L&N Industrial Rail Spur

[alcanman]

Hi Ed,

I'm pleased that you are making a good recovery from your surgery.

I really enjoyed your switching session pics. This has given me a greater insight as to how to operate Palmetto Spur.
I also like your latest plan, somehow has a more spacious look, which I prefer.

Looking forward to watching progress, once you have finalised your plan.

Incidentally, who manufactures the 3 silos at the end of the chocolate plant? I'm looking for something like that
for my next project.


regards,

Mal

[FCIN]

Incidentally, who manufactures the 3 silos at the end of the chocolate plant? I'm looking for something like that
for my next project.

Mal;
Those silo's came with a kit that I purchased many years ago. I think it was supposed to be a small plastics plant, but I only got it for the silo's.

Faller makes what it calls industrial silo's and is their part/kit number 130476. May be the same thing; at least very similar. They do look interesting, although not correct for my intended purpose. Right now, they are just stand in's to represent the cocoa bean storage silo's, so I don't know that I'll actually use them.

Glad you enjoyed the switching session photos. Should have included a few more photos, but between doing the switching and stopping now and then to take a photo, these were the best of the bunch and hopefully showed how the switching is performed. Maybe one day, when things are in much better shape (including me), I'll make a video of a typical operating session.

Must apologize for the appearance of things and the so-so structure mock ups. One of these days, I'll actually start constructing the real structures, etc., and get this mess looking more like a railroad.

Here's a link to the Faller Industrial Silos: http://www.faller.de/App/WebObjects/XSeM...silos.html Not quite the same, but very similar.

[Southern Tuxedo]

Ed,

I’m glad to see that you are getting back to the layout so quickly.

Thanks for posting the pictures and text of the operating session. I find posts like this extremely helpful to see how an industrial switching layout should be operated. I also like your new layout design better than the old one, because I prefer a few large industries over several smaller ones.

Mark

[FCIN]

Ed,

I’m glad to see that you are getting back to the layout so quickly.

Thanks for posting the pictures and text of the operating session. I find posts like this extremely helpful to see how an industrial switching layout should be operated. I also like your new layout design better than the old one, because I prefer a few large industries over several smaller ones.

Mark

Thanks Mark! I've actually felt pretty good today. At least much better then I have since getting paroled from the hospital. Sure don't want to have to do another stretch there any time soon! That was a lot more than I bargained for! Do have to take care and not tell The Boss (a/k/a the wife) that I'm starting to feel better, as she'll put me to work first chance she gets!

Look's like at this point, I have three votes for the revised track plan. Been looking at it a bit closer myself and switching it in my mind and it does seem to have a more spacious feel to it and look a bit more logical for an industrial spur of this length. If I keep feeling okay, I may well have to make the change and see how it actually works out. Will see what other comments I get and think it over before I make any more changes though.

[Mike Kieran]

Hey Ed, I don't know if you need a staging track on the other end. You seem to have enough track as is. If I were to make any changes to the industries, I would either extend the Lowes Lumber spur one car length to make it a building supply so that you can add covered hoppers (cement, sand) or hoppers (gravel) and get rid of Clark's Distributors to make it a cleanout spot.

[alcanman]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the info regarding the silos, I used a couple of similar Faller items on Palmetto and they look OK.

I kind of agree with Mike that you don't actually need a staging track, but hey! - it's your layout. I didn't have space
for a staging track on my version of Palmetto Spur, although Lance's plan actually had one.

I'm also hoping to do a new video showing a full switching session.

Thanks again for the inspiration.


Mal

[Brakie]

Ed,I kinda like your old plan better but,the revise plan does have its merits.

I wish Slate Creek was started but,I'm railfaning these last warm days before old man winter comes marching in.

[FCIN]

Hey Ed, I don't know if you need a staging track on the other end. You seem to have enough track as is.

You're right that I don't really need the staging track as there is more than enough room to stage the train on the main plan and operate it just fine, which is what I've been doing. Just want to have a bit longer run before actually entering the industrial spur and perhaps have room to stage two trains. I'd like to include a switch coming of the "main" track and an operating derail at that point, just for a little added interest; but it isn't something that's a must have.

Incidentally, I can operate this layout with industry tracks at 100% capacity with no problem what so ever, although that is rarely the case. As it is, only the chocolates plant is typically filled to capacity at all times and usually has a "hold" car on the track too.

If I were to make any changes to the industries, I would either extend the Lowes Lumber spur one car length to make it a building supply so that you can add covered hoppers (cement, sand) or hoppers (gravel) and get rid of Clark's Distributors to make it a cleanout spot.

