I've been pondering my yard design for my Mojave Staging Yard, which will be located under the station of Owenyo. Until now I've played with a couple concepts, but haven't really tried to nail down what I need and what I want. This blog post will mostly be a rambling stream of thoughts on the layout's design and changes that have been on my mind the last year or so.
Changing Goals
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| This is my current layout design as of 2026-09-08 with changes to Bartlett & Mojave Staging Yard. |
The concept of three scenes is still in play. The bookcases on the large desk will really break up the room's sight-lines into three distinct scenes, one for each town. The main focus is still nicely placed on Owenyo and the dump trestle just as the person enters the room. Bartlett then will be naturally visible as the door is closed, and Little Lake is tucked away on the other side of the desk and bookcases, which will form a nice 'study' with my collection of various books and reading materials easily to hand.
Looking Back
Updates and Thoughts Since 2025...
I am quite settled with the idea that I'll be rebuilding the layout with 1/4" aircraft plywood using the same techniques I used with the MDF in 2021. Also changing the main line from Code 55 to Code 70 pushes me towards this as well. Lastly, the change from 26"R to the larger 46"R wye at Owenyo is a major driving force for this change. Major structural issues would come in trying to change the existing structure to fit the larger wye, so it will be easier to start over at this stage. The new larger wye will probably be set up as a 'drop-leaf' style, but still with the option to pull the pins on the hinges and remove it entirely when the layout's not in operation mode.
Backdrop Ponderings
I'm also starting to consider a 'stub' backdrop on the Little Lake side of the Owenyo wye, to help break up the view into Little Lake from the entry door area and along the area where the crew would be looking when working in Owenyo.
I've seen this style backdrop used to great effect when your focus is on the operations and playing with the trains, but still allow conversations between people when you want to talk across the backdrop. Usually the sight-lines are set up so the view-blocking backdrop is only high enough to block accidental glimpses of the layout you're not working at the moment. I'm thinking, given the height difference of the wye at Owenyo of 57" and the height of Little Lake, which will be around 53", this short backdrop should only need to be about 6" tall, just enough so you're not seeing Little Lake below and past the wye. Some of this can only really be worked out in real-space when looking at it. Even 3d CAD visualizations don't really portray the 'feel' of what it will really be like.
Be Sure You're Right, Then Go Ahead...
The more I've thought about it, the more sure I am that the reconstruction is the right move for me both from an operational viewpoint and scenery-wise to make the best representation of Owenyo that I can. While I'm still arm-chair pondering the rebuild, I'm sure it's in the future of my layout.
Not The Runaround I Thought It Was
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| "Old" Jawbone Branch - from March 2022 with 26" wye at Owenyo and "Inside" Bartlett Plant. - Jason Hill's design |
Updates and Thoughts Since 2025...
I am quite settled with the idea that I'll be rebuilding the layout with 1/4" aircraft plywood using the same techniques I used with the MDF in 2021. Also changing the main line from Code 55 to Code 70 pushes me towards this as well. Lastly, the change from 26"R to the larger 46"R wye at Owenyo is a major driving force for this change. Major structural issues would come in trying to change the existing structure to fit the larger wye, so it will be easier to start over at this stage. The new larger wye will probably be set up as a 'drop-leaf' style, but still with the option to pull the pins on the hinges and remove it entirely when the layout's not in operation mode.
Backdrop Ponderings
I'm also starting to consider a 'stub' backdrop on the Little Lake side of the Owenyo wye, to help break up the view into Little Lake from the entry door area and along the area where the crew would be looking when working in Owenyo.
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| A view from 2013 of Arvin Branch on La Mesa Model Railroad Club's Tehachapi Pass layout with a 'stub' or 'half' backdrop. |
I've seen this style backdrop used to great effect when your focus is on the operations and playing with the trains, but still allow conversations between people when you want to talk across the backdrop. Usually the sight-lines are set up so the view-blocking backdrop is only high enough to block accidental glimpses of the layout you're not working at the moment. I'm thinking, given the height difference of the wye at Owenyo of 57" and the height of Little Lake, which will be around 53", this short backdrop should only need to be about 6" tall, just enough so you're not seeing Little Lake below and past the wye. Some of this can only really be worked out in real-space when looking at it. Even 3d CAD visualizations don't really portray the 'feel' of what it will really be like.
Be Sure You're Right, Then Go Ahead...
