Vol. 35: Jim Providenza's Santa Cruz Northern
Jim Providenza’s HO scale Santa Cruz Northern model railroad is an operation-oriented layout set in the early 1970s. Jim made this double decker so he could railfan his favorite spots in California. The Santa Cruz Northern is a bankrupt, down-on-its-luck carrier owned by the Santa Fe and the Western Pacific.
This model becomes a real railroad set in an actual time period with all of the economic and political facts of life. The Santa Cruz Northern runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean on a route laid out by the former South Pacific Coast railroad. Why is operation so important to Jim? Most importantly, it gives him a chance to be with his friends and work closely with something he has carefully created.
The Santa Cruz Northern shares a space with the family vehicle, its double-deck setup occupying about 18×22 feet of the Providenzas’ two-car garage. Allen’s behind-the-scenes tour of the Santa Cruz Northern begins on the lower level at San Jose, California.
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1:59The HO Santa Cruz Northern model railroad is an operation oriented layout set in the early 1970’s. Jim Providenza made this double decker so he could railfan his favorite spots in California. The Santa Cruz Northern is a bankrupt, down on its luck carrier that is owned by the Santa Fe and the Western Pacific.…
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8:12The Santa Cruz Northern model railroad of Jim Providenza is a subsidiary of the Western Pacific Number 3007 here at San Jose. It’s come off the Western Pacific connection at Stockton.The US Cold Storage plant is at the right. The Western Pacific main also ties into the Santa Cruz Northern here in Western Pacific junction.…
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11:23We start the video showing operations on the Santa Cruz Northern model railroad of Jim Providenza with a Western Pacific in motion. Two F units and a Falco C-425 will do the work. F3 Number 803-A picks up a PFE refer, a boxcar, and a Southern Pacific Bulkhead Flat. Then it is on to Zayante…
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2:40The Santa Cruz Northern model railroad of Jim Providenza runs from San Jose, California over the Santa Cruz Mountains, and to the Pacific Ocean. Jim lived in this area, and Allen Keller asks if this is why he decided to model it? Yes, he answers, it is. Jim grew up spending summers in the Santa…
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3:20Even though Jim Providenza’s Santa Cruz Northern model railroad is a double deck layout, spacing is not a problem at all. The design for a double deck layout has a number of different factors that must be considered that are unique from a single deck layout. For example, you have to deal with more people…
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5:18The open vista that Jim Providenza has on the helix of his Santa Cruz Northern model railroad has been termed by another modeler as a herniated helix. This is a funny but apt term. Jim made the helix on his double deck layout with different radii so that the bottom track is a 30 inch…
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8:11Dave Clemons is dispatcher on the Santa Cruz Northern model railroad of Jim Providenza. For the operating paperwork, they use track warrants to identify where a train or equipment can be operated on the railroad. They use a slightly shortened version modeling purposes because it’s a lot easier to handle. The paperwork tells the engineer…
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5:42Modeler of the Santa Cruz Northern model railroad, Jim Providenza believes that a good backdrop on a double deck layout is critical. On the one hand, you can operate with bare plywood against a wall and it really doesn’t matter. On the other hand, when you are trying to create an atmosphere for people, you…
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4:07Jim Providenza is one of the few people in the country who has always used command control. This wasn’t a desire to be first. Despite being a cynic in his profession as a police officer, where people don’t always tell the truth, he really does believe people, especially in the hobby. When he first heard…
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