California Southern Model Railroad Club

12140 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650 (562)863-3156

Older (historic) images from around Esperanza.

New mountain scenery	More new mountain scenery.
BC Rail manifest rounding the Curves.	Three way meet.
ATSF Steam power over the bridge.	MILW cabbies bringing the rear.

At Esperanza, the mainline, now single track, crosses a high steel deck bridge, then a huge curved wooden trestle )copied from the famous Goat Canyon Ttestle on the Carrizo Gorge in San Diego County, CA) as the eastbound grade increases to 2%. The mainline curves and doubles back as it rounds and climbs the hill, creating panoramic vistas as trains struggle up the slope.

The terrain in Esperanza is very rugged. The single track railroad crosses the Esperanza Creek below on a high steel bridge. Under the bridge is the branch line from Hadley.

After crossing the steel bridge, the track follows the curve of a huge wooden trestle, struggling up the grade in Esperanza. If you listen closely, you can hear the rails "humm" as the train creeps across the hand made trestle, an item saved from our original layout.

There is a short tunnel, blasted through the solid rock hillside, just east of the trestle. It is the first of numerous tunnels found on the California Southern. A second longer tunnel lies just ahead, further around the curve, as the railroad transitions towards the upper level...

 

Recent 2015/2016 views of continuing scenery work along and behind the Esperanza curve.