Interesting track config for produce terminal

[foulrift]

In the current issue of Classic Trains there is an aerial photo of New Orleans showing various warehouses and the track.It shows one large warehouse with 3-4 parallel tracks,each track holding approx.8 cars.As I looked closely at the picture,I could see the dock plates between the cars so the could be loaded without moving any of them.
This picture is from the 40's and on another page there is a picture of the same area from the 60's.
I found these pictures would be useful for anyone interested in a switching layout.There is also text detailing what railroads operated here and a legend showing what all the buildings and surrounding roads were.
Bob

[deckroid]

Here it is so far...

[steinjr]

Here it is so far...

Hmm - if you offset the rightmost dock by more, then the door on a second car on the closest track will actually line up with the door on a car on the other track - so you can unload it through the car on the other track.

That is kind of the core neat concept of that prototype track plan - being able to serve several docks without disturbing cars at the other docks when there is relatively little traffic, and being able to unload more cars through other cars when there is heavy traffic.

Smile,
Stein

[Brakie]

The way that dock lacks room I wouldn't want to unload any car from that dock.I agree with Stein that the dock needs to be extended.

[deckroid]

Stein,

I though about extending that dock, but I think I am going to put a 3rd rail on that right most dock. Then maybe have a fourth bend around the building as a siding. This way, I can put empties on the siding, pick up the full ones then put the empties into the bays.



George

[faraway]

I guess the designer of the prototype planned to access the cars in rows and columns. That permits a maximum of cars to be accessed with a minimum of building and ramp. A clever cost optimized design. You need to start with the tracks (columns) and length of cars (rows) to design the building and its doors.

[Russ Bellinis]

Before I retired, I used to go to Redondo Junction which is now where the Amtrak coach yard is in Los Angeles. Express Trak was a company that was separate but owned by AmTrak. They shipped 2-4 loads of oranges out on every Southwest Chief train for a few years. I think they are out of business now. It was an idea that AmTrak had to try to add revenue to their trains, but they low balled the price to pick up shippers and thought that they could raise prices later. When they tried to raise prices the shippers balked, but they were losing so much money on the original prices that they went bankrupt. Anyway, they used to load the cars by loading boxes of oranges on pallets, that were put into the car by forklift where crews would hand stack the orange boxes into the car, and the forklift would then take the empty pallet out and get another one from the trailer there were transloading out of. On the ExpressTrak cars, they loaded from both ends to the middle, and the last boxes were put on the top of the stack from the dock before closing the door. There was no empty space in the car so no bracing was needed. I think in the old days where they used ramps between cars for loading, they would load the outside car first. It would be loaded completely, and then the ramp would be removed and the door closed and sealed. Then they would load the second car in, and thus work their way to the car that was dock side. In the case of the citrus industry at least, the cars were always loaded tight enough that no bracing was ever needed. Obviously, if the cars were being unloaded, they would unload the inside car first and then work their way out.