Clark Distributing is a must. Destination for the beer cars that I've added to the fleet. The prototype structure that it's based on is 196ft long and only spots one car at a time. As for a clean out track, well that's in the yard or done on site.

Pretty much the same with Lowes Lumber, it is simply based on numerous small lumber/building supply facilities around here that only receive a couple of cars per week. It doesn't require a structure, only a fenced in area with perhaps an unloading dock by the track. Cement and/or sand and gravel would be commodities for another industry.

Ed,I kinda like your old plan better but,the revised plan does have its merits.

Larry;
It is a toss up right now. I do like the current plan quite a bit and am happy with how things work out on it. Just a matter of which version might be a bit more realistic to model. That's not to say that you wouldn't have a short industrial spur in a mid-size town that is packed with several industries of various sizes. A lot more rail served industries in the late 70's - early 80's then there are now. So I'll have to really think this through before making any changes. It is after all, just a "possibility" right now. :-)

P.S.; I'm eagerly awaiting when I can get back out and spend some time rail fanning again. This is a good time of the year to get photographs! My planned trip out to Missouri to photograph the Columbia Terminal dinner train and the Ozark Valley Railroad has been postponed for obvious reasons. Plenty of action on NS less than an hour from here, but I'm sick of the constant parade of black and white GE's!

[Mike Kieran]

Hey Ed,

Beer cars are a must! Necessary fuel . I was just suggesting adding onto the Lowes spur because then you could run all sorts of cars into there: flat cars, bulkhead cars, center beam cars, all door box cars, box cars, cement cars, hoppers, etc. All off of one small spur. You could have one or two cars of various mixes rotating into the spur.The plus of this kind of spur is the variety of cars that can go in. The minus is that it only receives.

Your cocoa beans can also come in box cars. The New York Cross Harbor Railroad (and earlier New York Dock Railroad) used to receive 90% of all of the cocoa beans in the United States. They used to unload ships inbound from South America onto box cars that were stationed on the car float. Unfortunately, I never had a camera around when I was in the area.

[FCIN]

... I was just suggesting adding onto the Lowes spur because then you could run all sorts of cars into there: flat cars, bulkhead cars, center beam cars, all door box cars, box cars, cement cars, hoppers, etc. All off of one small spur. You could have one or two cars of various mixes rotating into the spur.The plus of this kind of spur is the variety of cars that can go in. The minus is that it only receives.

Mike;
A small or mid-size lumber dealer receiving all those types of cars would really be a stretch. Not that I'd be interested in modeling such a facility; but I'd sure like to see some examples of a building products outfit that receives all those products. If it were changed to be a team track or trans-load facility, then you could very well have a lot of different types of equipment unloaded there.

Double sliding door box cars and bulkhead flats would pretty much be it for what I'm modeling. No centerbeam flats, but all door box cars would be around in 1979-80. I don't have any all-door box cars, but I'd love to have a model of the Southern Railway All-Door box car.

For now, I want to avoid having a team track as such on the layout, even though one of my track plans does include one that would receive shipments of building products, and a covered hopper trans-load. But a small lumber dealer located on an industrial spur works just fine and is something you can find all over the country.

Your cocoa beans can also come in box cars. ...

Yep, in my modeled era, it might be more prototypical for most of the cocoa beans to be arriving in box cars. I do plan on modeling the dump pit for cocoa beans received in box cars, even though you would only be able to see it from the end of the layout. I needed a good destination for all the C113 covered hoppers I have so I'm probably stretching it a bit to have all the cocoa bean shipments in covered hoppers for my era. May have to re-think this industry and go back to a smaller facility that only receives corn syrup in tank cars and sugar in Airslide covered hoppers. But what to do with all the covered hoppers?

The Jif Peanut Butter plant in nearby Lexington, received all their peanuts in 100lb burlap bags loaded in box cars through the mid-80's. Most were actually unloaded at the W. T. Young Storage Co. warehouse (about two miles from the Jif plant) and then trucked to the plant after being inspected. But sometime in the late 80's, they gradually started receiving the peanuts in bulk in covered hoppers and now that's the only way they get them. Seems to be the same way with cocoa bean shipments - first all box car shipments, then as time went on, bulk in covered hoppers. It's one of those "correct for what era" situations that you run in to all the time.

Right now, nothing is set in stone on my layout, so it's still subject to change. I've really been wondering lately, if I'm trying to include too much on the layout so am having one of those inner-battles with myself about "how much is too much". I'd hate to end up retiring a lot of my cars, especially after changing all the wheel sets to the correct size metal ones and putting scale size couplers on them; but if it ends up that I don't need those cars on the final layout design, then so be it.

