UP 4-12-2 Steam & SP 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward at the Randall Museum Model Railroad

UP 4-12-2 Steam & SP 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward at the GGMRC model train layout.
This is a video I created for the Golden Gate Model Railroad Club channel in 2015-06-13.
The Golden Gate Model Railroad Club was located in the basement of the Randall Museum, San Francisco. This museum is actually more an education center for kids, with science projects and even a small zoo. The layout was open weekly to the public on Saturdays and little visitors enjoyed seeing the trains go around in its complex track layout (ggmrc.org/about... for the track plan.)
The GGMRC model train layout was built in the 60s and models a somewhat fictional railway named "Sierra Nevada & Pacific Railroad" mixing the Colorado Midland, D&RG up to the ATSF acquisition of the SF&SJV. Locations on the layout include Stockton, Fairfield, sierra mountains named The Summit and a loop that curiously looks like Tehachapi. Later yards added to the layout are named Richmond, Napa and Bridgeport, although these are mostly plywood plains and not given too much exposure on the video.
One of the steam engine featured here is a "cab-forward", a very peculiar design where the steam engines are run in "reverse" with the cab placed forward. This is possible as these engines burned oil and not coal. The design was used by Southern Pacific to solve the issue of their engineers and firemen asphyxiating in their tunnels -- and their main line in the sierras had nearly 40 tunnels and 40 miles of snow sheds.
The other steam engine featured here is a Union Pacific 9000-class, with a quite impressive 4-12-2 wheel arrangement!
🚂 Trains: Jim Willcox
UP 9000-class 4-12-2
SP 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward AC-5
🎥 Video by Raphaël Moll
© 2015 All rights reserved.

[@railroadwolf]

Awesome southern pacific passenger train!. Very nice!.

[@Therickrollkid]

This video inspired me to the max to start an expensive but a beautiful layout ho scale

Congratulation!

[@williamschlenger1518]

This is what I look for,steam,especialyUP.Great work&great layout.

[@williamschlenger1518]

southern pacific.Both great RR

[@StarCop97]

What a great layout! Thanks for sharing Raphael!

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!

[@davidcurtis5398]

Great video of a wonderful layout.

[@choochoo3985]

Great layout. most impressive are the sidings. They look bad which is how they should look. Great job, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for watching!

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

Broadway limited ho scale ac5 class 4-8-8-2 Cav Forward has the brightest headlight I have ever seen

[@jonnybeck6723]

So do we know whether or not cab-forwards ever pulled passenger trains? I hope so though I've never seen it... ...and wazzit trick editing with the 3 identical passenger trains in the same clip? Thanx for the vid. Nice layout and... cheers

[@robertbowman3406]

I have a question. What is used in this locomotive @ 1:52 to make it smoke? Way back in the late 1950s I had a AC Gilbert 0-6-0 HO engine that would smoke. I could buy little red soft tubes of some kind of liquid and pour in a few drops. In a few minutes it would smoke.

You got it right. These are BLI (Broadway Limited) steam engines with DCC and indeed they have a smoke unit. The owner of the train fills it with a couple drops of smoke fluid (generally a derivative of paraffine or similar oil) that makes a white smoke when it heats up. Given the size of this layout, it takes generally 15-20 minutes to loop around and they need to fill it at every loop. Note that these were not my trains (other club members' trains). Although it is not toxic and most people tolerate it quite well, this smoke gives me a headache after a while so I don't own any of these personally.

[@michaelmooney3369]

that is one sweet layout, you should see it on my 5 ft 4K tv, incredible. is this HO?

Yes this is an HO layout. Glad you enjoy it!

[@cw7784]

The old track looks amazing how do you make look like that like how do you make the track be up and down like it looks like in real life on old main lines ?

[@Dproud2700]

What's the status of the Randall Train Museum?

The layout is up and running. More info at ralf.alfray.com/trains/randall

[@mroger29sh]

mark r pa does the word superb cover my thoughts on this layout , I don't think so thx so very much

[@a-dog8075]

Ho?

Yes, this is HO scale.