Mega model train set

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Altadena backyard houses massive toy train world

Fiona Ng is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.

Updated January 4, 2025 12:59 AM

Published December 28, 2024 5:00 AM

A narrow-gauge model train.

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Fiona Ng

LAist

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Topline:

For more than a decade, Rob Caves has invited the public to his Altadena backyard to experience an ever-growing model train universe built by him and his fellow hobbyists in the Christmas Tree Lane Model Railroad Society.

Why it matters: The vision, started in 2010, was to recreate a train journey from San Diego to Seattle — featuring a hit parade of locations along the route. It was first built in Caves's garage, but quickly outgrew the 400-square-foot space to overtake a sizable portion of his backyard.

Why now: Caves typically opens up his backyard for the public to enjoy these creations on the first Saturday of November. This year, these Saturday viewings end on Jan. 4.

Growing up, Rob Caves remembers there was always a train set under his family Christmas tree.

As an adult, the Los Angeles native has brought this fond memory, and his passion, on a grand scale to the backyard of his home on the famed Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena.

For more than a decade, Caves has invited the public to experience this ever-growing labor of love built by him and his fellow hobbyists in the Christmas Tree Lane Model Railroad Society.

The model train display first started in the garage — and quickly outgrew the 400-square-foot space.

A man wearing a black jacket and a t-shirt standing next to a model train set.

" It was completely wall to wall, five decks of trains," Caves said. " So we decided it's time to make it bigger, it's time to make it better."

That was 2010. What Caves and his club members did were constructed what he called "peninsulas" — or extensions — out of the garage. They then built displays housed inside — complete with train tracks, scenic backdrops, landscapes, structures and whatever else you can think of.

"The whole idea behind the layout was to model the West Coast of the United States," Caves said, who moved into the Altadena house with his partner about two decades ago. "Just do the whole thing in miniature."

Specifically, the plan was to recreate a train journey from San Diego to Seattle — featuring a hit parade of locations along the route.

In San Diego, he said, the layout includes the Pacific Surfliner running along the Pacific Ocean. Customary with this massive built, Caves made many of the set's miniature elements himself via 3D printing.

"You can't go buy a Surfliner in the store, so I just go ahead and build them on the computer," he said. "I like to add people sitting in the seats on the trains. It's the little details that make everything so much fun about the hobby."

A miniature model of an amusement park, with an elevated tram track and a mascot of a cartoon mouse in front.

In Orange County, one of the highlights along the route is Disneyland. "When kids come to see the layout ... they go right to Disneyland and they love the fireworks and all the stuff that we put there, the little details and Main Street USA," Caves said.

Multiple miniature high-rises along a downtown street. One is a hotel named Ritz Carlton. Tiny model cars are parked here and there.

Moving northward to Los Angeles proper, the set includes different scenes of downtown.

A miniature model with a train track, tiny cars and trucks parked next to a billborad that says, "Gorgeous Gals" with a phone number to call.

One of his favorite set pieces is Union Station — a place that cemented his passion for trains.

"When I was a kid, my grandmother used to take me on train trips out of there. So I scratch built that station — one of the first things that I actually did way back in 2010," Caves said.

Model trains sitting on tracks. Behind them is the skyline of a city's downtown.

Another favorite of Caves is the L.A. River.

A miniature model of concrete channels tagged with graffiti in an industrial setting.

The train ride also zips by places like the former Glendale Southern Pacific train depot that is now an Amtrak station.

A beige model train depot. A tiny sign stands that says "Glendale" is placed next to it.

And the project memorializes bygone everyman landmarks like Fry's Electronics in Burbank.

Train tracks in front of an miniature model of a store called Fry's.

The train keeps going north, passing by a station in Lancaster.

A model toy train station with the word, "Lancaster" on the roof.

Caves said there are scenes of the Sierra Nevada mountains and whimsical touches along the way, like Godzilla knocking down power lines, or the Star Trek mountain — "kind of like Mount Rushmore" but with characters from the franchise.

A miniature mountain with faces built into the side of the mountain.

Until finally, we arrive in Seattle.

A model train layout with buildings and structures. A label "Seattle, WA" is affixed to it.

This vision have taken up multiple rooms of added space in his backyard — and counting.

"The layout has definitely gotten bigger each year," Caves said. And when necessary, new "peninsulas" are built to house new sceneries.

