+- (https://bigbluetrains.com)
+-- Forum: Branchline (https://bigbluetrains.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=45)
+--- Forum: Layouts (https://bigbluetrains.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=46)
+--- Thread: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. (/showthread.php?tid=5090)
TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - TTRAK_andrew - 05-25-2012
G'day All,
Here are some photo's of the present level of work on my Tropicana Orange Juice Distribution Center modular switching layout.
First up is a view of the two main modules and half of the thin switching lead module.
This module features the two freight car storage tracks and the distribution center itself.
This module is the location of the two points (PECO 9 inch radius `Set-track') and a small section of the employees car park and the delivery truck parking space. When working out the scenery aspect of this module I decided it needed something other than wasteland and which would suggest some life and operation for the building itself. The result is the two vehicle parking areas. The trucks are due for a complete stripping of paint, fitting some form of refrigeration unit (probably a block of styrene over the the top of the cab) and painting up in white with some home printed Tropicana decals. The two cars need a bit of attention also.
The white lines on the `asphalt' are white stripes from an old Champ decals alphabet set. The curbing is ".040" (1mm) square styrene strip painted grey.
The grass is electrostatically applied with 1mm length used around the parking area and 4mm on `the other side of the tracks'.
I will post more photo's as progress continues.
Regards, Andrew G.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Tyson Rayles - 05-25-2012
Looking good!
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Harry - 05-26-2012
nice Andrew
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Ralph - 05-26-2012
I Iike it! Nice to see that line up of juice cars.
Ralph
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - faraway - 05-26-2012
Andrew, the first yellow truck has the faded sign of the German post (post horn). Is it an Australian truck and sign?
The turnout switch levers are clever mounted
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - TTRAK_andrew - 05-27-2012
G’day all,
Firstly, thank-you all for your complements, they are appreciated.
The Tropicana cars are older Atlas cars gathered of E-Bay, plus some repaints. I have quite a few juice cars, mainly Roundhouse/MDC 57' reefers, not exactly prototype but able to look the part and be available at a reasonable price.
You can see most of my juice cars in active service at:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/StArnaudRails">http://www.youtube.com/user/StArnaudRails</a><!-- m -->
The three trucks are old (30+ years) WIKING brand models that cost a fair bit of pocket money when I was a young modeller. WIKING is/was a German brand and hence the postal service 'horn' logo on the yellow truck. Well done for noticing Reinhard!
The layout consists of two small modules are each 310mm long and 150mm wide, plus an extra 310mm long thin `head shunt’ module. The modules are joined by using Kato Unitrack, as per T-TRAK.
The switching operation is concerned with delivering reefers loaded with various frozen Tropicana orange juice products from the two storage tracks to each of the three distribution warehouse doors as required. Each of the nine reefer freight cars that will be occupying the two storage tracks will have two `tags’ on its roof. The tags will have one of three colours to represent different products loaded into that freight car. A coloured four sided dice will be rolled for each warehouse door. On 3 sides of the dice will be the three colours of the tags, plus a `blank’ to represent no products required at that door. When all the required `deliveries are made, the appropriate tags are removed from the top of the reefer. As time goes by some cars will be full, some half full, and others empty. The operator’s challenge is not only to deliver the right loads to the correct doors, but to also steadily move the empty reefers to the rear of the storage tracks to make it easier to access the cars with loads.
Regards,
Andrew G.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Brakie - 05-27-2012
A very interesting concept.
Looks good!
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - steinjr - 05-27-2012
TTRAK_andrew Wrote:The switching operation is concerned with delivering reefers loaded with various frozen Tropicana orange juice products from the two storage tracks to each of the three distribution warehouse doors as required. Each of the nine reefer freight cars that will be occupying the two storage tracks will have two `tags’ on its roof. The tags will have one of three colours to represent different products loaded into that freight car. A coloured four sided dice will be rolled for each warehouse door. On 3 sides of the dice will be the three colours of the tags, plus a `blank’ to represent no products required at that door. When all the required `deliveries are made, the appropriate tags are removed from the top of the reefer. As time goes by some cars will be full, some half full, and others empty. The operator’s challenge is not only to deliver the right loads to the correct doors, but to also steadily move the empty reefers to the rear of the storage tracks to make it easier to access the cars with loads.
Mmm - that is an interesting way of generating moves.
Some quick questions:
Are the two dots on any given car always the same color?
Is only half a car load (one out of two dots) unloaded every time the car gets spotted at a door?
If you roll the same load again for a given door, and there already is a car at that door with a partial load of the appropriate type - does that represent "no move" (you will unload the second half of that car), or will you pull that car and get a different car with the same type of load ?
Does blank represent "no car" or "no movement" - i.e. if you already have a car spotted at that door, and it is not completely unloaded yet, will it stay or be pulled?
Like your buildings and parking lot, looks nice! Also like the way you have the ground throws at the front of your layout - accessible and visually separate from the modeled layout.
