Bill Sornsin is building a large operations-oriented HO scale model railroad to represent the Great Northern's Cascade Division during the steam to diesel transition period of 1953-1955. This video was taken by Burr Stewart during one of Bill's operating sessions in December 2024. Burr gives a brief tour of the layout, construction updates, a few operating trains and ends with some scenes from six years earlier, as a reference for all that Bill has accomplished in recent years.
Bill has been active in the Great Northern Railway Historical Society (https://gnrhs.org) for many years, and has been researching, designing and building this layout for over 20 years. His operating sessions continue to evolve as the layout construction proceeds, using Timetable and Train Order (TT&TO) rules. He is also a leader in organizing the bi-annual "SoundRails" operations weekend, held every other March at model railroads around the Puget Sound region of western Washington State, USA. Here is a more detailed description of Bill's layout, from a handout that he provides to operators:
"The modeled territory extends from Seattle north along Puget Sound to Everett, WA (double track) and east to Wenatchee, WA (single track with sidings) crossing the Cascade Mountains via Stevens Pass and the 8-mile Cascade Tunnel. Staging is used to represent points south of Seattle (Auburn, Tacoma, Portland), points east of Wenatchee, and Everett's Delta Yard and points north to Vancouver, BC. The railroad is designed to be operated faithfully to the prototype, including scheduled trains and typical extras, signature scenes/industries, and Timetable & Train Order dispatching.
Signature operatings include: King Street Station and its coach yard; passenger trains including GN's Empire Builder and Western Star and NP's North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter; Interbay yard and engine terminal in Seattle; "The Oiler" daily train serving Point Wells refinery; interchange with NP, Milwaukee and UP; block setouts/pickups at Everett; NP running rights Snohomish-Everett; Milwaukee running rights Monroe-Everett; industry switching at Monroe; swapping tonnage at Gold Bar; the Portland Cement plant at Grotto; electric district Skykomish-Wenatchee (changing steam for electric power at Skykomish - same crew!); and serving the fruit warehouses at Cashmere.
Signature scenes west-to-east include (or will include):
King Street Station
Interbay Yard
Salmon Bay Drawbridge at Ballard (Bridge #4)
Double-track main along Puget Sound from Ballard to Everett
2-level depot at Everett
Horseshoe curve with Mt. Index backdrop at Index
Skykomish depot, yard, wye and massive substation
Cascade Tunnel - west and east portals
Desert/orchard country on east slope (Cashmere/Wenatchee)
It is ambitious and therefore designed to be constructed in phases:
Phase I: Seattle to Everett and associated staging
Phase II: Everett to Skykomish
Phase III: Skykomish to Wenatchee (second deck)
Scale: HO
Room Size: 3000 sq. ft. (39x58 + 18x35 + 10x14)
Minimum radius: 42" (48" on most outside curves)
Ruling grade: 2.2% (compensated)
Aisle Width: 36" standard, some 26" pinch points
Siding Length: 18' minimum (32 cars)
Construction: Single and double deck, some mushroom; plywood subroadbed; Homabed roadbed; MicroEngineering flextrack; handlaid and Central Valley turnouts
Elevations: 38" (staging) to 90" (Cascade Tunnel west portal)
Train control: (eventual) TT&TO w dispatcher & 4 train order operators
Signalling: (eventual) ABS/APB w C/MRI hardware & JMRI software
Motive Power: Steam (up to 2-8-8-2 and 2-10-2), diesel, electric
Mainline length: 17 scale miles Seattle-Wenatchee (~10 miles Phase I/II)
Control: NCE DCC with radio cabs, also ISE ProtoThrottle"
This video was taken by Burr Stewart in 4K, using an iPhoneX. He edited it using Davinci Resolve 19.1.3. Bill Sornsin reviewed and approved it.
0:00 Introduction
0:53 Reefer train on coast route
1:15 Schematic layout diagram
2:08 Everett switch job
2:31 NW-5 switching Interbay yard
2:50 2-10-2 with reefer train at Interbay yard
3:25 Steam engine cab details
3:40 GP7 Eastbound extra at Lowell
4:30 Long train!!
5:23 Snohomish w/NP interchange
6:40 Snohomish river delta
7:32 Approaching Gold Bar
10:08 Construction update tour
11:40 Monroe
12:26 30 feet of straight track!
13:00 Snohomish again
13:22 Vancouver BC staging yard
13:40 Lowell again
14:20 Helices
14:42 Everett depot
15:20 Delta yard
15:42 Everett Junction
16:10 "The Oiler"
16:35 Timetable
16:57 Chooch seawall
17:25 South room
18:01 King Street Station (KSS)
18:20 South staging
18:53 Interbay yard area
19:45 Curved icing platform
20:19 2-8-8-2 steam engine!
20:38 Conclusion
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