Elaborate Live-Steamer Trestle

From "The Model Craftsman", July 1944



The photos herewith show the trestle (and also a steel bridge) used on the second loop of my live steam pike from 1930 to 1935. This layout comprised 325 actual feet of scale track, all on a grade of about two per cent, along a mountain (the stream was about 16 inches wide), which sometimes rose to a depth of 12 to 15 inches after a heavy rain.

As the pike was out-of-doors, everything was real, so far as the scenery went--(except for the size)--and we had all the thrills-- such as washouts and snowfall, just like the real thing.

There were five bridges across the stream in the 325 ft. of track. This layout was constructed on County T.B. Sanatorium property and it was necessary to dismantle it when I left the staff of that institution.

Everything that could be salvaged for future use was carefully stored; the equipment includes 70 cars and two steam locomotives--one a 4-4-2 and another a 2-8-2.

I have about every type of freight car, except a refrigerator, one of which is being built.

Alfred R. Horner

Ahwahnee, Madera County, California