RCGRS 2017 Tour: Bearspaw Southern Railroad

The second stop on my RCGRS tour was the Bearspaw Southern Railroad. It is located in the city of Portland but it’s so far East you’re practically in Gresham. When I drove up I had no doubt I was in the right place, as I was greeted by a train going around the corner under some beautifully trimmed trees that had obviously been in place for several years.

The train runs around the entire perimeter of the lot except for the the driveway, and then on one side of the house there is a wye off the mainline that leads into the basement and another full train layout. I was amazed at how many feet of track had been squeezed into the basement and I have no idea how some of it is even accessed for maintenance, but there must be a way.

It was a big surprise to move from an outdoor layout into an indoor layout packed with so much detail. The basement has low vertical clearance but there’s more than enough room for a model railroad – only the tallest buildings went up as far as the ceiling. Inside and outside, there are more than 1,200 feet of track installed—that's the 1:29 scale equivalent of 6.5 miles.

The railroad has a webpage with a few pictures, although it looks like it hasn’t been updated recently. This is a railroad that is clearly in a constant state of progress and there are multiple projects that are in various states of completion. I can’t wait to come back again in one or two years and see what’s new!

There was some beautiful trestle work and this design is essentially what I have in mind for my trestle.

The back yard is landscaped with wine grapes, and the wine theme appeared throughout the railroad like these winery buildings.

I thought this was a brilliant design – a ramp for foot traffic to cross up and over the train wye, reducing the likelihood anyone trips while stepping over the track. I forgot to ask about it, but I assume there are boards cut to fit the gaps so that the ramp can be used for wheelbarrows and wagons when needed.

An outstanding feature was how the vertical structural posts supporting the house were incorporated into the modeling.

My favorite example of a disguised support post was this one, reimagined as a silo next to the grain elevator. Perfect!

Someone had a lot of fun modeling this ore loading facility.

I find few things more attractive in a model railroad layout than realistic rock design, and this place doesn’t disappoint. Scattered around areas in progress are sample rocks which appear to be used as inspiration for the model rock design in the background. Some of these look like they came from north central Oregon.

Another view of the sculpted rock background in an area under construction. I'm curious to see if that green rock in the foreground will serve as inspiration for a future project.

One more view of the beautifully designed rock background.

The lumber mill with loaded log cars in front was another great feature. The roof is only partially complete, ostensibly because it is still being built (note the lumber boards on the roof, ready to be put in place). Leaving the roof open like this allows the viewer to see all the intricate details inside.

You can't make wine without barrels, and here on a siding are where they come from!