Always Changing

When I first built the Surf Line in 1997, I chose to model the pre-war years of 1940-1941. The trackplan was featured in Model Railroad Planning 2001. In 2004, I decided to convert to DCC (from Railcommand), add sound and move the modeled year to 1952. This meant that I was changing from modeling all steam and one Diesel (1940) to all Diesel and one steam (1952). What a difference 11 years make!

I also took the opportunity to rebuild parts of the layout, narrowing some of the benchwork, cantilevering it all and adding a wall down the middle. We finished the changes in early 2005. To see the changes between the old and current benchwork designs, download the Surf Line comparison.

After three years of operating the 1952 sessions, I’ve decided to make another change. In fact, I’m going to tear out the entire layout and build another, this time modeling the citrus areas on the north end of the Surf Line at Orange and Santa Ana. Follow the links to read more about the new Surf Line and see the new trackplan.