Jack Verducci's Large Scale "Crystal Springs RR"

NMRA Convention 2000
Layout Tour Photos
Copyright © Dwight Ennis 2000 - All rights reserved

Jack Verducci's Large Scale "Crystal Springs RR"

Jack is the President of the Bay Area Garden Railway Society, and his profession is building garden railroads for others. As one might expect, his home railway is HUGE!! Not only does it occupy the entire back yard (and it's a good-sized yard), but it runs down the side of his house and takes up most of the front yard too (how's that for an understanding wife)!!

Jack favors live steam, and, with the exception of a small diesel industrial switcher, live steam is all I saw running while I was there. All locomotives are radio controlled, and each engineer wore a headset/microphone that allowed him to keep in touch with the "dispatcher" - a guy standing in a central location coordinating all train movements - as well as the other engineers.

We'll start with the front yard, then move around back. These first two photos are of the front yard.

The left side layout continues down he left side of the house into the back yard.

Now we move to the back...

Our first overall view of the back yard. The balcony (where all the people are standing), is where the "dispatcher" was coordinating train movements. The yard is level to that point, then slopes downward from there (out of view). A low fence (barely visible at left), separates the level portion from the rest.

This engine service facility is right in front of you when you enter the back yard. A walkway about 6' wide runs the width of the house. All the rest is railroad. A real concrete pit about two feet deep is in the walkway just in front of this service yard. Jack was sitting in it getting up steam on locomotives.