For example, there's a room dedicated to narrow-gauge trains that were used in the 1900s.

Two stacks of model trains running along a mountainous backdrop.

"Those would be able to go around curves because the track is a little bit smaller than standard trains," Caves said. "You see a lot of trains in Europe that are like that because they just need to be able to negotiate steeper grades."

Miniature houses set in a mountainous landscape.

Miniature houses and structures along a model train track.

So far, Caves estimated that his backyard train universe contains 30 scale miles of tracks. In non-model train speak, he explained, think of one scale mile as "if you were a tiny figure on the layout, and you walked 30 miles on the layout."

Basically, a lot. By his account, he and his fellow model train enthusiasts have about a third more to go.

But who knows, because just like the real deal, building a miniature model is an experience that keeps on giving.

"The idea that you're gonna get on a train and go travel somewhere is just such a neat concept," Caves said. " I think there's something kind of hypnotic about being on a train and looking out the window and just kind of like forgetting about the rest of the world."

How to visit

Caves typically opens up his backyard for the public to enjoy these creations on the first Saturday of November. This year, these Saturday viewings end on Jan. 4. Hours are between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

For more information, including the address, visit Christmas Tree Lane Model Railroad Society's Facebook page or Instagram.

Civics & Democracy

Data center clampdown

Newsom signs package of 7 bills

By Katherine Ortiz | CalMatters

Published September 21, 2026 5:00 PM

Aerial photo of two long, windowless gray data center buildings with rows of cooling equipment on their roofs, running alongside a road in a suburban area.

A block of Equinix data centers sit across the street from a Prime data center on Great Oaks Blvd. in South San Jose on Aug. 31, 2026.

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Anna Hoch-Kenney

CalMatters

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Topline:

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven data center bills into law on Monday, signaling a tide change toward regulation of the industry.

Why it matters: Three of the new laws shift electric infrastructure costs away from residential customers and toward data center operators, three more mandate disclosures of water usage and other resources, and the last one makes data centers ineligible for environmental review exemptions.

The backstory: Newsom’s signature on the new laws represents a significant departure from his actions on data centers last year, when he vetoed a water disclosure bill over concerns that regulation could stifle AI growth and signed into law only a single stripped-down environmental study bill.

Facing growing public backlash and a pivot from his own past vetoes, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of seven bills on Monday that aim to force the data center industry to pay its own way in California.

Three of the new laws shift electric infrastructure costs away from residential customers and toward data center operators, three more mandate disclosures of water usage and other resources, and the last one makes data centers ineligible for environmental review exemptions.

Newsom, in a written statement, contrasted the new regulations with President Donald Trump’s hands-off approach to data centers and artificial intelligence.

“We know that we don’t have to sell out Californians or sacrifice our well-being to innovate and succeed,” the statement read. “California has proven that time and time again. With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense.”

Trump has aggressively pushed to accelerate data center development nationwide, arguing that they represent a significant economic opportunity for states that embrace them. He said last week at the All-In Summit, an invite-only conference for business leaders, that the industry is the “oil of the next 20, 25 years.”

Newsom’s signature on the new laws represents a significant departure from his actions on data centers last year, when he vetoed a water disclosure bill over concerns that regulation could stifle AI growth and signed into law only a single stripped-down environmental study bill.

Environmental advocates and the lawmakers behind this year’s bills previously told CalMatters that intensifying public backlash to data center construction propelled the legislation this year, despite a flood of lobbying funds from Big Tech and other business interests that aimed to soften the proposals.

“When you’re looking down the barrel of public outcry that says we don’t want [data centers] at all, and you’ve got localities that are saying they’re going to ban them, then you know the atmosphere has changed,” Assemblymember Diane Papan, a San Mateo Democrat who authored two of the bills which were signed into law on Monday, previously told CalMatters.

Other state legislatures as well as Congress are also advancing new measures to regulate the industry. In May, a Gallup poll found seven in 10 Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, while a July Public Policy Institute of California poll found similar opposition statewide. Hundreds of cities nationwide — including Monterey Park and Bay Area cities like Pittsburg — have either passed data center bans or walked back approvals following public outcry.

Arnab Pal, the executive director of Deploy Action, a nonprofit that promotes clean energy, told CalMatters the new laws are a good step toward preventing data centers from harming consumers through utility rate increases or environmental damage. Still, Pal said, more can be done to ensure such projects actually benefit everyday people through advancements to the electrical grid and the acceleration of clean energy infrastructure.

