Thanks for the additional comments.  Of course, I completely agree that it would have been great if the merger went through!  I think having three railroads in the west would be more interesting and a little more balanced.  Plus, I enjoy how the SPSF is more focused to the southwest and not just the west in general.  And it's my favorite paint scheme!

Thomas - you have some great questions!  I don't have many challenges with modeling the SPSF.  The biggest is the kodachrome paint scheme, which I won't lie, is a tough one to custom paint.  You have five different colors to paint on just one locomotive: ATSF Silver on the trucks, Gray primer, ATSF Yellow, SP Scarlet Red, and then Black.  I probably spend more time taping off the different colors than actually painting, especially for the warbonnet curves.  However, this challenge is diminished by having a small locomotive fleet.  I only have eight kodachromes and one is factory painted (I will be repainting it because I don't like the yellow that was used).

For freight cars, you don't need as many in your own road in the modern era, especially with the abundance of private cars.  I decided to follow the BNSF freight car scheme, which is based on the ATSF freight car scheme.  So I can pull any BNSF car off the shelf, remove the lettering, and add my own custom decals very easily.  This saves me from having to custom paint all my freight cars (although I have done some myself) and add all the data lettering.

I chose my era partly because that's when I started railfanning and I will always remember that time, plus I enjoyed seeing the new widecabs like the C44-9Ws.  I call this modeling the "modern transition era," where railroads were moving from the old standard cabs to widecabs and also moving away from buying new 4-axles and standardizing with 4,000-4,4000-hp 6-axle locomotives and where GE sets the standard for new motors.  I like it because I can still model some old goodies that I like, such as B23-7s, but I can also model the C44-9Ws that I like.

I'll definitely be posting more and will work on some videos of the operations!

Eric Miller: Modeling the Stockyard Industrial Lead small switching layout in HO Scale
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Great looking RR. Hope mine comes out looking 1/2 as good.

Really like your town and switching markers.

Eric,  Thanks for the great inspiration. I too am a fan of the SPSF ,but I can't make up my mind what to call it. The San Pedro (Cal where I was born or river here in Az) Switching and Freight or the South Phoenix Switching and Freight or its original name. As for the painting of the locos try doing what other RRs did and have a new scheme. How about silver trucks, black walkways, yellow handrails and cab, and red hoods. I have several older locos of either SP or SF that I'm simply going to do a patchout renumbering on. But I really want to thank you for slapping me in the head about getting SPSF freight cars. I have been collecting the MDC boxcars lettered for SPSF for some time at swap meets etc. but did not want to commit to completely decorating a car ( paint and all those little data decals). It had never dawned on me to reletter/paintout cars as though they had new owners (SPSF). DUH. Just proves we're never too old to learn.  Thanks again.  KodachromeJohn 

But whose decals are you using on your locos and such?

Nice looking and well thought out layout, Eric!

Thanks again for the comments.

KodachromeJohn, I have no plans to change the paint scheme because I like it so much and I don't think it's a good idea to mess with perfection.  Glad I could help be a little inspiration for you!

Philip - most of the SPSF decals are ones that I make myself, created in Adobe Illustrator and then printed by Highball Graphics.  I use Microscale's SP-SF set for some of the "older," merger-era stuff.

Eric Miller: Modeling the Stockyard Industrial Lead small switching layout in HO Scale
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​stockyardlead.com
youtube.com/channel/UC56eO8z_PU1hf5xxo4KSI2Q

Really nice layout, one I would be proud to own.

Eric,

Really like your layout. Can you share the brands and colors of your ballast?

Wayne

Glad to see you posting more on here Eric.  I still can't believe I haven't made it to your place to operate yet.

I'm really liking the way the Western Sand & Gravel area is shaping up.  A bunch of conveyors and steel structures will make that area look very large.

On your Belt Line, you mention that there is staging for both the freight and the light rail.  Since operations happen at night when the light rail is not moving, what happens during the daytime to the cars that are off spotted?  It appears you have left them on one of the two light rail mainline, I don't think the commuters would be very  pleased...

Also curious what you use the big 6 axle locomotives for?

Despite the fact I am a former ATSF switchman from Dallas, TX, a BN fan from it's inception, and accept the BNSF, including being a member in their Friends online website organization, I would have preferred to see the SPSF become reality.  Alas, typical Washington DC governmental ignorance, who disapproved the merger, much like the WWI era USRA shutting down my beloved Colorado Midland during the height of The Great War!

Though employed in Dallas, my favorite stretch of the ATSF was and remains the line over Raton Pass.  My late best friend of 44 years, Robert Taff, RIP, of Tampa, Florida, and myself, used to dream up railroads that we would consider turning into freelanced model railroads. 

One of my conceptions was to extend the shortline Santa Fe Southern as if it had purchased the Santa Fe's historic line over Raton since it had become endangered and no longer played an important roll in the future plans of BNSF.  The SFS would have utilized the Kodachrome scheme.  It would have used the shelf layout concept following Lance Mindheim's excellent modeling techniques built to S scale.  It never got past the drawing board due to my desire to return to the States from Germany where I currently reside. 

My interest is now focused on Northern Pacific in the Pacific Northwest.  Though having never rostered Alco's PA/PBs, "my" NP will host a set of them to power the North Coast Limited in the beautiful two tone green Loewy color scheme in the very best American Flyer tradition, albeit using custom painted S scale American Models diesel locomotives instead, but this is a story to be told at a later date.

Happy New Year