ompromises
I decided during the layout design phase to not plan for pas-
senger train operations. A typical passenger train in August
1939 would have included a 40-foot-long RPO car, a leased SP
diner, one or two heavyweight Pullmans (sometimes more),
and the YV’s 69-foot-long wooden observation car.
Motive power for these passenger trains was one of the YV’s
five 2-6-0s but a model 2-6-0 doesn’t have tractive effort in
proportion to the real locomotive. Accommodating passen-
ger train operations would have required reducing the ruling
grades on the layout while increasing track radii, siding lengths,
and clearances.
If I had planned to run just the same trains run by the YV in
August 1939 without the passenger trains, I would be left with
four daily trains without any interactions, such as meets, with
the exception of a single meet between the extras. That pace
would certainly not be very appealing to visiting operators.
To make things more interesting, I made two changes. First, I
chose to add a pair of non-prototype freight trains to handle a
portion of the cars typically handled on the prototype by the
extras. In addition, the times for departure of all of the daily
trains were moved to the morning. This resulted in a fairly busy
2½ -3 actual hours of operation with each operator making 3-4
meets during the session.
With these changes, the trains ran during an operating session
include the prototype No. 8/9 log train, the prototype Merced
and El Portal Locals (although they run as timetabled trains
rather than as extras), and a non-prototype “rock train” which
moves what the YV called rock cars (22-foot ex-Great Northern
hopper cars) between a limestone quarry operation and the
Yosemite Portland Cement Co. plant. These cars were handled
on the YV by the locals.