The more I've thought about it, the more sure I am that the reconstruction is the right move for me both from an operational viewpoint and scenery-wise to make the best representation of Owenyo that I can. While I'm still arm-chair pondering the rebuild, I'm sure it's in the future of my layout.
Not The Runaround I Thought It Was
The more small details I look into at Owenyo in photos, the more I see that the center track wasn't used as a run around most of the time, but it was the straight side of the wye itself that was used.
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| Owenyo SPNG 9 being serviced with SPMW Outfit Pullman & Bunk on center track - May 30, 1956 - Evan Werkema photo - TO |
The local wasn't longer than this section of track in front of the company houses inside the wye. The train would pull clear of the road crossing, the engine would cut off, back around the wye and start working the train from the west end, as all the switches are layed out to be worked from that end. This still puts the caboose right in the thick of it, but I think they must have set it over next to the water tank while they're doing the work. I still don't know why they would set it back onto the main track instead of leaving it next to the water tank. Maybe because they would need to get some extra water from the tank and didn't want the caboose in the way later? I'm not sure and sadly there's no one around who worked the job with steam engines and cabooses who is still around to ask why they did it that way. There's also the point that the crew would be expecting to do a few moves and then go off-duty after their run from Mojave, then pick up after their 8 hours of required rest. So maybe it was easier to have the caboose in the spot out of the way, where they're not going to need to move it again until they're ready to depart the next day.
How Simple or Hard?
I've spent a good amount of time looking at multiple aerial photos of Owenyo, seeing what cars there are in town. This is one of my favorites. I believe this series of photos shows the Owenyo SG Local engine working and moving cuts of cars around. He's on the west end (to the left in this photo looking Southwest) and they have all the tracks blocked up.
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| Owenyo Aerial 7-16-47B (cropped) - UCSB Aerial Photo Collection 1CQ0000100034 |
The switching of my modeled Owenyo then could be as simple as a couple grand pulls and shoves into the house track and dump trestle completing within 10-15 minutes, or a complicated game lasting 2-3 hours of respotting cars within the various spurs as the SPNG had not brought in enough carloads to fill standard gauge boxcars and gondolas yet, but other lots, also of partial loads of other things needed to be spotted for their own loading drama. It could be a real mess! Some photos suggest extra empty or partly loaded cars, at least gondolas, being 'off-spotted' until more of whichever type of ore/product was brought in. I think this may explain why there sometimes was a whole second set of five GS gondolas hanging around the dump-trestle.
I have this drawing showing the changes to Bartlett from last year, flipping the entire industry and trackage to the 'lake-side' of the track. I've decided this is really the only way to do this town without having a scale 40ft tall warehouse blocking the view to half or more of the town.
Bartlett Changes
Normally, I hate seeing layouts that unduly flip or re-arrange prototype station and track arrangements... but I don't see any other good option for my Jawbone layout.
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| Bartlett's real physical arrangement, from my plans from 2024. |
I have this drawing showing the changes to Bartlett from last year, flipping the entire industry and trackage to the 'lake-side' of the track. I've decided this is really the only way to do this town without having a scale 40ft tall warehouse blocking the view to half or more of the town.
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| Bartlett flipped to "Lake-side" in with 26" curves, my current track plan in Sept 2026. |
At least this way I'll have the tracks close to the operating crew, the warehouse behind it, and the lake in the background, which is how most of us are used to seeing this industry for the last 70+ years from the highway.
This last week, my reevaluation of my design and desire to work out several more details has resulting in this plan arrangement.
How to Turn Around Single-Ended Engines in Staging?
Originally, I was planning to use a form of 'cassette' which has been popular over the last 10-15 years in European and UK design groups and small switching layouts. To connect the 'cassette' I placed a right-hand switch on Track 1, towards the stub-end crossover that forms a runaround with the body of Track 2. This switch would lead to a future 'cassette' for turning the engines returning on the local from Owenyo. This track wasn't marked on this rough drawing of the Mojave yard.
Mojave Staging Yard Design
On to the discussion of the staging yard. I have always envisioned the Mojave Staging Yard as a 5-track yard with a mix of uses for the tracks. The 5-track number was reached by the amount of width I could get under the Owenyo Yard 'shelf' between the vertical supports, more than five being some 'perfect number' for my planned operations.
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| Rough plan for my Mojave Staging Yard (20260825 draft) - A couple weeks ago... |
How to Turn Around Single-Ended Engines in Staging?
