As a public company, the SP issued annual reports to its shareholders that are readily available today. These reports are very useful to modelers in that they contain information about RR operations, locomotives and rolling stock, facilities, paint schemes and various business dealings.

Research for modeling and operating the SVOS was conducted with the aid of more than 60 members of OPSIG, LDSIG and SP, SP&S, NP, UP and GN Railroad Historical and Technical Societies. With their assistance, a 5-drawer file cabinet is packed full of prototypical information now in use to accurately model every station, industry, tunnel, bridge, trestle and the general overall railroad right-of-way and its operation. For example, over 250 prototypically based structures are being created. As a thank you for the efforts expended, Bruce illustrates what is being accomplished and the resulting excitement achieved via prototype modeling.