I looked for a setting that would allow steam and diesel, with a mix of eras and a mix of types: how to mix up class 1 varnish and geared locos?

Then I thought about a setting that would include my favourite types of scenery: dense urban industrial grunge, waterfronts, and steel bridges, with some scenic grandeur as well. Finally, for me, it has to be Southern Pacific.

The result is loosely based on Port Costa on San Francisco harbour. Huge rail ferries ran here. Though they stopped in 1930, Port Costa remained busy due to the nearby refinery in Martinez and traffic from the US Navy Weapons Depot (I bet there were some interesting flatcar loads). Holley Sugar was located in nearby Crockett, a massive plant, as well as numerous packing house spurs and chemical industries. Port Costa had a five track yard and a three stall roundhouse which was torn down after steam operations ended (it would have been a tight squeeze between the hills and the water). By the 1970s autos were offloaded from ship to rail at Port Costa and grain transferred from rail to ship. Port Costa was once a helper station and until recently a passenger stop for Amtrak. The double tracked line runs within feet of the Susan Bay all the way from Port Costa to Martinez with industry occupying all remaining real estate.

I alter history so the steam facilities were taken over by someone like the Pacific Locomotive Association, who had facilities and museum equipment stored not too far away, near Richmond.

It does not replicate an exact date – heaven forbid, as that would limit what I could run. It is second half of the 20th century; there are highways and cars, and obsolete steam facilities. Since the ferry Salerno carried two whole trains at a time and this is exactly what the elevator (more of this later) does, I stretch history and still have ferries running.