Originally, I was planning to use a form of 'cassette' which has been popular over the last 10-15 years in European and UK design groups and small switching layouts. To connect the 'cassette' I placed a right-hand switch on Track 1, towards the stub-end crossover that forms a runaround with the body of Track 2. This switch would lead to a future 'cassette' for turning the engines returning on the local from Owenyo. This track wasn't marked on this rough drawing of the Mojave yard.
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| Mojave Staging Yard design as of 2026-09-08. |
However, I'm getting uncomfortable about regularly doing this with brass steam engines, while still underneath the Owenyo Dump Trestle portion of the layout, with tight vertical clearance. A couple weeks ago, I realized that there's no real difference in space in a 'cassette' unit and a standard turntable. Why not use the same switch position, but take it out to a turntable instead?
As I've started to think about this more, I don't even need it to be a detailed turntable, why not just scratch-built a 'staging' turntable long enough for my biggest steam engine that I might ever want to run on this layout? That would be a big AC-class 'Cab Forward' 4-8-8-2, so about 17" long on the wheelbase should do it. Given this is all basically a "Plywood Pacific" staging yard, I don't need to make any complicated 'pit' for the table. with all the circular cutting into the layout's top surface. The turntable could be as simple as a good piece of wood (which is what Bowser used to offer on their stock turntable pit or a built-up styrene bridge with a audio jack for the pivot, which I saw an old MR article on 35+ years ago.
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| Santa Fe Rwy turntable at San Bernardino, 1943 - Library of Congress "fsa 8d15907 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d15907" |
I may actually do it as a 3d printed turntable bridge, maybe something like the Santa Fe's thru-truss shallow pit style turntable. The 3D printing would allow an extra layer of precision to be baked into the bridge, and I can work in several simple 'tricks' to help do manual alignment and locking to help the operators turning the engines around without any extra work. - Some things to think about at least.
Basics of Track Usage Planning
I originally planned the yard to be at least 22-23 cars long (with an engine), matching the length of the siding at Owenyo and Little Lake. The staging yard will actually be a bit longer, allowing even my longest 'livestock special' trains to be assembled in the staging yard without doubling over.
Track 1 will generally function as the arrival track for locals returning from the rest of the layout. This will allow direct access for the returning engine to the cassette to be turned around and then run back up Track 2 and start sorting the arrived consist into the other tracks.
Track 2 is the departure track, where the next local can assembled and kept out of the way. Ideally the next local is already assembled there when the local out on the layout returns. This allows the departing train to clear the track for the arrived engine to take over and put its train away.
Track 3 and Track 4 are 'storage' tracks for various freight cars to build the local trains up from. My main goal is to have a pool of 'foreign' line boxcars to draw from. The home SP cars, gondolas, etc will be on fairly quick turns, thus reducing the number of the cars I need to have in the pool. These tracks are the reason I want the yard longer than the standard train lengths that will be run.
Track 5 will be for 'special' trains, I will probably keep the 'Excursion Special' for 1953 in that track, which will be 9-10 HW cars, which will be pulled by two 2-8-2s with a water car. I could of course do a 1954 version of this train too, but that would require a pair of T-28 class 4-6-0s, so for now I'll just reuse two of the three 2-8-2s that I'm already working on.
The other 'special' train I want to have the option to run is a roughly 25-30 car livestock special with helper engine, which will create other challenges than the standard local freight of 10-14 cars.
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| Lead of the Mojave Yard. |
My revisions to the yard itself include settling on a compounded curved yard lead arrangement. I went with this arrangement because the inner (Track 1) and outer (Track 5) tracks can stay at my standard mainline curves of 48" Radius, while the other tracks (Tracks 2, 3, & 4) will have tighter 46" Radius curves coming off the semi-curved switch alignments into the other body tracks. I'm actually fine with the freight only curves being as tight as my industrial spurs of 26" Radius, which is a little bit above what my Mk-2/4s don't like.
Why Compound Ladder?
The compound lead arrangement I chose allows minimal length of the curved lead, but yet maximum radius on the most used track (Track 1 & 2) and Track 5, where my large radius requiring passenger cars will be. Also this arrangement provides maximum track length on Track 4, which can be easily accessed by the 'bull switch' (first switch on the lead), as Track 5 will be rarely used during classification work. The rest of the inner ladder provides easy switching access to Track 1, 2, and 3. The main issue with compound ladders is you don't want to be needing to throw 2-3 switches during every track change. During classification operation, Track 1 will probably end up as the 'sluff' track with the extra cars that are not wanted for the next local. Alternatively, if the Mojave yardmaster gets adventurous, two locals could be classified at the same time onto Tracks 1 & 2 from Tracks 3 & 4.
