Sandric & Lake Superior RR

The HO scale Sandric & Lake Superior Railroad models the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Royal Gorge Route between Pueblo , Colo., and Salt Lake City, Utah. Those two destinations are staging yards  in Addition to the staging yard at Denver via the Moffat Route through Dotsero. It is set in 1954 and is currently powered by DC.

Operating positions include two dispatchers, nine mainline cabs (memory walk-around, radio control), and six yards, two of which employ two persons. Car forwarding is directed by the computer program Ship It! which provides switchlists for train crews and yardmasters. Three branch lines are included on the standard gauge and operated by individual yardmasters. The Glenwood Springs branch works coal mines and occasional traffic to Aspen, the Leadville branch services a mining district and smelter, and the Trout Creek branch is a logger.

During a session two dozen trains are operated over the 460-foot standard gauge, double-level mainline. Trains include four locals, the Pueblo Coal, the Iron Train, through freights, the Coast Produce, several bridge trains, and 8-10 passenger trains. The narrow gauge runs if there are sufficient operators and includes an additional six trains. The narrow gauge has a 270-foot mainline and a lengthy branch line. Total S&LS trackage is slightly over 2,100 feet.

Communication is by FRS radios and operators are asked to supply their own unit if they wish to become regular crew members.

A regular session is four hours and is guided by a fast clock set at 6-1 ratio. Regular sessions are held on the second Saturday of the month in Colorado Springs. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and operation starts at about 12:45 p.m. Sessions finish at approximately 5 p.m.