New York Harbor Model Railroading

[tetters]

As a side note, train and float capacities can varry. Obviously, a carfloat can only handle so many cars (14-15 max), but sometimes, a second float can be sent, and on the flip side of that, a carfloat does not always have to be full to be sent to it's destination. Just because it holds 14 cars doesn't mean there will always be 14 cars to send! The transfer jobs to and from the main west end staging yard are a different story, however. The longest fiddle track to build a train on (without doubling the train) can hold 14 cars, but as a general rule, 15 cars is the max a transfer job will handle (one carfloats' worth of cars). 15 cars with two SW's on the headend and a caboose is longer than you might think - I don't have an exact measurement (I'm at work right now), but if you figure that a 3 foot piece of flex track holds about 6 40ft cars, that's about a 9 foot train. It's only about 15 feet from staging to the main yard, so my trains can't bee too big, and even 15 cars is pushing it, but much less than that and I would think the trains would look too light/small!

This is a great bit of info for me. On my freelanced layout, I plan to use a car float as a way to stage cars for an operating session. Although the number of operators ( 2 - 3 maybe 4 at most) is no where near your requirements. I also would like to able to work the RR by myself without getting "overworked" so to speak, which in all honesty, is what I am really looking forward too.

Getting to my point though is that I always envisioned the car float as being loaded up to capacity for every session. Funny how it never occured to me that I could reduce the number of cars moved on and off layout by half or even less during a given op session. Which will probably be ideal for those days when I just want to operate by myself and move some freight around.

The point about train length is good too. My largest siding is meant to hold about 10-12 cars max. Its the one that will be near the wharf and float bridge area once I've laid the track for it. I read an interesting "rule" recently where a particular model railroader uses the 1 = 3 rule. 1 car on his layout equals 3 in the real world. An idea I can sort of appreciate. Although, as it stands I can assemble a train right now and "deliver" three to four cars per industry siding, which I figure is pretty close to realistic as it get in my 16x15 foot world.