| Santa Maria Valley Railway Historical Museum |
| Santa Maria Valley Railway Historical Museum |
Yuletide Layout TourDecember 22, 2002Page: 1, 2, -3-. [Click on any picture for a larger version, then use your BACK button to return.]  The station on the O-gauge layout was bussling with activity. Among the celebrities heading out on holiday was Charlie Chaplin.  A good view across most of the O-gauge layout. O-gauge was introduced in 1915 and is still readily available today.  O-gauge passenger trains (mostly).  Small Steamers.  More O-gauge equipment on the wall by the O-gauge layout.  There were numerous cases in the room containing miscellaneous period toys, such as military and cowboy-and-indian figures. Not many homes had electricity right after the turn of the century. So, how did electric trains work? Some ran on batteries (very expensive at the time). Some train sets came with "do it yourself" batteries (beakers, acids, copper strips, etc.) - can you imagine that today?! And some households had little generators that were hooked up to a faucet and ran on water pressure! Those that did have city electricity used simple devices to drop the voltage down, such as putting light bulb sockets in series and screwing in the required number of bulbs to get a given voltage. |
 Just beyond the station, the main line (right) heads out into the countryside where it encounters the Hellgate Bridge (first offered in 1928) crossing a gorge.  If you couldn't spot Marilyn Monroe in the earlier picture, surely you can here!  I thought the switch stand was a very nice touch...  Dusk begins to settle across the town...  As the sign indicates, this case holds standard gauge trains from 1924-1936.  More standard gauge locomotives and rolling stock. See the Blue Comet?!...  A long shot over the standard gauge layout looking towards the etrance to the train room. Note the whistles, gauges, and pull cords mounted high on the distant wall just about in the center of the picture. |