09-13-2009, 08:44 AM
2-8-2 Wrote:I'm very aware of how loads in/empties out works, but how would you operate with the inbound/outbound method? To me, it sounds like you're talking about just rotating the roster to have fresh cars on the layout, then not really giving them anywhere to go.
The ultimate loads in, loads out industry has to be a coking plant. Loads of black granular material in open top hoppers in, loads of black granular material in open top hoppers out. If you build the track plan of the plan with a balloon loop, where the plant itself is down the middle of the loop, put the inbound coal unloader on the fron sidet and the outbound coke loader on the back side (or vice versa) with a yard in front. Coal comes in, its switched into cuts and shoved through the "unloader". Then a switcher on the unmodeled other end of the plant shoves the now "empty" hoppers back out under the loader. The switcher pulls the loads and switches them up for their destinations.