“I don't think these bills are the end of this fight; I think we're gonna have to do a lot of implementation on the back end and, as other states roll out their policies next year, I think California is going to look back and be like, ‘maybe we should have done more,’” Pal said. “I'm interested to see what we do next year on this.”

Business interests that oppose the measures, like the Data Center Coalition — which counts companies like Google, Microsoft and OpenAI among its members — warn that further regulation could push the data center industry out of California. According to the latest figures from the Data Center Coalition, the industry contributed 665,500 jobs, more than $159 billion in economic activity, and $14.1 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in California in 2024.

Khara Boender, the director of government affairs west for the Data Center Coalition, told CalMatters that “the data center industry shares the goal of ensuring growth of this critical infrastructure is responsible and well managed,” but more work needs to be done “to promote responsible data center growth while maintaining California as a key, competitive market in the global economy.”

Newsom signed the following bills:

Senate Bill 1168, SB 886 and Assembly Bill 2383, which shift electric infrastructure costs away from residential customers and toward data center operators
AB 2469, AB 1577 and AB 2619, which mandate disclosures or estimates of water usage and other resources
SB 887, which makes data centers ineligible for blanket environmental review exemptions, and offers fast-tracked approval for facilities that meet state standards for water and energy conservation

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Meet the people behind the 'poorly drawn pets'

Volunteers and staff filed in and out of what’s been turned into the official drawing room Monday morning. Pens, colored pencils, markers and Sharpies were scattered all over the table in between pieces of paper and small printed photos of pets.

I asked Julie Nakahara, Pasadena Humane’s director of partnerships and events, how she would describe her artistic ability as she sketched out a lounging cat.

“That of a toddler,” Nakahara replied. “All right, maybe fourth grade.”

Her strategy was to outline the pet first in pencil before thickening the lines with a Sharpie, adding pops of color through the small details in the photo.

“[The cat’s] enjoying the sunshine, and so I tried to reflect it in my drawing,” she said. “Not sure if that's a true reflection, but I did the best I can.”

A woman sketches a cat on paper, surrounded by Crayola colored pencils and markers on a wooden table.

Robbin Huntingdale, a Pasadena resident and volunteer, had a colorful, Lisa Frank-style approach to her picture of two pups.

“I kind of felt like the more I add, the more interesting it'll be, and the less you'll notice that it doesn't look like the photo,” she said to a roar of laughter in the room.

But markers seemed to be a bold choice among the artists. As Mia Dunn, chief philanthropy officer, put it: “I'm a colored pencil girl, because they can be erased.”

Hand-drawn cat sketches on paper, paired with small reference photos of real cats, sit on a marble table.

Some of the portraits have been turned into tattoos in years past.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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Two people at a table with colored pencils and markers, one holding up a drawing of an cat decorated with squiggly lines.

The artists would often share their work with the room when they were done.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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Drawings of cats and a dog sit beside reference photos of two cats on a cat tree and a cat and dog on a rug.

Some artists focused on nailing the vibe, while others narrowed in on the details.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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Kevin McManus, PR and communications director, was trying to do justice to the two dogs he was drawing. He said he came up with a story as he sketched, describing one dog as the older brother and the other as its young punk with a look of “what did I do wrong?”

“It's a really fun way for us to raise money for the shelter,” McManus said. “Ultimately, that's what we're here for. To raise money for the pets in our care, for the programs that we do year-round.”

A hand colors a marker drawing of a dog, referencing a small photo, surrounded by markers, crayons and colored pencils on a table.

The fundraiser raises money to support the shelter's work and the animals in their care.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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Crayon drawings of pets sit beside reference photos, including a dark dog and an orange cat, one sketch left uncolored.

Volunteers and staff said it's a great way to give back to Pasadena Humane.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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A marker drawing of a wide-eyed cat in a crouched pose sits beside a small photo of a real tabby and white kitten labeled '62'.

This LAist reporter was also invited to get in on the artistic action.

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Makenna Cramer

LAist

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You have until 12 p.m. Wednesday to submit your pets for the fundraiser.

Climate & Environment

Lineage relief

Many outside relief zones say they feel abandoned

By Laura Anaya-Morga | Boyle Heights Beat

Published September 21, 2026 1:30 PM

A man and a woman stand outside a home as they pose for a portrait photo.

