revised track plan for the main peninsula area:

And for the turntable area:

Some of this past week was spent counting the various turnouts I'll need for the lower deck:

Total turnouts needed = 72

Manual turnouts (close to the aisle and not part of a mainline) = 20

Powered turnouts (using Atlas above-table machines) = 52

#6 Left turnouts = 36

#6 Right turnouts = 27

#8 Left turnouts = 2

#8 Right turnouts = 7

I found that Atlas code 100 #6 turnouts are sold out everywhere until they restock, but I do have some in my inventory (not nearly enough).  I have way too many #8s in stock, because my plan was to use #8s to enter and leave each yard track, until Tim Fisher said I can use #6s for that, so I did,  Maybe some #8s will fit where I drew #6s, we'll see.

 

I have plenty of cork roadbed for the mainlines, but I need to get a lot more 3/16" sheet cork for the yard areas.

Here is some of the inventory of what track supplies I have in stock:

Atlas code 100 flextracks - 223

Atlas code 100 #6 Left - 9  (need 27 more)

Atlas code 100 #6 Right - 4  (need 23 more)

Atlas code 100 #8 Left - 14  (have 12 extras)

Atlas code 100 #8 Right - 15  (have 8 extras)

Left Manual switch machines (#62) - 17 

Right Manual switch machines (#63) - 7 (plus 2 used already)

Left Remote switch machines (#52) - 22  (need more)

Right Remote switch machines (#53) - 24  (need more)

Atlas Snap Relays (#200) - 12 (DPDT for powering frogs)

So, all these numbers will help guide my upcoming orders for more supplies to lay and wire the staging mainlines and then the yards.  I'll report back in two weeks.