Lang Station Model

Newhall Signal, May 5, 1976. The picture at left is not as it looked in 1927. Those stairs on the left did not appear until after 1950. The stairs were actually part of a platform for a room air conditioner for the second floor.

As the above Signal article says, a model of Lang Station was constructed in early 1976 by Carl Eppich of Saugus. Eppich was a rather well-known woodcarver of birds and animals. In 1973, some of his works were displayed in the Valencia Library. He also made wood patterns for metal casting in foundry work and was a local railroad historian. (Newhall Signal, October 10, 1973.)

On July 4, 1976, the model was displayed on the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society's float in the annual Fourth of July parade in Newhall. That float, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the connecting of the rails from Los Angeles to San Francisco at Lang, won the Best Theme Sweepstakes award. (Newhall Signal, July 7, 1976.)

After that, the model was displayed in various locations (such as banks and the library) throughout the valley. It was probably donated to the Historical Society by the end of 1976. Eppich claimed that he used the original blueprints to build his model, but the Historical Society does not have them. The model is now displayed in the Saugus Train Station.

Tragically, Carl Eppich was killed in the 104-vehicle pileup on Interstate 5 near Coalinga on Friday, November 29, 1991. Carl was 71. High winds and a blinding dust storm caused the massive accident, which claimed the life of 17 people. His wife, Ruth, was with him, but survived. He is buried in Eternal Valley. (Newhall Signall, December 3, 1991.)

SCVHS float with Lang Station model. Newhall Signal, July 7, 1976.

Model displayed by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society in the Saugus Train Station. Newhall Signal, June 7, 1985.

Jerry Reynolds, Santa Clarita Valley historian and SCVHS museum curator, next to the model in the Saugus train station where the museum was. Newhall Signal, November 26, 1989.

Current view (September 13, 2025) of the front of the Lang Station model in the Saugus Train station. Sometime between the previous photo of 1989 and this one, the large room air conditioner platform with stairs to its top on the side of the building disappeared.

Can't really get the the rear view of the station.