Lockwood & San Emigdio 5: Geology

Just for a change of pace, I cut and fitted some EPS foam scenery, including a slab where the town will go, and bits and pieces along the front, where I want to have a rock face instead of the usual fascia.

This is just temporary, at this point, since I still need access in these areas for wiring and other work. But it always amazes me how much difference it makes to fill in the gaps and start to establish some rough landforms. All of a sudden the trains are not running on plywood, they're running through a small, pink world.

6/29/25: A little more progress today.

7/4/25: I changed my mind. The cliff, all the same height, running along the front of the layout was just too much. So I removed it and cut a fascia. There will still be rock faces in some areas, but other parts the ground will be level or gently sloping, with dirt, grass or other vegetation.

An added benefit is that I will be able to install a DigiTrax plug in panel and the controls for the turntable in the fascia.

7/5/25: With a little carving, I think it's starting to look pretty good.

9/11/25: After studying USGS topo maps and other sources, I find that the hill between the Middle Fork Lockwood Creek and the Stauffer area is called Adobe -- though it's not clear from the maps I've viewed so far if that's Adobe Hill or Adobe Peak. Since the mine at that end is called Center Creek, after a claim located on Middle Fork, it makes sense to call that hill Adobe Peak. Of course, the railroad would go around it, not through it, but never mind.

At the other end, the biggest stream in the vicinity of where the town of Lockwood would be, is the main fork of Lockwood Creek, and there is a small canyon that the railroad might cross with a trestle, so I'm tentatively calling that Lockwood Canyon. The hill between the canyon and the town of Lockwood, maybe Mount Lee for a couple of friends who lived in the area back in my Scout Camp days.