Dallas Divide Ground Work

Apr 10 2025

 Posted on April 9, 2025  |  2 minutes  |  279 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

This week I finished the basic ground work for Dallas Divide. Took down the temporary backdrop and finished forming the XPS Foam. Since I’m building this layout modular with the intention of moving it into the train-room (once built), I wanted it lite. I picked up some 3", 2" and 1" thick XPS foam from the local hardware store, and some 1/2" thick from a craft store. Using a combination of hot foam knife and a rasp, formed the basic hills. [Read More]
Dallas Divide  Structures  Scenery 

Dallas Divide Barn 1

Apr 9 2025

 Posted on April 8, 2025  |  3 minutes  |  435 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

Been far too long since I did an update. Life has a way of changing best laid plans. Had a bit of family emergency and then some health challenges. Now have time for working on trains. :) This will be the first of a few quick posts over the next few days. During the holiday I did build the barn, but did not post it. After looking at all the pictures I could find of the barns at Dallas Divide and along the RGS, the following 2 images captures what I wanted. [Read More]
Dallas Divide  Structures  3D-Printing 

Dallas Divide Barns

Dec 7 2024

 Posted on December 7, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  325 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

Now that the track is “mostly” down, I’m thinking about the “scene”. I also want to build a structure over the holiday. I grew up enjoying time spent at relatives’ farms and I think barns are interesting structure. Not really serviced by rails but always near tracks. As a kid staying at my cousins’ farm in the summer, I have fond memories of the nightly freight train whistling at the crossing as the track went through one of their fields. [Read More]
Dallas Divide  Structures 

Dallas Divide Tool Shed Build

July 7 2024

 Posted on July 7, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  217 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

A train buddy of mine suggested I capture my Placerville General store in black and white like the photo I used as reference. I did not get the angle quite right, still missing the flag and bike, but it’s a reasonable match. I can’t wait till I build Placerville! Now that the section house is finished, time for the next structure. For the next structure, I decide to see what I could do with my laser cutter and made the Tool Shed. [Read More]
Dallas Divide  Structures  Placerville 

Dallas Divide Section House Build

July 3 2024

 Posted on July 3, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  224 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

Since I’m working on test benchwork for Dallas Divide, I thought it was time to replace some of the cardboard mockups with real structures. Last year at the Narrow Gauge Convention in Colorado, I picked up the Dallas Divide Section house. Time to build that kit. It’s an old kit and the board and batten was something you actually had to build up, unlike a number of kits today. It was a total pleasure doing that. [Read More]
Dallas Divide  Structures 

Placerville General Store

A 3d printing project

 Posted on June 24, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  537 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

I have been working on Placerville since 2018 and posted a few updates on groups.io. Steve Depolo’s work in Placerville has been inspirational, and motivated me to share my build of Placerville. This is my first major post and project in the last few years. I got to know Mike McCarville over the last few years and have been collaborating with him on a few chimneys. Mike did the Placerville post office which was a fun project to build, but it needed the chimney. [Read More]
Placerville  Structures  3D-Printing 

First Post

Early Placerville

 Posted on June 11, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  293 words  |  Jonathan Sauer

This is my first entry but it’s a bit about the past. I have added a bit of my history and previous layouts in the various links. Not going to blog about that, other than if I add an update. For years, I have been working on a bedroom sized shelf layout. I dreamed of a larger space for my layout but was reasonably content. Then I retired, the pandemic hit, and I met a group of folks that have top notch layouts, and regulalary operate on them. [Read More]
Placerville  Structures