09-23-2011, 03:34 AM
I've been having some second thoughts about the number of individual industries and tracks to include on my ISL, so have come up with yet another slight variation to the plan. Can't say at the moment that I will make this change, but am running it up the flag pole to see if anyone salutes it and what your thoughts might be.
This is the current track plan as laid out and what I've been operating for a while now (see previous Switching Session posts):
And here is the possible revision:
The main change is the elimination of one track and turnout, along with the distribution warehouse, separate food processing and cold storage facilities.
These three separate industries have been combined in to one large food processing/distribution facility - GFS (Gordon Food Service).
GFS has facilities in 9 states and it fits well in to my L&N theme, which actually served several GFS facilities in its 6,000 mile/13 state territory.
Being a larger facility, it's rail intensive and receives an assortment of freight cars. Tank cars of vegetable oil (up to 2 at a time), box cars of food and packaging products (up to 4 at a time) and reefers of frozen meat and/or produce (up to 2 at a time). Since GFS would receive an assortment of box cars at the warehouse section dock, I see no need to also include a separate distribution warehouse. Also an industrial spur of this length (slightly over 1/4 mile long) just seems more likely to serve a couple of large facilities along with a couple of smaller facilities.
I know that many folks prefer switching layouts that are crammed full of turnouts/track and small industries, but I prefer simpler track arrangements with industries that look like they would actually be rail served. I do have two smaller industries still on the plan, both of which are based on prototype facilities and number of car spots.
There should be quite a bit of switching involved at GFS, with cars being placed/pulled/re-spotted as required. My chocolates plant has proved to be quite switching intensive even though on average there are only 4 cars placed there at any one time, because of having to place/pull/re-spot cars as needed.
Not shown on either plan will be a 6 to 8 foot long staging track on the left end, which I have not yet added, but hope to do so once I get some energy.
Your thoughts?
This is the current track plan as laid out and what I've been operating for a while now (see previous Switching Session posts):
These three separate industries have been combined in to one large food processing/distribution facility - GFS (Gordon Food Service).
Being a larger facility, it's rail intensive and receives an assortment of freight cars. Tank cars of vegetable oil (up to 2 at a time), box cars of food and packaging products (up to 4 at a time) and reefers of frozen meat and/or produce (up to 2 at a time). Since GFS would receive an assortment of box cars at the warehouse section dock, I see no need to also include a separate distribution warehouse. Also an industrial spur of this length (slightly over 1/4 mile long) just seems more likely to serve a couple of large facilities along with a couple of smaller facilities.
I know that many folks prefer switching layouts that are crammed full of turnouts/track and small industries, but I prefer simpler track arrangements with industries that look like they would actually be rail served. I do have two smaller industries still on the plan, both of which are based on prototype facilities and number of car spots.
There should be quite a bit of switching involved at GFS, with cars being placed/pulled/re-spotted as required. My chocolates plant has proved to be quite switching intensive even though on average there are only 4 cars placed there at any one time, because of having to place/pull/re-spot cars as needed.
Not shown on either plan will be a 6 to 8 foot long staging track on the left end, which I have not yet added, but hope to do so once I get some energy.
Your thoughts?
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"