The Wild Creek Story
The Wild Creek Railroad is an HO scale layout set in the mountains of Nevada desert. The line runs from Orrville Ca on the outskirts of Sacremento, east through Wild Creek, Blackspring and Weedon Nevada to Salt Lake Ut. Built by active NMRA Member, Ray Brownbill the layout is at a high level of completion. Ray uses a Lenz DCC system.
Ray uses a car card and waybill system to manage operations and runs on a timetable. Each operating session last 2 hours covers 12 hours of fast clock operation.
I first met Ray in the early 1990’s at the old Wild Creek in Forreston, SA
The Layout
After dismantling my layout at Forreston in the Adelaide Hills and sale of our farm, we moved to Blakeview in the Northern suburbs of Adelaide [30kms from the city] in November 2014.
On the new property was a tin clad shed 6.0 x 4.9m [20’ x 16’] as the new Wild Creek home, it needed a lot of work before building a layout. As I worked on a plan, I decide to put an extension of 3.1 x 2.4 metres. This allows to use the existing personnel door. Extension built and started on lining the shed with Gyprock plaster board [Drywall in the US] and insulation to maintain a cooler atmosphere for the operating crew, including a wall mounted heating and cooling air con. Walls finished and painted, LED lighting [including blue LED’s lights for simulated night running] installed, it was time to start to build a layout.
First L girder attached to the wall was on 31st March 2016. With most of the crew from Forreston layout work nights were on the second and fourth Wednesday nights. Within 12 months we started to run from a lower staging [Salt Lake] to Upper staging [Orrville]. Single mainline line 82m [260 ft] with 4 intermediate stations, track ranging in height from 1m [39 in] to 1.4m [54 in], with no scenery.
Late in 2017 our local NMRA division held the Australasian Convention, and my layout was on show for operating sessions.
The layout is based on 1985 western mountains of US, and the timber trestle first built in 1981 on my Melbourne layout, is now installed in its 3rd layout, and scenery had been started early in 2018. Currently approx. 45% done as at 2021.
Signals have been installed on 85% of the layout which are operated by the dispatcher and cancelled by the locomotive once passed, mainline points [turnouts] are also operated by the dispatcher. The 4 other stations, Blackspring, Wild Creek, Weedon, Forter and Solly Junct MPD and 2 the staging yards have their own panels and the yardmasters or engineers to operate. Switch machines are Tortoise.
Operating sessions are 2 hours on a fast clock, [12 fast hours 6:1] by timetable, car cards and waybills.
Track is Shinohara code 70, and Lenz DCC operating system requiring a 7-man crew, dispatcher, 2 yardmasters and 4 engineers.
Layout room is on level ground with wheelchair access.
A 2-day trip from Orrville to Blackspring and return
I and my friend Will, decided to do a train trip from our home just out of Orrville, through to Blackspring over 2 days, and decided on a Thursday and Friday on the Wild Creek Timetable.
I picked up Will around 5:45 am and we drove the 20 odd miles to Orrville to catch the local passenger train departing at 6:50.
Arriving at the depot and parking my pickup at the carpark we made our way to the Agent’s office to buy our tickets. The agent gave us a good return deal after discussing our plan.
So out on the platform waiting for train then we see WC RDC3 382, train #25, and pulls up and we board, sound of the horn and we on our way. Not long after leaving on the double track we arrive at Solly Junction and switch thru onto a single track main for a stop. On our way again we see a Loco turning at the wye at the MPD, which were 2 branch lines splitting, with one a tunnel collapse and the other no revenue. We pass the collapsed tunnel with entrance partially blocked, and enter a tunnel, which seems to take a long time before coming out again, into a rock sided cutting. We hear the clickety clack of a turnout and look out the window to valley below. A minute later we head into another tunnel but this one is short and we veer to the left over another turnout and into Forter depot.
