Team Track Industry

[FCIN]

In all this discussion about the crossdock structure, I should have included links to the Effingham Railroad and Illinois Western web sites for anyone not familiar with these short lines. Both sites have been changed a lot recently, but some interesting photos on the EFRR site.
Effingham Railroad: http://www.efrr.com/
Illinois Western Railroad: http://www.illwestern.com/
Look's like the ILW Geep has a new matching paint scheme now. Sure looks better than it did when I photographed it a couple of years ago.    

[jeznew]

I came across this structure a couple of years ago while searching the web for industrial branch lines. I always wanted to model it and the chance came when I designed and built my small exhibition layout Harrington. Here are my efforts so far. Weathering and a couple of small details still to be added:
   
   
   

   
   

[FCIN]

I came across this structure a couple of years ago while searching the web for industrial branch lines. I always wanted to model it and the chance came when I designed and built my small exhibition layout Harrington. Here are my efforts so far. Weathering and a couple of small details still to be added:

Very nicely done! Have been wanting to pick up some PixStuff parts at the LHS to do one of these myself. Have always wanted to incorporate it in to a layout ever since the first time I saw it in Effingham. It's different and perfect for a model railroad.

Another team track operation I want to duplicate would be a simple covered hopper unloading operation using an auger type conveyor. Should be simple to duplicate the conveyor with styrene and some appropriate sized wheels and tires.    

[Gary S]

Beautiful! We're discussin it on Big blue, and you have already built it. Excellent!

[Mr Fixit]

Hi FCIN

Thanks for posting these photos of the Effingham Railroad TQW Crossdock Facility as it was your post which brought me to Big Blue when I did a Google search of EFRR just recently. I am in the process of modelling the EFRR and I have been researching the EFRR for a number of years now. I knew about the Crossdock from the EFRR map but had never seen any photos. You have filled in a key segment of my knowledge of the railroad, so a very big thanks to you.

Mark
Melbourne Australia

[P5se Camelback]

Didn't we have a thread here about 9 months to a year ago with several photos, about just such a prototype building, on a shortline ...

... Is this where my daughter again accuses me of being "Captain Obvious?" Was it Effington ... was it really? I mean, my memory has really been getting foggy lately, and I use to pride myself on having a memory rather similar to a steel trap! I do recall a conveyor belt on a pair of wheels ... :?

[FCIN]

Hi FCIN
Thanks for posting these photos of the Effingham Railroad TQW Crossdock Facility as it was your post which brought me to Big Blue when I did a Google search of EFRR just recently. I am in the process of modelling the EFRR and I have been researching the EFRR for a number of years now. I knew about the Crossdock from the EFRR map but had never seen any photos. You have filled in a key segment of my knowledge of the railroad, so a very big thanks to you.

Mark
Melbourne Australia

Hi Mark. Sorry I didn't see this sooner - haven't been getting on here much lately, but be that as it may - you're quite welcome. Always thought the TQW crossdock in Effingham was a perfect "model railroad size" structure and may yet use it on my layout.

I too, have considered modeling the EFRR, even though it would have to be straightened out considerably to include all the trackage and in that regard I feel it loses something. Every layout I've ever designed is always based on prototype track arrangements and if I can't get it just right, I tend to abandon the concept. Do have a track plan around here someplace that I drew up. The EFRR would make for an interesting operation.

I first visited the EFRR when the line had just started and consisted of only about 700 feet of track running from the CR (now CSXT) switch, past the crossdock structure and dead ended. That was the only time I ever managed to get photos of their beautiful SW1200 as it was kept outside until the large TQW warehouse was built. Loco is kept inside that structure now.

Operations have grown considerably since then (1996). I go by there about once a year going to or coming from Missouri and have never caught them working. Some of their customers have come and gone - specifically Krispy Kreme Donuts (now Harlan Bakeries) and Bunge Corp (now Hodgson Mill). Was out there this past summer and looked like most of the trackage was being used for car storage! There were a couple of covered hoppers at Harlan Bakeries, so that's a good thing.

They also operate the nearby Illinois Western Railroad in Greenville, IL, which, like the EFRR when it started, only consists right now of a short dead end spur. Not sure if that operation will ever get really going, as the industrial park there is not exactly taking off. Will have to say that I love that CGW paint scheme used on both their locomotives!

I'll be very interested in seeing how your EFRR layout comes along.

[FCIN]

Didn't we have a thread here about 9 months to a year ago with several photos, about just such a prototype building, on a shortline ...

Bil; That would be this thread!

[P5se Camelback]

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

Thanks, Ed! Now I really know that I'm really losing it! This morning, checking the "Most Active" list, I decided to look at the first page of each listed thread before going on to the most current page, as a means of review and refamiliarization with the origins of the thread. Within seconds of the first page of this thread's loading, I knew how foolish my post of yesterday must have seemed to the rest of you. :oops:

I will never again even consider commenting on anything other than the most current postings of any thread! It is obvious to me that I can no longer trust that portion of what pretends to be the memory portion of my brain to function with any reliable clarity!