Smile,
Stein
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - TTRAK_andrew - 05-28-2012
G'day All, Some answers to the quick questions that Stein has asked, but first two points:
1) I am making a referral to the May 2007 issue of Model Railroader magazine, which features an article on how to model a Tropicana Distribution Center like the prototype at Kearney, New Jersey. While I have to re-read it and double check my assumptions, the current operations draw from it.
2) In my answers I refer to some freight cars being `behind' others. By this I mean its location relative to the other freight cars and the switch that allows access to the warehouse. Imagine the switch into the siding, then the three doors of the warehouse. The door closest to the switch is door 1, the next door 2, and obviously the door adjacent to the end of track bumper is door 3. A car at door 3 is 'behind' the cars at both doors 1 & 2, and a car at door 2 is `behind' a car at door 1.
Are the two dots on any given car always the same color?
For most cars they will be, but 2 or 3 will be mixed.
Is only half a car load (one out of two dots) unloaded every time the car gets spotted at a door?
Correct.
If you roll the same load again for a given door, and there already is a car at that door with a partial load of the appropriate type - does that represent "no move" (you will unload the second half of that car), or will you pull that car and get a different car with the same type of load ?
Effectively it is a no-move. i.e. it may be shuffled to allow a car behind it to be moved in or out, but it will be returned to that door.
Does blank represent "no car" or "no movement" - i.e. if you already have a car spotted at that door, and it is not completely unloaded yet, will it stay or be pulled?
Blank will mean 'no product required', effectively `no car'. So in order to save switching time if the car(s) behind it don't need to be moved, then it may stay there, otherwise it goes back to the storage tracks in the normal movements of switching the cars behind it.
I appreciate these questions as they help to define more of the details of the intended operations, so please keep them coming.
One issue I have to resolve is when a particular door requires `red' product, and another door rolls `blank' but has a `red' loaded car on it, would the prototype just send the forklifts to the red loaded car rather than switch it, assuming that no other car behind it have to be switched. ie. it is easier/faster/cheaper to send forklifts an extra few meters for each pallet than have the switcher move the loaded car? Past and present warehouse workers/railroaders please help! While I intend to favor switching variety/activity over absolute prototype fidelity, I do like to know where I am stretching things.
Regards,
Andrew G.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Russ Bellinis - 05-28-2012
The Tropicana warehouse in New Jersey would receive loads of juice in the cars and unload them for distribution in the Northeast. All Tropicana juice trains are loaded in Florida and sent throughout the country. Tropicana produces a number of brands of orange juice, but "Tropicana Pure" brand is always 100% Florida orange juice.
Before you can mount a refrigeration unit on those trucks, you will need to raise the roofs of the truck bodies @ 2 scale feet to allow clearance above the cab of the truck.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Brakie - 05-29-2012
it is easier/faster/cheaper to send forklifts an extra few meters for each pallet than have the switcher move the loaded car?
------------------------------------------------------
Absolutely! Having operated a forklift at a warehouse that's exactly the way we unloaded trailers.You see it was easier for me to drive to the next loaded trailer and unload it then have the driver to unhook from the dock lock and move 2-3 doors so I could unload him..As far as rail cars NS switched the warehouse once a day.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - TTRAK_andrew - 06-14-2012
G'day all,
I have been slowly working away at the modules and done the following since the last post for this stream:
1. Fitted the drop away magnetic uncoupler (see:http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5656)
2. Done just about all the ballasting.
3. Fixed up all the stray glued down ballast that prevented smooth operation after the ballast had dried.
4. Fitted the warehouse doors with weather canopies as per Gary S's work in HO at:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2275&start=1230">viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2275&start=1230</a><!-- l -->
5. Made up the freight car lading markers out of square Evergreen styrene tubing, and put coloured adhesive labels on them.
6. Made the four colour `spinner' out of cardboard and a toothpick to decide which colour product for which door (White/blank means no delivery to that door).
7. Had some fun switching freight cars!!!
Below are two photo's showing the state of `play':
Still to go in terms of major rail works is fitting end of track devices on the two storage sidings. They will be either removable bumpers fitted into the existing track, or a small module with two tracks that match the sidings and permanently fitted with bumpers, or two very small single track modules with each having it's own bumper.
Regards,
Andrew G.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - Tyson Rayles - 06-14-2012
Hmmmmm, I seem to have an overwhelming urge to run to the store and buy some orange juice.
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - ocalicreek - 06-15-2012
Did I miss it somewhere, or is this based loosely on an inglenook sidings track arrangement? Nice micro.
Galen
Re: TROPICANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER SWITCHING LAYOUT. - TTRAK_andrew - 06-15-2012
G'day Galen & All,
Thank you for the complement. Yes ,the track plan is based loosely on the Inglenook shunting puzzle, but even without knowing about the venerable Inglenook I would still have come to the same arrangement eventually, given the prototypes in Kearney New Jersey and Cincinnati. The classic Inglenook is two sidings of 3 car capacity and a `main' of 5 car capacity. From the warehouse siding to the front siding the capacity is 3, 4, 5. The head-shunt is one switcher plus 3 freight cars.
Regards,
Andrew G.