[Brakie]

Ed,I eliminated my distribution track but,decided to add this track after all since I have coil cars and no industry covering these cars...

My thoughts is a off line customer would recive 2-3 coil loads a week-they use a heavy duty forklift to unload the coils and a flat bed trailer furnish by the local trailer spotting company..

[FCIN]

Ed,I eliminated my distribution track but,decided to add this track after all since I have coil cars and no industry covering these cars...

My thoughts is a off line customer would recive 2-3 coil loads a week-they use a heavy duty forklift to unload the coils and a flat bed trailer furnish by the local trailer spotting company..

That sounds quite workable Larry. A heavy duty fork lift or small mobile crane should be able to handle the coils and the covers on the cars. Would make for an interesting scene. Seems to me that I've seen photos of an operation like that or perhaps aerial views, but couldn't tell you where right now. Will have to check a few locations that I have bookmarked and see if perhaps it was at one of those locations.

In some ways, it's been a real challenge to find appropriate destinations for all my cars and I'd really hate to end up not using a lot of them. Have purchased a lot of cars over the past few years that would have been needed for certain railroads/industries that at the time I was considering modeling, but having changed my layout theme to strictly an industrial spur, it can be difficult to always find the proper industry for some of them.

[FCIN]

Well here I am with yet another possible revision to my track plan. I've gone back to having a team/trans-load track on this one and managed to eliminate one industry and large structure (a distribution warehouse). With my self imposed train length of 6 or 7 cars, it just feels like I'm trying to include too much on the current plan. Even with the elimination of the one industry; this version still provides destinations for all my freight equipment and it looks a bit less crowded too. Layout size is 18in X 20ft.     I've also determined that I really don't need to add the additional 6 or 8ft staging track on the left side, although I could still add it if desired; the idea being able to stage two different trains if desired.

Industries are as follows (right to left by track on plan):

1. Beverage Distributor - 50ft and 62ft insulated box cars - 1 car spot.
Note: As shown on the plan, this front edge structure is shown as a warehouse like building, but I may actually just put a model of the TQW crossdock in Effingham, IL, in that spot that would serve an off line facility (see below). Using that structure, a car on spot won't be completely hidden and it's an interesting structure; easily kit bashed from a Pikestuff kit.

2. Food Processor/Distributor - Tank cars, box cars, refrigerators - 5 car spots

3. Team/Trans-Load Track - Covered hoppers, bulkhead flats and box cars - 4 car spots.

4. Candy or Confection Plant - Tank cars, Airslide Covered hoppers - 2 car spots

I've included some non-rail served structures on the plan to give it a bit of that concrete canyon look and even an out of service track that used to serve one of those structures. The highway overpass on the left edge helps to hide the end of the layout. Of course I had to include a couple of road or street crossings to block while switching.

Will think this over some and if it still looks good to me, I'll probably make the necessary changes to the current track plan later today or tomorrow and test this one out. Should still provide plenty of switching operation.

Here's a photo showing both sides of the TQW crossdock to show how that structure would look.     Maybe I'll be able to settle on a final plan and start construction for real soon. Regardless of when I start construction, I'm really enjoying operating my various track plan arrangements. Keeps the interest level high and keeps me off the streets!

-- Edited to update plan after laying track ---

[Southern Tuxedo]

Hi Ed,

Happy Birthday!

Could you please explain where your layout is located and how you access it? Are you able to stand on the right side (end) or do you only have access from the front? What was the finished height again?

How did you take this picture?

Thanks, Mark

[FCIN]

Hi Ed,

Happy Birthday!

Could you please explain where your layout is located and how you access it? Are you able to stand on the right side (end) or do you only have access from the front? What was the finished height again?

How did you take this picture?

Thanks, Mark

Mark;

The layout is free standing in the middle of the basement floor. Bench work is actually 42in wide, but I'm putting the backdrop down the center (18in from the front) and will use the back side as storage for my 100+ cars. The layout stands 52 inches high which of course gives me sort of an aerial view, but since I stand and walk along with the train as I'm operating it, it works just fine for me.

This particular section of bench work was left over from a previous layout I had started some years ago and rather then tear it down and toss all of it, I just went with what was already there. I have considered putting up a new shelf along the one vacant wall in the basement, but that would reduce the overall length to 16ft and would require adding a removable staging track on one end to achieve the same layout space. Might as well use what is already available.

Little known secret - there is actually a second layout down here that is a 14ft X 36ft L shape and that has a large scale switching layout on it. I haven't worked with it for some time, but the nephews and nieces play around with it when they come to visit. They actually like the large scale stuff more then the HO scale. I like it all!