A Uniquely ‘Altadenan’ Project

Christmas Tree Lane Model Railroad Society will display its model. 

By Jerry Friedman

The Christmas Tree Lane Model Train Society plans to have their detailed model railroad display open to the public on December tenth, which is the day Altadena will turn on the lights along the lane and hold its annual “Lighting Ceremony and Winter Festival.”   There will be quite a crowd there to celebrate with!

The model train layout shows the entire west coast route of the now defunct Carson & Colorado Narrow Gauge railroad. The display depicts the geography, topography and the history of the Pacific West developed by this important train route.

Rob Caves is the owner/operator of the multi-level, multi-gage railroad layout which has literally miles, and miles of track! Along the way there are places familiar (downtown LA) and unfamiliar (Sacramento grade) to most. The details of water, cities, desert, bridges, small towns, little people, lumber mills, and the infrastructure needed by the actual trains to run up and down the west between San Diego, CA and Seattle, WA is simply amazing.

There are tons and tons of sights to see ‘along the way’ but the display includes quite a few ‘Easter eggs’ such as a model of the Mars Rover, and Mount Rushmore replete with figures from Star Trek! Stacked five levels tall, there may be over 35 miles of track in the 6,400 square foot layout!

For those less interested in huge crowds and more interested in all the incredible details; The Christmas Tree Lane Model Train Society, located at 2085 Santa Rosa Ave., Altadena, has many open houses planned for the month of December!  The public is welcome from 5:00 to 11:00 pm on the following days in December: 3rd, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and in January on New Year’s Day!

This is the open house schedule, with the caveat that they will not open when it’s raining.