Yucca Springs
American N Gauge layout set in Southern California.
Baseboard construction
Construction started in 2009. The baseboards are made from 2" x 1" framing edged with 6" deep MDF and with a surface of MDF topped with Sundeala. It was found after a while to require extra bracing as the top surface began to "sag" along the length of each board between the cross braces. The weight saved by using the MDF and Sundeala was negated by having to use extra framing.
In the past I have always used chipboard for the surface. Although heavier it requires less support so it is roundabout and swings. I doubt there is a perfect way to make baseboards among the many options available.
Altogether there are 6 boards of 6ft x 2ft and 4 of 3ft x 2ft. joined by pattern makers dowels to ensure alignment.
Legs are the usual framework of 2" x 1" timber, hinged to the boards as required.
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The whole layout measures 21ft x 7ft when assembled.
The trackbed is cork sheet cut to approximately where the track was to be laid and pinned and glued in position.
The river is simply cut out of the Sundeala leaving the MDF as the riverbed.
Track Laying
Track is Peco Streamline pinned to the board and ballasted with a variety of ballast so as not to be too uniform. The crossover on the scenic board is more for show than actual operation, just to break up the amount of plain track and to give a little bit of interest scenically. It is very rarely used, especially at exhibitions, but is operated by "wire in tube" hidden under the scenery. The fiddle yard pointwork is operated digitally (i.e. the trusty finger !). There is nothing worse than a point motor failing in the middle of an exhibition if it can be avoided.
Once all the trackwork had been laid and tested the track on the scenic side of the layout was ballasted. We used the "flooding" method which can be messy and quite daunting when first attempted but is worthwhile in the end.
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Ballast is applied dry and worked into the sleepers and shaped to give a shoulder along the side of the track. Any moveable pointwork is left free of ballast until later. Next the track is lightly sprayed with a mix of water and a very small amount of washing up liquid to break up the surface tension of the water. Without the washing up liquid the water will not flow through the ballast properly. Now comes the messy part. A mix of PVA adhesive, water and washing up liquid (about 50/50 PVA to water - the ratio is not critical but down to individual taste) is poured over the ballast. The resulting "mess" is then left for up to 24 hours to completely dry out. It is best not to do too much at a time so that you do not get bored. It looks terrible when first done but when dry all the glue disappears and leaves the ballast looking natural. Any missed ballast can now be spot glued in position.
SCENERY
The basic scenery is shaped from blocks of polystyrene cut to form the required contours. This is then glued in position and offcuts of the same material fixed in place to fill any gaps and give additional shaping where required.
The whole area is then covered in "Modroc" (plaster bandage) to form a hard shell. Once this is dry an extra thin layer of plaster is used to create a smoother finish. This plaster coating is mixed with powder paint to give the base colour. Further coats of powder paint are added in small batches of slightly differing shades to create the varying colours of ground. In the case of Yucca Springs this was done using creams, light brown and yellows to give the sandy finish of Californian soil. The rock formations are from the Woodland Scenics range of tallus just glued in place.
The same material was used to create the rocky effect along the banks of the river. The riverbed itself is a layer of darker coloured matt paint covered with several layers of matt varnish. Subtle highlights of paint are applied in patches between each layer of varnish to give a sense of depth, not that this river is very deep - it is normally a dry river, so it has obviously rained recently !!!
Along the banks of the river the bushes are a mixture of horsehair and Woodland Scenics foliage clumps. The worst job of all was "planting" all the many small bushes found in this area. Made from small pieces of clump foliage, they are individually glued in place using ordinary wood glue. Once set they become hard and difficult to move. The glue also gives a different shade to the ground around each bush to give variety.
The following photo was taken at an actual location near Palm Springs to compare with the layout photos above
Not all of the layout is open country, so here are a few photos to show the other scenic details.
A couple of general shots - the Caboose Motel and Denny's restaurant, then the industrial units and the gas station.
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The Caboose Motel above was made using 7 assorted cabooses which were acquired very cheaply as cast-offs. The bogies were removed and the bodies mounted on concrete plinths. It was decided to leave the original liveries in place to provide an authentic feel. Benches have been provided to enable the "railfans" to sit and watch the trains go by.
Below is Denny's Restaurant (actually a Kato ready made item) and the motel owners mobile home. An old container provides storage faciities for maintaining the site.
The highways maintenance yard main building on the left is a Pikestuff kit. These versatile kits cover a variety of industrial buildings and can be constructed in several different combinations. The yard office was discovered in the "scrap box" and is possibly a continental kit, but seemed to fit in perfectly. (never throw anything away - you never know when it going to come in handy !!). The mobile crane is a Fleetline kit and the junk laying around is from the odds & sods box. The yard itself is sections of thin card painted to represent dirty concrete and laid to enable the weeds to grow through the joints.
On the right is the warehouse / distribution depot. This is another Pikestuff kit.
Next to it the ground is being cleared for yet another development. The portacabin is a resin casting with a couple of plastic "porta-potties" for the convenience of the workers. Vehicles are a selection of imported American kits.
The gas station is an Atlas ready built structure and the old workshop I think is a Pikestuff quanset hut kit suitably weathered.
Tucked away in the corner of the layout is the Yucca Springs Care Home. The main buildings are a couple of Scenecraft office blocks, whilst the wardens bungalow is an Atlas ready built structure. The lawns are just squares of grass mat, embellished with small bushes and seats.
It looks like the unfortunate driver is finally having his car removed from the riverbed by the local towing service, under the watchful eye of a law enforcement officer.
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Above - an overall view of the layout.
Left - The well stocked storage yard.
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Here is a selection of photos showing some of the rolling stock used on the layout at various shows.
A video of Yucca Springs at the TRENT VALE exhibition in Stoke-on-Trent.
During the Covid-19 pandemic I lost a good friend of many years and was presented by his close family with a considerable quantity of rolling stock which he had collected. It was decided that in order to put this to good use the Yucca Springs layout should be converted to British outline.
As the original layout was set in mainly open countryside this would not be a major undertaking. So after a while the Southern California desert was transformed into a rural British landscape.
No actual location was chosen, so that the large variety of rolling stock available could be used.
TEMSFIELD became a reality.
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To view the conversion as it happened please visit the TEMSFIELD page. [here]