Sumpter Valley Railroad track layout for a model railroad: Baker, Whitney. etc.

Because of health problems I have had to take a year off of volunteering on the Sumpter Valley so I am building some things with materials I have been collecting over the years. I am working on my O scale model railroad designed as a sectional to fit on seven (!) hollow core doors total size 28x35 feet. I have racks to store them and room inside to set up two sections at a time, all may be set up outdoors or at shows. I have sections 1 and 2 started in about two weeks work. It will be pretty freelanced in standard and On30. In addition to the doors, I plan on having additional removable foot wide foam rubber scenery extensions all around to give a little more open space.

Section 1 is the Natoma Street Industrial District, San Francisco, California.
My dad worked in a paper products warehouse in San Francisco in the '60s, originally on Natoma St, later (late '60s) moved to Minnesota St. where they had rail access. I remember being about five years old and watching them unload box cars from the middle of the street with a forklift, not clearly, but also seem to remember orange and silver locomotives which would be Western Pacific. They didn't have rail on Natoma St. but I liked that name better.

The rest of the layout is to be more Oregon/ Idaho in nature.
Section 2 has a lower level standard gauge line connecting 'San Francisco' with a corner section #3 over a river much like Malcom Furlow's 'Crazy Horse Bridge' on his San Juan Central, so a little bit of Colorado too. The standard gauge will be over the river some too so kind of like the Roaring Camp and Big Trees double trestle we visited in the '70s.


The upper area of section 2 is to be a narrow gauge mountain town 12" above the standard gauge (sections 3-5 are 4-5% grade up to this town) like Whitney (or Larch?) on the SVRy.

Sections 4 and 5 are mostly narrow gauge logging, somehow fitting in a couple logging areas into 3x7' each, with a standard gauge gravel pit occupying a lower area on section 5.

Sections 6 and 7 are a dual gauge terminal currently laid out like Furlow's town of Montrose. I really liked the looks of this with the odd creek between the turntable and engine house.


I would like, though, to make this more like a terminal on the SVRy. Though Baker was the only area with dual gauge trackage, I think I would have to use something smaller as a prototype as I will have no room for a round house.

So I have searched these forums, the 'Rails Sagebrush and Pine' book and the net and have some up with some photos and maps of the narrow gauge in Baker but not much else. Any suggestions as to how I should layout these towns 'The Terminal' and 'The Mountain Town', so be somewhat prototypical of SVRy towns?

Here is my scanned plan, not too clear, sorry, but should give you an idea of what I am doing.


Here is a photo of progress so far at the Emmett Cherry Festival Train Show:


And a link to a video of the first test of the two sections in our over-stuffed garage:
First test of the Natoma Street Industrial District

I haven't really decided on a name for my railroad yet either so could use a little help there too...

Russell Courtenay
Idaho, USA