The Feather River Route is a modern Union Pacific Class 1 railroad running from the San Francisco Bay Area across California’s fertile Central Valley then up the Feather River Canyon, cutting through the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the crew change point at Portola, CA. BNSF trains use trackage rights from Stockton to the famous Keddie Wye bridge where it diverts north across the former Western Pacific Inside Gateway line.
The modeled portion covers over 300 prototype miles in 400′ of actual mainline, connecting two visible staging yards. The lower level includes much of the industrial switching plus the classification/division point yard at Stockton, while the upper level enjoys more railfanning of long trains through mountain scenery. Operating sessions run approximately 25 revenue trains including through unit trains, 2-4 locals, mixed merchandise with car block pick ups and set outs, plus the occasional historical excursion trains such as the famous F-unit-led California Zephyr.
Operating sessions are run by a dispatcher in a separate room, using JMRI software running on a Raspberry Pi and interfaced to Digitrax Signal and Detection hardware. Smartphone WiFi throttles are used exclusively, with Tam Valley stationary decoders and fascia controls for non-dispatcher running.
Scale / Gauge
N
Size of Layout
50 x 16
Prototype
Modern Union Pacific
Location Modeled
Oakland to Portola, California
Era
Modern
Style of Track Plan
Linear along the basement walls
Length of Main Line
400'
Layout Height
Lower 40 / Upper 58"
Benchwork
Open Grid
Roadbed Material
Cork
Track Manufacturer
Atlas
Turnouts
Atlas
Minimum Main Line Radius
20"
Maximum Grade
2.4 %
Scenery Techniques
Cardboard webbing with plaster cloth, plaster of paris rock molds, painted and covered in ground foam, real rock talus, poly fiber bushes and a variety of trees
% Scenery Complete
90 %
Backdrop
Painted Masonite
Control System
DCC - Digitrax
Car Forwarding System
Switch List
Train Authority / Dispatching
CTC
Operating Group
Private
Direction Comment
Park on opposite side of street, walk around left side of home, down the outside steps and follow gravel path to the rear basement door.
Wheelchair Accessible
ADA Comments
It may be possible to be dropped off from the adjoining street (Nesbit Ferry) and come across the back yard grass, but contact me directly to discuss if this is realistic.
