Layout Description

The layout is divided between two rooms. The larger main room contains the single track loop-to-loop main line with six passing sidings. There are interchanges to an industrial branch line wholly contained in the main room and a logging branch that begins in the main room and passes through a wall into the smaller room. In the smaller room there are various yards, terminals and industries. Three tunnels through the wall to the main room connect the yards to the main line and a tunnel through the wall to the work room connects to another yard there.

The layout recreates the feel of Oregon from the Oregon Coast, the Coastal Range, the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Mountain Range. Station names are chosen from the cities of Oregon though no attempt to actually model these cities is made. The club railroad is called the Cascade Pacific.

If you were to ride the Amtrak Cascade on the layout you’d depart the city of Cascade’s passenger terminal rolling past the engine terminal before passing from the smaller room into the main room through a short tunnel. Soon we see the branch line station of Marysville. Looming over Marysville is a coastal range hill with logging camp on top of it. There is a branch line looping behind this hill and terminating in the large Willamette yard in the other room. Continuing on the main line you encounter a large mountain in the center of the room. After going through this mountain you arrive at the Santiam passing siding. Continuing around the mountain you’ll have a view of the port city of Yaquina. Yaquina is located on the branch line operated by the Yaquina Terminal Railroad that starts at Marysville and ends at Mill City. It has several industries and its center of attention is the railroad car float bringing freight cars to Yaquina. Next, your train goes through two tunnels and crosses a river with several fishermen trying their luck. Wonder if it’s salmon season? Your train arrives at the Mill City passing siding and the interchange siding where there is a large paper company, seed silo, propane supplier and power house. Here is where your train begins its ascent into the Cascade Range. Travelling east from Mill City your train goes through two tunnels and between them is a snow shed. Coming out of the second tunnel you arrive at the Niagara passing siding. In steam days the locomotives would take on water here and a helper might have been added. After passing an oil fuel dealer. The next siding is Boulder Creek. Here is where the logging branch leaves the main line and trains can pass each other. After Boulder Creek the line reaches its steepest grades and some of its highest wooden trestles. Then the siding at Deception Pass reached. There is railroad camp up here and a spur for maintenance, snow clearing and helpers. After you leave Deception Pass your train passes over a deep gorge on a wooden bridge. Looking up the mountain you see a flying saucer stealing a cow. However, the Oregon National Guard is about to intervene with an Apache Attack Helicopter. Looking down we see a wrecked Daylight passenger car lying on the canyon side. Travelling along the side of the mountain we cross the highest bridge on the line which is made of steel. Your train passes a logging site on the hillside and then enters its last tunnel before the city of Summit and a passing siding. Summit is mining community for the mineral unobtanium. The mine here has failed to yield a profit in 100 years but that doesn’t keep the inhabitants from trying.

In the smaller room is a branch line that goes to Toledo in the port district of Cascade. Here are large silos, manufacturing plants, cement works and a seafood distributor. On the way to Toledo there is a container facility and a smaller branch to a large saw mill at Dawson. Also in rear of the room is the Willamette yard where Cascade Pacific freight trains originate or terminate. There is also an ore dock where ore cars transfer their loads to barges and boats.

In addition there is a hidden storage yard under Toledo and in the club’s work room is a fiddle yard where members set up their trains.

The layout uses digital control (DCC) made by Digitrax to control trains. This means that locomotives used on the layout must contain a DCC decoder. This allows a member to operate a locomotive anywhere on the layout without having to set block switches.

The layout operates with members driving their trains from the balcony over the dispatcher’s panel in the main room or on the floor in either room using radio throttles. The Dispatcher gives clearance for trains to move and sets the track switches for train routing on the main line. There are separate operators for the smaller room for Cascade, the engine terminal, Willamette yard and the Toldeo/Dawson branch line. Members use radios when operating the layout. This keeps us from shouting at each other. Well maybe we shout sometimes.