The railroad is built around the walls of an irregularly-shaped basement with longest dimensions 90' by 45’. We have approximately 3500’ of track. The mostly double-track main line is about 650’ long and the single-track branch line about 120’ long. Track is mostly hand laid, with code 100 rail on the main line and code 70 on the branch and in some yards. On the main tine, curves are super elevated and have easements, and the minimum radius is 48”.

There are several freight yards and industrial areas, with a number of the industrial areas still to be developed. There is also a stub passenger terminal in the new area and many other passenger stations along the line. An urban streetcar line is in the early stages of construction. Scenery is mostly complete, but many of the urban and industrial areas still need buildings.

The control system is a modified form of cab control with cabs operated remotely from tower panels where operators sit. There are several Aristo-Craft wireless throttles used for walk-around operation. A telephone system is used for the operators to pass trains from tower to tower and to contact the dispatcher, who sits in a special booth.

Some of the junctions are interlocked with a system designed in the early 1970’s, but a new version is now being developed that will use a personal computer connected to the railroad for signaling and control purposes. The computer will display information to the dispatcher on the location and identity of trains.

The track plan...

There are many problems in defining a locale for the Pacific Southern, a name that suggests the West or Southwest. However, this is not consistent with the prototype interests of current members, which are mainly railroads in the eastern U.S. members interested in 40’s and 50’s motive power and rolling stock, others interested in contemporary equipment and still others somewhere in between.

We consider the Pacific Southern to be a Class I railroad with significant freight and passenger traffic. As industries are built in the new part of the layout, freight operations will become more intense. The stub passenger terminal and related sidings will make additional and more varied passenger operations possible.

Considering all of the above, and in view of the need to have a locale and era in mind when installing and renovating scenery and structures, we consider the Pacific Southern to be an eastern Class I railroad operating significant freight and passenger traffic during the 1950's using both steam and diesel locomotives. We frequently use modeler’s license to accommodate equipment from other locales and eras.