I will probably use Track 5's extra length beyond what the passenger cars and-or livestock cars to store other rarely used extra cars, maybe supply-MW cars, etc. My main goal during operation and resetting is to not add or remove any cars or engines from "off-layout storage". Equipment that stays on the rails doesn't get damaged from handling.
Engine Storage?
Back to the thoughts on engines and what to do with them? Now that I have schemes for a turntable, does this line of thinking then leads to pondering about putting in some stub-track storage off the turntable?
I think the engine assignments would work out as follows: One engine already on the layout working. The second engine coupled to the next outbound train from staging on Track 2 or putting the finishing touches on that train. Then engines 3 and 4, being the two on the turn table whiskers This leaves engines 5 and 6 that would have to be stored at the top of Track 5 or in the proposed short 'roundhouse' tracks under the Owenyo wye.
Extra engines, such as the RSD-5 and a 1940 era 2-8-0, or the pair of 2-8-2s - SP 3237 & SP 3266, which were usually used on the Excursion train, could be stored on the excursion consist itself in Track 5 out of the way. Actual operations would really be the only way to see if the stubs under Owenyo would be needed, or if stashing the extra engines on pre-made trains would work better. Perhaps engines 5 & 6 would already be staged on Tracks 3 and 4 with two more locals at the beginning of the session. Resulting in the only challenge being what to do with the extra engines after they return while their trains are restaged. I don't really like the idea of steam engines buried in the freight 'sluff' of Tracks 3 and 4 when the session ends.
Bending Space-Time?
If I was running a 1940s era train in the mix, it would have to be made up of 1937-1940 era cars too, so those would have to be kept together mostly... so that engine may not need to be 'put away' but instead stay with the 'weird era' set of equipment. The main focus therefore in equipment will be centered around the 1946-1949 era 2-8-0s and post-1949 use of 2-8-2s making up the majority of the engine pool.
The other alternative is that I 'bend reality's timeline' to run a post-1946 mixed train with post SP Lines lettered cars. Then I wouldn't have to deal with an 'era change' in cars on the layout when the local coming out of staging doesn't match the cars spotted on the layout. There certainly is an appeal to this option of applying Rule 1 to the layout. This could also mean I have fun with a couple of chartered Pullman HW's showing up on a special train to Little Lake's Lodge and Hunting villa a couple miles north of the station.
Where's the Caboose Track?
The caboose track is made from the stub-end of Track 2, near the turntable. The 1940 mixed train's coach and baggage-RPO passenger cars will also be stored there. This arrangement makes switching out the caboose or passenger cars for next local departs between Track 2 stub and the tail of Track 1 very easy.
Why Compound Ladder?
The compound lead arrangement I chose allows minimal length of the curved lead, but yet maximum radius on the most used track (Track 1 & 2) and Track 5, where my large radius requiring passenger cars will be. Also this arrangement provides maximum track length on Track 4, which can be easily accessed by the 'bull switch' (first switch on the lead), as Track 5 will be rarely used during classification work. The rest of the inner ladder provides easy switching access to Track 1, 2, and 3. The main issue with compound ladders is you don't want to be needing to throw 2-3 switches during every track change. During classification operation, Track 1 will probably end up as the 'sluff' track with the extra cars that are not wanted for the next local. Alternatively, if the Mojave yardmaster gets adventurous, two locals could be classified at the same time onto Tracks 1 & 2 from Tracks 3 & 4.
I will probably use Track 5's extra length beyond what the passenger cars and-or livestock cars to store other rarely used extra cars, maybe supply-MW cars, etc. My main goal during operation and resetting is to not add or remove any cars or engines from "off-layout storage". Equipment that stays on the rails doesn't get damaged from handling.
Switch Controls
As with the prior discussed plan for Owenyo, my switch controls are planned to be Caboose Industries ground-throws, near the front edge of the layout and long-arms to cross under the inner tracks to reach the switches behind. This saves space in the ladder or requiring the ground-throws to be operated from the far side of the yard, which is obviously not desirable. These longer switch point tie rods will need to be planned as I lay the ties for the switches, but this shouldn't be a problem as it will be part of the plan.
