Santa Fe, Raton Pass

Owner: John Denny

This layout represents the Santa Fe starting at Albuquerque, New Mexico and going over Raton Pass to Trinidad, Colorado. This location allows for a helper district over the pass running at prototype speed and time schedule. The time period is 1949, during the steam to diesel transition.

Albuquerque requires a yardmaster and switching crew for the industries, Raton and Trinidad has a yardmasters that does their own industry switching. 10 trains are scheduled (6 in each direction) along with 6 way freights.

The ATSF consists of 550 Ft of mainline with three passing sidings and several industry sidings. At Los Cerellos is the branch line to Madrid, NM with some industries and at Hebron is the branch line to Koehler with connection to the Zia Mining RR.

Zia Mining Company is head quartered in Ute Park and is a freelanced post WWII located in northern New Mexico. Several railroads connected with the Santa Fe at Raton and South of Raton. Santa Fe had a branch line South of Raton that ran to Koehler and Ute Park. The Zia Mining RR is loosely based on this branch connecting with the ATSF at Koehler, NM.

Zia Mining consists of 140 Ft of main line with sidings for three mines and three logging camps. Ute Park and Koehler are the two communities served by the railroad. Shays are the rule for trains headed for the logging camps and mines. One 2-6-6-2 is use for the interchange with ATSF at Koehler; a 2-8-0 is used for a passenger train to Raton and a doodlebug for the miners special.

Digitrax system with radio throttles for the train crews controls the layout. Car routing is by Car Cards and waybills.