Category Archives: Caboose Project and Other Trains

During my son’s recent stay at
Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH) in Palo Alto, California,
we enjoyed playing with their model train. The HO-scale train layout is on the
main floor and provides entertainment as well as a focus for walking
directions. There is a sign inside the front door “… take the Elevators
by Model Train to Ground Floor…”. The meticulously detailed self-contained
layout is about 12 feet square under an arched roof. Inside are two
non-connected oval railroad track loops. The scenery is inspired by Northern California’s
Southern Pacific rail line, featuring mountains, a lake, the ocean (beach and
underwater), fields, and a small seaport town. Each of the four sides has two
large plastic buttons which do something: create a sound or flash model street
lights… Several friends of ours were involved in creating this layout
under strict hospital supervision. It is a huge kid magnet and brings joy to all.

LPCH model train layout

LPCH model train layout

SP Engine closeup

John and LPCH model train layout

LPCH model train underwater scene

LPCH model train layout

Photos Copyright 2009 by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson

Last weekend, two visitors from Japan came to see
WP668, our backyard caboose. Atsushi and Tab were in the San Francisco Bay Area
for O Scale West and also
to visit the
Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) HO-scale model train club for operations.
Last week’s SVL monthly operations session was held in the dark – night operations.
Atsushi is a member of SVL and helped in 2006 to construct WP668’s very
short rail line. It was a pleasure to host railfans from so far away.

Visitors in WP668

Atsushi and Tab outside of WP668

Atsushi in 2006

Photos Copyright 2006-2009 by Katy Dickinson

Our backyard caboose, WP668, looked
good for Saturday’s
Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) model train club Christmas party. John
put up the
Western Pacific herald on the new metal plate he welded to WP668’s side,
then added Christmas lights too.

I bought train-theme party supplies from the

Oriental Trading company, including small plastic Conductor Ducks for
giveaways. One of our Christmas traditions is to set up my G-scale railway
track in the living room. (I am collecting G-scale rolling stock and
track for when I build my garden railway next to WP668.) The Conductor Ducks
were a popular party favor and were given many G-scale train rides during
the SVL party.

Photos:

WP668 with new WP herald

Conductor Ducks

Western Pacific decal

John mounting decal

John mounting decal

John mounting decal

WP668 new herald

WP668 Christmas lights

Hank vs. the train

Hank helping Dad

Ladybug engine, Conductor Ducks

Little John with ducks

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

For the third year, our home will soon be hosting the
Silicon Valley Lines
model train club Christmas party. To prepare for the event,
I have finished painting the bay window markings
on WP668, our backyard caboose. Tomorrow, John is
going to mount the
Western Pacific herald on the metal plate on the side of WP668.
John wants to preserve the etched shadow of the original WP logo on the original
herald plate, so he lacquered it. Today, he had a 21-1/2″ x 23-1/2″ steel plate cut
(the size of the WP decal we bought from the Portola Railroad Museum), then painted the new plate black. Tomorrow, John will tack
weld the new plate over the old and then mount the decal. WP668 will once
again display the Western Pacific herald!

Here a small size reproduction of the WP logo and a current photo of WP668:

Images Copyright 2007-2008 by Katy Dickinson

The San Jose city inspector came today and signed off on everything for
WP668, our backyard caboose, except
one wire. This is frustrating because the last city inspector
checked that same electrical box and did not say there were any problems.
To pass this last inspection requirement, John has to pull an existing set of
wires out of the underground conduit, add a neutral ground wire to the
bundle, then pull the set back into place. This new wire is in addition to the
existing grounding rods.
WP668 today:

Images Copyright 2008 Katy Dickinson