"I'm thinking of constructing

   Welcome to the forum.   I'm working on a CCT layout too. I'm still deciding if I'll use HO or S scale and if I'll model the later era with tank cars at the Sweetener spur or the earlier Super Mold / fruit lead era.  I doubt that you could make a 1:29 scale layout of this area in a small space since I'm having a hard time fitting it in my space in S scale.

My primary reference is the CCT book by Stanley/Moreau ,some YouTube videos, various websites where CCT photos pop up, and google earth and streetview( a great argument for modeling the later era). A previous CCT thread shows my HO layout plan and I'm working on a drawing of the older era in S scale now so might post something on it in a couple of days. 

  When you visited Lodi was the railroad still crossing the 99 highway to the fruit lead? I'd like to find a description or photo of the Super Mold plant that was just east of the highway bridge.

 Keep us posted on you plans and progress....DaveB

Photos

I work in Lodi, so just let me know what you want photos of and I can take them for you.  You can contact me offlist for more specifics as well.  Most of the trackage you're talking about is gone, but you can see where it was based upon how the buildings look.

I'd be happy to help!

Dan R,

More CCT

I added an S scale ( 1:64 scale) CCT layout plan to the existing CCT blog/thread.  Interesting to see how the design must change as the scale gets larger......DaveB

Thanks!

Hi folks,

Many thanks for your kind responses to my messages!

I've been quite busy with work and family recently so please accept my apologies for this late reply.

Dave: You're quite right, with large scale nothing is ever really small! I guess what I meant by small was in terms of the amount of physical railroad that would be modeled. A lot of guys in large scale have massive double tracked railroad empires taking up most of their garden and beyond, so for me whilst this would still be a large sized home layout, it would be only be a small piece of the CCT. I don't have an exact place to put the layout as yet as my partner and I are considering moving house, so the available space may vary quite a lot! I'm hoping our next move will give me some space in a basement or garage, so fingers crossed!

Some years back Model Railroader did a feature on an indoor project layout which was the inspiration for my idea. The line was based around the Claremont & Concorde which I believe was an old trolley line in New England, and featured a small 44 tonner and some very tight street trackage serving warehouses and other other small urban industries. I felt if I could expand on this with a couple of geeps instead on the the 44 tonner, and increase the overall layout size just a little I could come up with an interesting take on a small piece of the CCT.

The CCT book is a great resource which I picked up at Winterail when we were last over in the States. As for Lodi itself, the fruit lead trackage over the bridge was all gone when we visited too so I unfortunately I can't really help with any more specifics, although if I find anything I will definitely let you know!

I will definitely check out your thread on your own layout as I would be really keen to see how you approach this! I'm very much at the early stages of planning so again any thoughts, suggestions or criticisms are always warmly welcomed!

Thanks again,

Gavin

Rough Plan

Hi,

I just wanted to share with you a quick sketch of my rough thoughts to date.

The layout would be a rough U-shape with a possible island coming out from one end of the diamond.

The top leg of the U-shape would be offsite staging, and would have two or three spurs where trains could be made up and broken down. This would represent all the connections at Lodi Junction and beyond, and would form the backbone of all inbound and outbound traffic.

The next section would be the area before the highway bridge in front of Lodi Avenue. This would ideally provide a run-around siding and a few industries, probably two plastics plants although any ideas and suggestions for these would be very welcome! This is an approximation of the area and would use a lot of modelers license to fit everything in. I would however like to capture a few details which would help make it recognisable.

Here the train could also run-around the caboose to place it on the front of the train before leaving.

The next section would cross Highway 99 and head down Lodi Avenue, avoiding traffic! I would like to add in working traffic signals, maybe on some kind of timer circuit to disrupt the trains porgess and add operational interest. Again thoughts here are very welcome!

The local would pass the Tavern and head up Main St. where it would cut out the caboose on the spur. This would allow it switch the packing spurs ahead on Tokay St. as trailing point moves, making pickups and set-outs as necessary. Using a little modelers license another industry could be added to the spur on Main St. if space allows. I also thought it might be interesting if I could add a short spur in at the corner of Main St. & Lodi Ave. to represent a connection to the SP, where maybe a boxcar or reefer could be picked up or set out. The train could then hook the caboose on the end and head off up Lodi Avenue, back across the highway bridge and leave the layout through the staging area to represent completed local turn.