I can only guess that as a result of the possibly half-dozen times that I have had what seemed like near-death exacerbated COPD episodes, when I just could not breathe and called 911, those times when my blood oxygen level had fallen into the 60's have taken a toll ... that the diminished level of oxygen has had an ill effect on my mental capabilities. At least I am now aware that there is a problem. :?

:? :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :?

[MasonJar]

Didn't we have a thread here about 9 months to a year ago with several photos, about just such a prototype building, on a shortline ...

Bil; That would be this thread!

biL,

Don't worry. The Department of Redundancy Department would be pleased to create a duplicate thread for you...!


Andrew

[FCIN]

Thanks, Ed! Now I really know that I'm really losing it!

Don't sweat it Bil! Only caused this COPD member to spend about 45 minutes looking for the other thread! Seriously, I hate it when I remember seeing an interesting thread on here and then can't find it or realize that it was actually on another forum site (none of which are on par with Big Blue). Look at the bright side - you did remember seeing the thread.

Funny as I get older, I can remember things that happened 40 years ago like they happened yesterday, but can't remember what I did two days ago! What's worse is to head for the kitchen and when you get there you can't remember what you were going to get!

The wife and I tease each other about "never make one trip when you can make two or three" referring to the fact that we will both go to get something in another room and end up going back two or three times to get everything we were going for in the first place!

[Mr Fixit]

Hi guys and thanks for the welcome.

If you would like to visit rrpicturesarchive and then search for EFRR or IW you can find numerous photos of sw1200 EFRR 2716 and gp10 IW 7570 both now in what I am refering to as EFRR phase 2 paintwork.

Like you Ed I would like for an accurate representation of the EFRR trackage, but near enough is good enough [80/20 rule] and one just has to model a shortline that is the closest in real life to the "Timesaver" trackage.

Plus you "have to" just model a donut factory dont you!!!!

At full stretch it was producing 2 Million 50 pound bags of donut mix per year.

Mark

[FCIN]

Plus you "have to" just model a donut factory dont you!!!!
At full stretch it was producing 2 Million 50 pound bags of donut mix per year.
Mark

Mark;

I never have been able to find out why Krispy Kreme pulled out of Effingham after only a few years in operation, but at least the facility was taken over by another similar operation. Bunge Foods also left Effingham about the same time, and I'm not sure if the current company is doing much rail business. The down turn in the economy is hurting every one.

The EFRR is one of a handful of "model railroad" size short lines still in operation where a person could pretty much model it in its entirety. I wouldn't call it a "Timesaver", but does require that industries be switched from both directions. Besides not being able to model the line closer to the prototype track arrangement, most of the industries didn't fit with my freight car fleet, which also helped to rule it out. Just going to have a freelance industrial spur, but using a prototype track arrangement.

I've always been really fond of the EFRR's CGW paint scheme. Very nice and they keep the equipment spotless!

[Sumpter250]

At first I thought 7570 was a former ICG/IC GP-10, but I found that this one was ex PC, ex CR. Interesting rebuild, might make a neat GP-9 kitbash project.

[Mr Fixit]

Ah, "The Tale of The Krispy Kreme Manufacturing and Distribution Plant in Effingham" is a tale filled with high hopes of bringing good paying jobs to a community that didnt even qualify for its own Krispy Kreme store.
It all began in 2001 when K.K.s main production facility in Harlem, S.C. was working 24/7 trying to keep up with orders from all the K.K. stores including the newer ones that had been rolled out after K.K. "went public" on the stock exchange. and wasnt that a big success, the stock just kept rising and rising just like donuts in the proving machine in one of the stores. So K.K. arranged for a firm to make a search for suitable locations that were favourable in terms of distance from bulk supplies of raw materials by truck and by rail, and distance to distribution zones by truck. The fact that Effingham was offering build in subsidies in conjunction with the Illinois State Government Tax Credits, as well as having a shortline which could offer cheaper rail costs and switching fees clinched the deal. So K.K. spent about $35 million to purchase about 30 acres of the Business Park site and had a custom built factory errected.
We now have the ingredients for the plants ultimate demise present. The high profile rollout of new stores would eventually start coming unstuck as incrimental sales declined and costs rose. This was viewed with much displeasure by the Wall Street and so the stock price began to slide, which ramped up the pressure at head office. Following an unrelated firms bankruptcy and disclosures of "synthetic leases". [which are leases that by some miracle didnt appear on a firms balance sheet] in a funny money kind of way, the "Wunder Kids" of Wall Street began searching for more of these type of leases.
Can you guess where they found one or more???? Yep at Krispy Kreme and the biggest lease of them all was the one for the Effingham Manufacturing and Distribution Plant.
So short of cash and running before the Wall Street Bulls they well basically gave the plant the bullet, put @ 70 people out of work and took a big hit financially when they only managed to sell the plant [to Harlan Bakeries] for about $14 Million. Here endeth this sad sad tale

Mark