Joaquin Angeles and Aurora Flores pose for a portrait outside their home in East Los Angeles on Aug. 27, 2026.

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Isaac Ceja

Boyle Heights Beat

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Topline:

Boyle Heights and East L.A. residents outside the relief zones designated for the warehouse fire say the same smoky, noxious air left them sick and facing steep bills.

Who qualified for Lineage assistance? Nearly 800 homes inside a designated area were eligible for assistance from Lineage during its recovery operations, according to the company. The support included free air purifiers, masks, air conditioners, temporary housing, grocery vouchers, utility assistance and cash assistance that were often delivered door-to-door by the company.

Navigating help hasn’t been easy: Residents outside the boundary have had to find alternative resources on their own. “The wind doesn’t have a boundary, why would you make a map?” Cynthia, who chose not to share her last name due to immigration concerns, recalls asking herself as she navigated long lines at city and county resource centers. City and county agencies initially offered temporary shelters, air purifiers and masks, and later added mobile health clinics, grocery gift cards and resource centers in Boyle Heights and East L.A. But residents also reported being turned away at distribution sites depending on whether they lived in Boyle Heights or unincorporated East L.A.

Read on... for more on what residents have said they feel abandoned.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Cynthia remembers the sound of her 1-year-old daughter’s cries as she tried to desperately explain to a caseworker over the phone how the Lineage warehouse fire had affected her family financially.

She had stopped working as a sidewalk vendor because of the unhealthy air, and her family was unsure how they would pay rent that month.

“I felt like, I don’t know, I was going insane,” said Cynthia, who chose not to share her last name due to immigration concerns.

When the 32-year-old mother reached out to Lineage for assistance, she was told she didn’t qualify for relief, even though her East L.A. home was less than 1.5 miles away. The company said its relief was only intended “for those closest to the warehouse.”

“We were close enough to receive the smoke and ash but not to receive aid,” she told Boyle Heights Beat.

Cynthia is among many residents who say they were left out of assistance from Lineage because of where they live. Residents outside the established boundary say they breathed the same smoke, smelled the same stench and suffered through headaches, nausea and high utility bills as their neighbors who qualified for help.

Their question has been simple: If the air has no border, why did we?

A mother holds up her daughter in a kitchen facing away towards a stove.

Who qualified for Lineage assistance?

Nearly 800 homes inside a designated area were eligible for assistance from Lineage during its recovery operations, according to the company. The support included free air purifiers, masks, air conditioners, temporary housing, grocery vouchers, utility assistance and cash assistance that were often delivered door-to-door by the company.

Earlier this month, Lineage said it had provided support to 90% of the 797 households within the designated area and spent over $3.3 million on the recovery and relief effort. Lineage CEO Greg Lehmkuhl told Boyle Heights Beat that the company had made multiple attempts to reach the remaining households.

“Our bilingual hotline remains open,” said Lehmkuhl. “We remain committed to supporting the community.”

Lineage first presented a map outlining the area closest to the warehouse as it announced a new wave of assistance at a community town hall on July 9.

The map was later expanded to include all 797 homes and a larger part of East L.A. after L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis pushed for more support, according to her office.

Now, the map covers households located between Union Pacific Avenue and the 5 Freeway, Los Palos Street and Herbert Avenue, all less than one mile from the Lineage warehouse.

The map with the outlined sections from 1 to 3 across multiple blocks.

Why the boundary matters

The expanded map still left out residents like Cynthia, who lives with her husband and baby just one block north of the 5 Freeway.

But it meant residents like Joaquin Angeles, who lives near Eastman Avenue Elementary School, would qualify.

Angeles, however, said the support has been lackluster.

“We haven’t been given what we really need,” Angeles said.

Angeles said his family received an air purifier with no filters and a faulty air conditioner that turns off after just five minutes. He has not yet received the $200 Southern California Edison credit Lineage promised.

On Aug. 25, more than two months after the warehouse caught fire, his family was able to move into an Airbnb for nearly three weeks. While it allowed them a chance to finally breathe and not worry about what chemicals may be lingering in the air, the support came far too late, Angeles said.

By then, his wife and son had already racked up medical bills of more than $1,300 each for emergency room visits for shortness of breath, respiratory infections and painful skin rashes.

