# MORE MLS Trains and Fairplex Geography!



## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Les'see, we were watching Stan Cedarleaf's Absolutely FABBA'lous' streamliner run past Tommy Meija's Pearl Harbor consist. I know Stan's already showed you some glamour shots of this incredible puller, but it's so pretty I couldn't resist..












In fact, Stan had to enlist the Fairplex crew to provide a long enough consist to do the engine(s) justice!












Both of these shots were taken as the F-ABBA was pulling around the southwest corner of the layout. Just look for the yellow boxes.. Those concrete pads in the foreground are waiting for this summer's campers to arrive.












Same location, different engine. As streamlined as Stan's F is, Bob Baxter's North Pacific Coast No. 21 is.. ahem.. shall we simply say "unstreamlined?". The prototype was built for the N.P.C. by its chief engineer, Bill Thomas, around 1900-1901, and is considered to be the very first 'cab forward.'


As you can see, No. 21 is pulling a prototypically correct consist of N.P.C. varnish.












Here's a close up of this unique engine (I won't say 'glamour shot'). The prototype used a marine boiler!












The Fairplex layout has its own resident surprises as well! Frank Acuna's little two-foot gauge train serves an ore tipple at the southeast corner.












There's also a very nice cactus garden in that corner, part of the layout's mission to illustrate the various geographies, as well as the history, of California.












Here's the yellow box picture. And for today only, you get another two-fer the price of one!












The box in the center targets the little two-footer. And the box to the right is where we'll find..
I'm not sure.. if the engine is numbered point-five, and it's pulling a point-twofive, is Stan running three-quarters of a train?












The little guy circles the mountain and enters a more verdant portion of the layout.












And the yellow box...












The fairplexies (Bob Toohey doesn't wince anymore when he hears me use that word; he just twitches a little bit.) built a wonderful sort of "Royal Gorge" chasm into the logging line, but it's impossible to grasp it fully from any one spot. So here's a yellow box shot looking south across the layout, targeting the mouth of the chasm.












And Bob Baxter's cabin train comes through to the other side of the gorge.












Before wrapping this up, I'd just like to acknowledge the entire crew of Fairplexies who bent over backwards to provide us with a wonderful place to run and watch our trains without a caution or care. They were wonderful hosts, and deserve a vote of thanks! Here's a few pix of the crew in action --
































til the next episode...


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

More Great pics! 
Thanks. 
The yellow boxes work great, wonderful concept. 

John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice Gary. You captured some areas I didn't see when I ran! That's what's so cool about this layout! If I'm not mistaken, in the next to last photo, that might be my #346 with the J&S coaches seen just through the door.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Thats kinda funny, all those great photos and no one says a word about the use of ,CONCRETE ROADBED.....wooraaa.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By NTCGRR on 15 Jun 2010 06:22 PM 
Thats kinda funny, all those great photos and no one says a word about the use of ,CONCRETE ROADBED.....wooraaa. 

Isnt that interesting









Concrete Rules


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