In June 2004 I was able to visit Walt Huston's Onyx Division layout. Its since been dismantled and will never be displayed again. Anyone who had the opportunity to see this amazing layout will not soon forget it. It was last displayed as a local layout during the NMRA July 2004 convention in Seattle, WA. USA. This layout has been featured in many magazines over the years. I asked Walt if he'd mind me posting some of my shots of his layout on my web site and asked him if he'd like to prepare a history also. Walt's text and my photographs comprise this gallery. I hope you enjoy his work... I sure did! - Terry Bickle -

The ONYX DIVISION of the Burlington Northern PSX 2004

More than a bakers dozen years ago Pete Thomas and I met for the first time at a meeting of a newly formed group calling themselves the Puget Sound N Scalers. We were both very interested in N scale model railroading and this new group seemed like a good way to get started on a large layout without a large expense. The group was using N-Trak standards, I had an N-Trak module, and Pete was willing to build one for himself. We encouraged Pete’s brother Tom to join in and so that’s how we get together. After a couple of years and a number of Mall and other shows, Pete and I decided we wanted to try something different. Tom had decided to take up woodworking as his full time hobby, and others in our N-Trak group were drifting away. Pete and I started building the Onyx Division in Pete’s home as a home layout. Naturally it was firmly attached to the walls of his then spare room. About a year after we were really rolling along making good progress, the room became needed for a home office. We mulled over what to do. Pete wanted to tear it all out and start over on another “portable” layout. I was all for the portable layout idea, however, I wanted to save some portions of the “home” layout and see if we couldn’t use them again in the “portable” layout. Pete agreed so we began the disassembly process, saving what we could.
Today’s Onyx Division is in its ninth year of what we believed would be a ten year project. We did manage to save a few segments of the home layout (the part with the bridge over the bay entrance, the tip of the peninsula, maybe more). Our first big endeavor was to build the section we call the “Wetlands.” Why we started with that I have not a clue. Maybe it was the challenge of building a trestle 670’ long, stick-by-stick, board by board. We must have been crazy. Anyway, it all worked out and what you see here today is the result of two guys working together to build the best layout we can, for ourselves and others to enjoy.

Working our way clockwise around the outer perimeter of the layout, I’ll describe what you find along the wayside. Starting at South Bay, first you come to the South Bay Seafood fish processing facility (under construction) which is just across the parking lot from the South Bay Seafood freezing operation where sea creatures are frozen solid and shipped out by truck and by rail. Normally there are a number of refrigerator cars lined up to receive all that “catch of the day” that has to go to markets across the nation. Just past the South Bay Seafoods freezing plant is a small LCL freight house (under construction). Next comes the Excel Feed facility (under construction), which is a duplicate of the Excel facility at 56th Street and Washington in Tacoma, WA. We are building it from photos (they wouldn’t let us on the property to measure it (OSHA). We are pretty close to the correct dimensions. A few feet further along is our rendition of the Northern Pacific Depot for Steilacoom, WA. I measured this structure in every dimension I could possibly measure. I gave my measurements to an Architect friend who then input the numbers into his computer and provided a scale drawing from which we built the structure. Side by side photos of the real station and our model have fooled a number of people.

 

Continuing on, you come to the GTS Drywall supplier (under construction). This facility is located in Lakewood, WA, just across I-5 from here and close to Pete’s home. As you round the corner on the outside of the next section you get into the woods/wetlands. There are several small ponds, a couple of bears and an increasing number of trees along the route. Next comes the “Trestle through the Wetlands” that I mentioned earlier. The trestle is built from photos of a trestle near Chehalis, WA. Several people from that area have seen our trestle and mentioned that there is one just like it down where they live. I consider that a great compliment. Now you’re approaching a grade crossing with a flatbed truck stuck at the crossing gate for years now. I think he has run out of fuel by now so he’s become a rail fan. More trees and such take you around the corner to an overpass and a long stretch of highway that parallels the Onyx Yard.

At the beginning of the yard you’ll find Tower OY and a few railroad folks doing their jobs. In the background you’ll see some warehouses with lots of merchandise to ship/receive. There are plenty of places for freight cars to stop for a load, or to unload as the case may be. There are usually a lot of different freight cars in this yard; a rail fan’s delight.

As you approach the other end of the yard you’ll run into Tower OE, which sits its vigil at the throat of the engine servicing facilities. Then comes the Onyx Depot where passengers can board the passenger train that comes through once a day in each direction. Next comes the sand house and sanding tower. Then you come to the diesel engine service facility. This structure was built from the railroad plans for the Vancouver, WA. facility. The diesel engine house (under construction) comes next. There is room inside to work on several locomotives at a time. There is an equipment shed out back (under construction). This is for the protection of various vehicles and equipment that will be parked there when not in use. Lastly you come to the bridges…one over the boat launch and another over the entrance to the bay. The boat launch s modeled after the one in Steilacoom, the pin-connected truss bridge is similar to several such bridges between Tacoma and Auburn, WA.

Let’s go around the peninsula now. Starting just past the GTS Drywall facility you come to the linemen doing their usual fine job of disrupting power service. Several vehicles are visible along the road as you head into the denser trees. Once in a while you can see the tracks through the trees along this stretch. There is a small old gas station about half way along the road here. Mother Nature is overcoming an old tow truck. The gas is good and the service is certainly better that you find most places. Further along an overpass brings a road out of the forest and provides an excellent rail fanning position as it crosses over the track too. Next you come to a big sweeping curve and around the corner you come to Tilton’s Corner. Back in the background you find Tilton’s General Store (built by my wife Nancy and named for her father). Up front you find a plywood-shipping shed (New Line Structures kit). There will be a plywood mill here sooner or later. Next is the lead to a future cement plant. So far the 625’ board-by-board fence and a few piles of rock adorn the cement platform that will one day be the processing plant. There is a small yard here to service all future customers that build in the industrial park.

 

As you leave the cement plant area you come to the very familiar road construction traffic delay. The crew is cleaning up the area between the railroad right of way and the county highway…probably for another strip mall. Lastly as you depart the peninsula you come to the very modern gas station where you can get gas and get your car repaired. Two mechanics are totally baffled by the problems with that engine under the hood.