We collect our gear and dismount, so do a number of passengers who work at the mine. The RDC sounds its horn and moves out of Forter into a tunnel, 5 minutes later we see it appears out of a tunnel on track above Forter. We find out later it is a spiral inside the mountain, and watch it continue up looks like a 2% grade at a guess. Opposite the depot over the mainline is the Tiger Coal mine with 3 track loading tracks with 15 2 bay hoppers, 5 in each track. The layout of Forter is wedge between 2 tunnels with the Main, Mine loop and platform loop/yard tracks. On the other side of the depot is a siding into Mac Dee’s scrap yard with a couple of gons filled ready to be picked up. Once back at the mainline side we see Manifest Freight #210 coming down the hill into the spiral tunnel and through on the main. 12 minutes later a Double stack Container train # 908 is coming down towards the spiral tunnel and through on the main through Forter and 15 minutes another 2RDC’s coming down the hill towards Forter, enters the tunnel then 4 or so minutes pops out and swings onto the loop track into the platform. RDC 381 and WP 375 pull up with a lot of passengers for the mine. This train terminates here and is our train going up to Weedon as train #29. We board our train and at 8:06 a toot on the horn and we leave Forter onto the main and into a tunnel, such a lot of traffic in the past hour and plenty of photos taken. Several minutes later we come out into the sunshine and look down at Forter past a signal and into a short tunnel into the yard at Weedon and stop at the depot. We see our first RDC arriving at the platform after a run to Wild Creek and back, and now heading back to Orrville.
At Weedon we meet our friend Weeds, which we have not seen for some time and he is going to show us around his Grand Pappy’s coal mine. Weeds tells us there will be plenty of trains coming and going including local freight and empty coal shunting. With some 7 hours before our train to Wild Creek, we head to the Mine office for some coffee and food that has been arranged for us. We meet the staff and head outside where Light engine SD7 to make up coal train #611 going to the east. There is plenty of places to take our photos without interfering with crew making up the train, just over an hour #611 gets an amber signal to depart to the east. A wander off to the mine for a tour, quite impressive and when thinking of coal does seem to be really dirty and dusty but not here. Just after 10 o’clock another train enters from the east another SD7 and is an empty coal car to shunted at the mine. As we watch the coal train, we hear another train on the main which is a UP Fruit Express heading thru on the main line going to the east. The local SW 1 will do the shunting of the empties from the rear. Shunting done the Light engine heads off down to Solly Junction. As we start to head back to the mine, young Weeds says here comes Grand Pappy Weedon. After introductions Grand Pappy tells us that young Weeds is more interested in trains than working around the mine. Another local train arrives on the yard track from the east to shunt the freight cars at the mine. Grand Pappy wanders back to mine after telling us nice meeting you all and have a good trip.
Weeds then gives us some more info on what to expect, as it is coming on to noon, time for some lunch so we walk to the local diner, Weeds said we have to be at the depot at 12:30 as there will be across with the 2 mainline Wild Creek Limited passenger trains. #1 eastbound will go into the loop and #2 westbound will be on the main, lunch over we high tail it to the depot, #2 arrives first on the main and as it slows to a stop at the signal, #1 enters into the loop and slowly continues thru with a yellow signal for it to go back out on the main at head east, signal changes to green for #1, the F7A and B units come to life and pulls out of Weedon towards the west coast. The local freight completes its shunting and heads eastward to Wild Creek. No trains for a couple of hours we then see #30 comes into the yard track from the east and stops at the depot and heads off down to Forter, #31 comes into the loop from the west 20 minutes later and comes to a stop. #260 manifest freight comes thru heading west then 25 minutes later #30 which now has become #35 heading East and comes to a stop. Both trains unload their passengers which most are miners and then crews from mine just finished their shift start entering the Railcars, and say goodbye to Weeds and jump on to #35 for the trip to Wild Creek.
We arrive at Wild Creek and head across the street from the station to our hotel, check-in for our rooms, dump our gear and off we go with our cameras back to the station. As we were heading to the hotel, we see the west bound local depart back to Weedon. Just before 5:30 #647 Coal from Forter stops on the main, then ten minutes later departs eastward, then 30 mins later, #634 comes into the loop and stops. As the sun drops our shooting light drops #3 Eastbound Wild Creek Limited Passenger arrives for its 10-minute stop. Luckily, we get a few shots. #4 Westbound arrives around 8pm. Back to the hotel for dinner.
