Welcome to the T. & D. R. R.!

Cosmo Van Pelt in front of the
 Drywater candy shop, 1915

A Little Known Chapter of California Desert History

     Although barely a trace of the original road remains in place today, and contemporary source documents are rare as hen's teeth, I feel uniquely qualified to model this fascinating enterprise. My great great uncle Cosmo Van Pelt worked "The Delirium Route," as it was colloquially known, from 1897 to 1933 and kept a wonderfully observant and introspective journal throughout his career. From the pages of his journal, I will try my best to faithfully recreate the history, setting, and operations of this quirky little railroad.

     Rather than set out to create an orderly and scholarly history, I plan to keep things more or less anecdotal. Uncle Cosmo's journal is a hodge-podge of opinions, reflections, sketches, and conversations; historical details are many, and interspersed throughout. His random approach sets a relaxed standard that I hope to recreate here. I will relate his experiences when appropriate, chronicle my modeling efforts as they progress, and above all, enjoy the process. Uncle Cosmo was an aficionado of fast cars (for their time,) slow trains, snowshoe racing, and exploration in the Alaska territory. And as you can see, he was always a sharp dresser. My mother tells me we met once, when I was a newborn and Cosmo was long since retired, and that we got along famously. I like to think that I inherited from him not only his journal, but my tendency to overdress for the occasion. As Cosmo says, "the paw-paw never flings far from the patch."

     My latest modeling project is the bobber caboose for my rendition of the Topdown & Drywater. Uncle Cosmo's sketch doesn't show the entire caboose, but rather shows a detail of the unique sad-eyed expression of the cupola windows, which derives from the reverse-curved roof.

     The siding is cardstock, or more properly 140lb hot press, 100% rag watercolor paper. I scribe with the back side of a hobby knife and paint exclusively with solvent based paints, which soak in wonderfully without any tendency to warp the paper. The little window trim is scale 2x2 lumber and the doorknob is the head of a pin.