I don't think this layout would need a large amount of stock to operate, and I thought much of it could be done using the following:

- Two EMD GPs: a GP7 #60 or #70, and a GP18 #1795

- Covered hoppers, around 4-6 to service the plastic plants.

- Mechanical reefers, around 4-6 to service fruit packing plants

- Modern boxcars, around 4-6 for all other loads.

- When I visited I noticed the CCT had quite a number of MOW stuff stored in Lodi, particularly some ballast hoppers, so I thought it might be interesting to include these for an occasional MOW service special? Again thoughts and suggestions are welcome here too!

Apologies for the crudeness of this drawing, I will definitely get a scale drawing made as soon as I'm a bit further down the lines with my plans!

The main idea of this layout is operations, so I would really like to draw up some kind of weekly timetable and switch lists based on the prototype.

Many thanks again,

Gavin

Gavin - If this is useful to

Gavin - If this is useful to you, you are welcome - it is an XTrkcad version of the MR track plan of the Claremont & Concord redrawn by me to HO scale, done as a minimum space version 

"a quick sketch of my rough

 Looks good, seems like it would be a manageable size for a large scale layout.  Some random thoughts. Spur #1 could split into 2 tracks with tank cars for the sweetener plant on the west one and plastics hoppers on the east one.  Along S.main st. there was at one time another spur along the east side that had a neat concrete pipe yard with hopper unloading pit( J.W. Mumbert). Building #5 packing plant was probably a cannery  since photos show boxcars there , last name I've seen was Pacific coast producers which now has a new plant at lodi junction. The building on the spur just before the wye to Foster and Wood( PCP) is a packing shed named Blue Goose, All state, or American fruit growers at different times. If you back dated the era a GE 44 tonner and Yosemite Valley caboose would be appropriate short equipment with 40 foot boxcars and reefers serving the industries. There was also a CCT freight house on Main st. adjacent to the SP main and a couple of industries on the north side of the Lodi ave. line......DaveB

More Thoughts on Lodi

Many thanks for your input!

Shortliner: Thanks for that, everything helps!

Dave: You are spot on with the regards to building #5, the videos I have do show boxcars, and on the map in the Stanley/Moreau book it's clearly marked as Pacific Coast. After going back again through the text it says they shipped the last boxcar of canned goods out in June 1998 before moving to their new plant, so many thanks for that! Also splitting spur #1 is a another great idea and would allow me to include Sweetner Products as well.

Another thought might be to have an additional spur leading west across E. Lodi Avenue, where I have the run around siding, as I believe there was another industry here as there appear to be tracks that dissapear into a lot on the other side of the road? The lot now seems to be for concrete(?) and is marked as Knife River?

The main problem I'm having with this is that I'm not really sure what other industries were still left at what time? I would ideally like to model around 1980-ish (flexible) to 1998 as that was when the fruit lead was paved over. The map in the Stanley/Moreau book shows a map of Lodi circa 1979 shows only Blue Goose on S.Main St.

The other issue about keeping it more modern is that I believe the plastics and sweetners, Arkay, Apache and Sweetner Products, didn't start receiving shipments until late 1997. I was thinking then that maybe late 1997 early 1998 would allow me to have these industries on the east side of Highway 99, as well as the fruit lead? Again any thoughts are much appreciated!

I remember seeing the trackage for that spur on the east side S. Main St, I will definitely do some more research on that! It would allow a lot more variety of cars and add some more action to that particular switching move. Do you know the dates it was operating as I think it might have been earlier? In some of the videos I've seen I'm not sure if it was operating in the later years? Also the map of Lodi in the Stanley/Moreau book shows Blue Goose on the west side of S.Main St but nothing on the east side? Again I would be more than happy to use a little bit of modelers licence to increase the operational potential of the layout.

Last question, do you where I could find out more information on these industries, in particular some photos from the 80s or 90s?

Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate being able to knock my ideas about with like minded folk!

Best wishes,

Gavin

East side of S. Main st.

Here's a link to a site with photos of the Mumbert concrete plant and other buildings along that street.  

http://coastdaylight.com/lodi/lodi_3.html

The 1979 era track plan in the CCT book shows Coors across from Super mold on E.Lodi ave. The spur is still visible in google earth. Super mold was a manufacturer of tire re-treading molds so in those days there was no plastics plant there. I'd like to find a photo or description of the Super mold building as the track plan looks like the spur entered a door in the end? .DaveB