After our meal, we head out on to the balcony to look over the yard, #263 manifest freight arrives in the loop from the west to set down and pick up going east and minutes later the #844 Grain train with a SP SD50 on the point goes through on the main heading west. Half an hour or so later #636 empty Coal with SD 7 pulling 15 50-ton hoppers also heading west to Tiger mine at Forter. Shortly after #263 heads out of the yard heading East. After a long day, Will and myself head in to our rooms and need to be up early in the morning.
After hearing trains and trying to sleep during the night, we arise and head down for breakfast around 7, as our RDC is departing at 8.34 down to Blackspring. Finished breakfast and checked out of the hotel off we wander over the street to the station we see we #852 stone train sitting in the loop and the RDC #28 heading out on the main to Weedon. It will be about 30m minutes before our RDC #29 will arrive.
Our train #29 arrives and we are heading down to Blackspring, and the stone train departs in the opposite direction. Looking out the window we look down in the valley to see the Blackspring yard, and not long into a tunnel, then daylight as cross the Wild Creek trestle looking out at the inside of the curve a huge rock wall and a long way down to the creek, and into another tunnel still going downhill. Daylight again and the RDC’s slow down into the station. We alight from the train and check our bags with the agent as we are going home on train 30 at 14.44 this afternoon. A moments later another friend that we have not seen for a while is Bill, who wanders around from the end of the depot. With pleasantries done he tells us what his plan is for the next hours and says that the local freight will be he shortly to work the yard before it heads west up to Wild Creek. just before midday. Standing on the platform we can see Orr Lumber just to our right, freight terminal just to the left and Johnson’s Pipework behind the terminal. Local freight #516 arrives from the west with a mix load, box cars, 35 ft covered hoppers, gondolas, and a couple of thrall box cars. We watch for 20 minutes before heading off to grab a lunch pack before heading to the bottom of the trestle. A ten-minute drive and ½ mile walk into the base of the trestle, time to have a good look around. Bill says we will be here for 3 trains, 2 east bound freights and the west bound Wild Creek Limited passenger train. The trestle is about 360 ft long on a curve and about 100 ft high, then first of the freights #213 going from right to the left goes above us. Not in a good position to get any good shots so will stand back a bit for the next one in just under 20 minutes if on time. Bill tells us most freight run to time although sometimes there can be big delays. Train #217 toots as he comes out of the tunnel onto the trestle and can get some good shots, the loco is a SP SD45 with a good mixture of freight cars. We have just over an hour before #2 west bound passenger train arrives, time for our lunch. After eating and drinking, I wander to the rock side of the trestle, and looking up, steps to heaven. The rocks go much higher than the trestle. Stepping on the rocks I get in a different position to take my shots of the silver-coloured passenger. Sound of the horn a Santa Fe F7A and B unit appears into the daylight. With some fantastic photos with sun behind me the sparkle of the stainless-steel coaches, what a day.
Bill says come on you guys as we have to hoof it back to Blackspring, we arrive back and to see #1 EB passenger train heading to the east past the depot. As we get our baggage from the agent, #517 local arrives into the yard as #264 freight arrives on the main heading west. Bill tells us that our train should be following the freight and we thank him for the trip to the trestle. Just then our RDC arrives, we say thanks and good bye and get on board. Toot on the horn and on our way home, over the trestle and into Wild Creek and onto Weedon then to Forter. We disembark as this RDC returns back to the east and wait for our train to head back to Orrville. 30 minutes go by and our RDC pops out of the tunnel into the yard. We and about a dozen miners board the RDC for our trip home. We arrive at Orrville, get off the train and throw our gear in the back of my pickup. As we drive on and chat about what a couple of days of training has been fantastic. I dropped Will off and headed on home.
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