“We don’t have money to spare. We’re renting and living paycheck to paycheck,” Angeles said. “Aside from the illness itself, it’s a psychological blow. You feel discriminated against; you feel like they don’t care.”

A woman with medium skin tone, wearing a green dress, shows a rash on her arm.

Who created the boundary?

It remains unclear who initially identified the 797 homes.

Lineage said it did not create the map. A company spokesperson said the map originated with the Boyle Heights Unified Recovery Command, a centralized body made up of city departments established to coordinate updates during the remediation process.

The command operates under the city’s Emergency Management Department and was created at the direction of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ executive orders to speed up the Lineage cleanup and recovery. The Emergency Management Department did not respond to multiple inquiries about the map’s origin.

Supervisor Solis’ office told The Beat it had no say in the original map but advocated for the area to be expanded.

Navigating help hasn’t been easy

Residents outside the boundary have had to find alternative resources on their own.

“The wind doesn’t have a boundary, why would you make a map?” Cynthia recalls asking herself as she navigated long lines at city and county resource centers.

City and county agencies initially offered temporary shelters, air purifiers and masks, and later added mobile health clinics, grocery gift cards and resource centers in Boyle Heights and East L.A. But residents also reported being turned away at distribution sites depending on whether they lived in Boyle Heights or unincorporated East L.A.

A resident picks up an air purifier next to a stack of boxes from a pop-up resource center.

Many often turned to nonprofit organizations already working in the community.

In her search, Cynthia managed to secure an air purifier from InnerCity Struggle, a $500 prepaid Visa card from El Centro de Ayuda and had her July rent covered by Proyecto Pastoral. She bought a $250 air conditioner to manage the unbearable summer heat and a $300 personal air monitor to track the air quality outside her home.

Others haven’t been so lucky.

Maria Duran, a Boyle Heights resident who lives outside Lineage’s assistance boundary, said she called 311 to receive an air purifier but was told they had run out. She later learned Proyecto Pastoral had stopped accepting applications for rent and utility assistance because of a waitlist of more than 1,500 people.

“We are all being harmed. I feel frustrated. I feel down,” Duran said.

Three months after the fire, Duran is struggling to pay a utility bill that nearly tripled over the summer. She continues to deal with stubborn eye irritation that has disrupted her daily life.

Nonprofits have been unable to keep up with the demand

Angela Gutierrez, a community organizing coordinator at Proyecto Pastoral, says the demand for relief reflects the scale of the disaster.

Gutierrez lives about one mile from Lineage and said she was also frustrated that she didn’t qualify for assistance from the company.

“To me, it was like we were abandoned because of our ZIP codes,” Gutierrez said. “But for Proyecto — for me — there is no ZIP code. To me, everyone is equal. The help is the same.”

Proyecto Pastoral received about 1,500 requests for assistance before closing its application in the wake of the fire. The organization helped cover rent and utility bills for residents living primarily within a 3-mile radius of Lineage, with emergency funds extending to families living as far as Monterey Park. Its fire relief funds were exhausted last week.

“It makes me sad and angry, because people were affected by the fire — and it wasn’t just in the immediate area,” Gutierrez said.

A close up of a woman holding a child's hand on her lap.

Is more help on its way?

Lineage said it remains committed to providing resources to the roughly 80 households that have not yet received assistance.

“We’ve been working for weeks to make sure that we support everybody in this area that the county and city determined were impacted,” Lehmkuhl said.

The company did not indicate whether it planned to expand its assistance boundary.

District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado is pushing for additional funding for the Lineage fire recovery. On Wednesday, the L.A. City Council approved a motion to explore creating a fund of up to $10 million to support the affected community.

For residents like Cynthia, the need is urgent. She is already behind on rent and is using a credit card to pay for basic necessities.

In unincorporated East L.A., Angeles said more should be done to help the families affected.

“It is not asking for a favor; it is simply asking for justice,” he said.

Correction, Sep. 21, 2026 4:49 pm: This story was updated at 4:48 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2026, to clarify that Proyecto Pastoral received about 1,500 requests for fire assistance. An earlier version incorrectly stated that the organization had helped cover rent and utility bills to 1,500 people

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The Brief

How to visit

Keep up with LAist.

Meet the people behind the 'poorly drawn pets'

Who qualified for Lineage assistance?

Why the boundary matters

Who created the boundary?

Navigating help hasn’t been easy

Nonprofits have been unable to keep up with the demand

Is more help on its way?