Back to the thoughts on engines and what to do with them? Now that I have schemes for a turntable, does this line of thinking then leads to pondering about putting in some stub-track storage off the turntable?
I believe there is room to fit two stubs off the turntable to store 'extra' engines. This may require me to cut a hole in my plywood gusset supporting the upper level as it approaches the doorway, but should still be doable. An alternative is to put a couple stub tracks under the wider part of Owenyo, near the wye, facing towards the turn table lead. This way the extra engines could just be stashed in there along with any extra cars that I rarely use. It would mean the road crew would probably work those tracks, as I foresee the staging yardmaster generally working from the nook near the main ladder of the staging yard, when not out acting as the clerk and writing up switchlists. Road crews after all did have to hostle their own engines from the 'round house' and Mojave did have a linear engine house!
How Many is Too Many?
My planned roster will be roughly 2x 2-8-0s, 3x 2-8-2s, and an RSD-5. So roughly 5-6 engines. The turntable stubs could serve as the 'regular' Mojave-based rotation of four local engines, from where the operators could pull from the 'regular' engines at Mojave.
How Many is Too Many?
My planned roster will be roughly 2x 2-8-0s, 3x 2-8-2s, and an RSD-5. So roughly 5-6 engines. The turntable stubs could serve as the 'regular' Mojave-based rotation of four local engines, from where the operators could pull from the 'regular' engines at Mojave.
Historical Perspective of the Mojave Local Engine Pool
Historically, four engines were needed to work the three local jobs out of Mojave, plus keeping one as the protection engine. The SP 3203, 3237, and 3266 worked out of Mojave regularly during the early 1950s, and thus are the engines I'm planning to model. The RSD-5, SP 5301 will be a good engine to represent the arriving diesels in March of 1953, which then also returned to working the Owenyo Local late in 1954 into 1955+. These four engines therefore will form the 'core' of my local engine pool. A couple 2-8-0s will round that out and I'm considering lettering a 2-8-0 for pre-1946 allowing for mixed train operation, with a coach and RPO-baggage instead of the caboose.
I think the engine assignments would work out as follows: One engine already on the layout working. The second engine coupled to the next outbound train from staging on Track 2 or putting the finishing touches on that train. Then engines 3 and 4, being the two on the turn table whiskers This leaves engines 5 and 6 that would have to be stored at the top of Track 5 or in the proposed short 'roundhouse' tracks under the Owenyo wye.
Extra engines, such as the RSD-5 and a 1940 era 2-8-0, or the pair of 2-8-2s - SP 3237 & SP 3266, which were usually used on the Excursion train, could be stored on the excursion consist itself in Track 5 out of the way. Actual operations would really be the only way to see if the stubs under Owenyo would be needed, or if stashing the extra engines on pre-made trains would work better. Perhaps engines 5 & 6 would already be staged on Tracks 3 and 4 with two more locals at the beginning of the session. Resulting in the only challenge being what to do with the extra engines after they return while their trains are restaged. I don't really like the idea of steam engines buried in the freight 'sluff' of Tracks 3 and 4 when the session ends.
Bending Space-Time?
If I was running a 1940s era train in the mix, it would have to be made up of 1937-1940 era cars too, so those would have to be kept together mostly... so that engine may not need to be 'put away' but instead stay with the 'weird era' set of equipment. The main focus therefore in equipment will be centered around the 1946-1949 era 2-8-0s and post-1949 use of 2-8-2s making up the majority of the engine pool.
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| Little Lake passenger train SP 1433 pre 1938 - owensvalleyhistory,com - susan_stanton03 (Cropped) |
The other alternative is that I 'bend reality's timeline' to run a post-1946 mixed train with post SP Lines lettered cars. Then I wouldn't have to deal with an 'era change' in cars on the layout when the local coming out of staging doesn't match the cars spotted on the layout. There certainly is an appeal to this option of applying Rule 1 to the layout. This could also mean I have fun with a couple of chartered Pullman HW's showing up on a special train to Little Lake's Lodge and Hunting villa a couple miles north of the station.
The caboose track is made from the stub-end of Track 2, near the turntable. The 1940 mixed train's coach and baggage-RPO passenger cars will also be stored there. This arrangement makes switching out the caboose or passenger cars for next local departs between Track 2 stub and the tail of Track 1 very easy.
In Closing
I think that about covers what I've been pondering on the Jawbone layout over the last six months or so.
Jason Hill
Jason Hill
