Mike Hardwick – Western Pacific San Jose Branch
Description
The Western Pacific San Jose Branch is a small L-shaped N-scale switching layout, with a modeled area of only 10 x 1.5 feet and an eastern yard measuring 12 x 1 feet. The model represents the branch’s last mile and comprises two regions, the Sunol Passing area on the left (east) and the West San Jose area on the right (west). From east to west, customers include Abinante and Nola Plant #2, a dried-fruit packing house owned by Sam Abinante in the early 1960s; S&S Vending Machine Company, which produced ice and other vending machines; Arthur Holt’s cabinet shop; the Borchers Brothers pre-mix cement plant; the Union Ice Company ice house and icing platform; the large California Packing Plant #51, and the Western Pacific Freight Depot at the branch terminus.
Trains start and end in the yard/staging east of the Sunol passing area, which I imagine to be the WP’s Williams Street yard, about five miles from the end of the branch. It includes four yard tracks, an arrival/departure track, a caboose track, and space for idle locomotives. The yard also includes an 80-foot turntable to orient locomotives for trains that may someday leave on east trackage that doesn’t yet exist.
Scale: N
Era: 1960-1980
Approximate Size: Shelf Layout 27 Sq. Ft. Benchwork.
Percent Complete Benchwork-100% Trackwork-100% Scenery-100% Signaling- NA
Location: Pleasanton
Access: No Access Issues
Parking: Close Street Parking is available (< 200 feet)
Layout Video – Click to View
