Oakdale is the start of the line for the Sierra Railroad. The Sierra Railroad has a small yard located in Oakdale and an engine service facility to service its newly acquired diesel locomotive fleet. The Sierra Railroad still opperates several steam locomotives on the line. These are primarily stored and serviced at the roundhouse located in Jamestown. Prior to departing Oakdale, steam locomotives must ventrue out on to SP trackage and obtain water from the water tower located across the tracks from the SP depot. All Sierra trains can turn using the wye track in Sierra Yard.
In reality, there were no industries served by the Sierra in Oakdale. However, for operational interest, I have used modeling license and depict a stockyard and meat packing plant which is served by the Sierra Railroad. There is also an ice house and icing rack which is used to ice refrigerator cars used in both meat and produce service. The meat packing plant is the Champion Meat Packing Plant (Walthers Cornerstone Kit) and the ice house is for the Union Ice Company (Walthers Cornerstone Kit).
Sierra Steam Locomotive #2 will serve as the main switcher for the Sierra Yard. #2 is a three-truck Shay (Bachmann Spectrum). Shays were mostly used in logging and mining service high up in the hill country. The Sierra Railroad sold their Shay way before the 1950's but in my version of history the Shay has been kept and is now used in switching service.
Newly acquired diesel locomotives (#40 and #42) are stationed at Oakdale. They can be used to assist with the switching duties in Sierra Yard. However, the units will operate as a pair when it leads Freight # out of Oakdale heading toward Jamestown (staging).
Several freight trains led by steam locomotives will enter the Sierra Yard coming from Jamestown (staging). These trains will drop off their cars for interchange with either the Santa Fe Railroad or the Southern Pacific Railroad. The locomotives will uncouple from their trains, head over to the water tower located in front of the SP depot and then fill their tenders for the return trip back toward Jamestown. After taking on water, the locomotives will turn on the wye track located in Sierra Yard and then couple back up to their trains for the return north.
I am in the process of selecting the freight trains that I will operate over the Sierra portion of the layout.
Like the Southern Pacific, the Sierra Railroad discontinued official passenger service in 1938. I do want to implement some sort of Sierra passenger train service on the line. The Sierra Railroad frequently offered excursion trips from Oakdale to Jamestown using their own passenger cars. In addition, up until the early 1960's, the Southern Pacific would deliver Harriman coaches to Oakdale and spot them on a siding near the depot in preparation for a weekend excursion sponsored by the Sierra Railroad.
I have yet to purchase any passenger equipment that could be used on my Oakdale Junction layout.
