TPBO

[FCIN]

I had 2 names picked out Ohio Valley Ry (a Cincinnati switching road) ...

Larry;
I like that name - very appropriate for several locations in this part of the country. Do you own the copyright/trademark for that name? I might want to use it...

There actually is a Ohio Valley Railroad - located in Evansville, IN - although I wouldn't call a shop building where passenger cars and a few locomotives are rebuilt and about 4 yard tracks a railroad. http://www.ohiovalleyrailroad.com/ Web site doesn't tell you much, but I like the modified NYC logo they use:    
They actually share space with the almost defunct Indiana Southwestern Railway in the former IC yard in Evansville.

Wonder what a nice paint scheme would be to go with that logo? NYC Jade Green with white stripes perhaps?

[Brakie]

Ed,I would be honored if you chose that name.I simply love that logo.

My original thoughts on a paint scheme would have been Engine Black body with a yellow frame and lettering.

As you know Jade Green was the color of NYC boxcars and cabooses-I always like that color.

[FCIN]

Ed,I would be honored if you chose that name.I simply love that logo.
My original thoughts on a paint scheme would have been Engine Black body with a yellow frame and lettering.
As you know Jade Green was the color of NYC boxcars and cabooses-I always like that color.

Larry;
Are we related or something? I've always been a big fan of black with yellow striping - really like the Pioneer Railcorp scheme: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPic...x?id=27770 Simple, but elegant.

I always liked the NYC Jade Green box cars with that big cigar band logo on them.

Guess this has gotten off topic somewhat, but it has given me a lot more ideas and some motivation to do something! The "more ideas" may or may not be a good thing, but even little things like potential railroad names, working on structures then the railroad, etc. are good things. I've actually been toying with whatever I end up doing, being operated by a fictional railroad switching company, with second hand power and patched paint jobs. But we shall see...

[Justinmiller171]

Here is a much more simplified track-plan, I also made sure to include a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant


A short-line is a great idea for a railroad, more variety in locomotives, plus almost nothing in unprototypical!

I thought you would be interested in The Caldwell County Railroad, since it uses some Ex L&N power(Although it is in Family Lines Scheme)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Kj-prdSyQ

[FCIN]

Here is a much more simplified track-plan, I also made sure to include a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant (...)
A short-line is a great idea for a railroad, more variety in locomotives, plus almost nothing in unprototypical!

Justin;
You're going to keep it up until I go with a plan like you've drawn!!! Glad you remembered the Coca-Cola plant!

I've always been a huge fan of short lines - the shorter the better - and still like the concept of the line being just a piece of an abandoned line operated by an independent short line (as you and Jack Hill are doing). It's decisions like this that are tending to keep me from actually starting the layout for real!!!

For now, I'm still leaning toward just an industrial spur that branches off the "main line" and serving about four industries. Something on this order:     This is by no means a final plan and I most likely would not include the one trailing spur. More likely just have more scenery in that area - perhaps a trailer park or a few houses with the railroad skirting the back yards and Mrs. Robinson sun-bathing in the back yard :oops: ; maybe another non-rail served structure to give it that canyon look as you enter the spur. I'll probably spread out the industry spurs a bit more along the length of the "main" so it doesn't look quite so crowded on the right side. It's a simple track plan, but does look like most short industrial spurs you see.

I do want to have industry tracks on each side of the "main" and have even thought about having a building with the track running inside placed along the front edge of the layout. Idea (seen somewhere in a thread on here) would be that you could look inside the modeled portion of the structure and see forklifts moving pallets of various commodities along with some stacks of goods that have been unloaded from the box cars. Just not sure if that would work okay. That's why I have two tracks on the front edge that don't really require a structure to be modeled other than the short canopy over the tank car unloading spot at the Coca-Cola plant.

I do have the option of putting a narrow 6ft long staging track off the left end of the layout so that the train wouldn't have to be staged as though it had just entered the spur. If I add the extra length for staging, then I'll still want it look like the industrial spur is branching of the "main". For now, I'm trying to get the feel for just using the existing benchwork, without the extension.

Going to snow here today so will be a good time to do some testing of track layouts...

[Justinmiller171]

...to give it that canyon look as you enter the spur...

This brings up a good question, Do you want your layout to be a congested urban industrial park with lots of buildings? or do you want it to be a somewhat rural industrial park?

[Brakie]

Ed,Here's a thought...Instead of a trailer park or houses why not use that area as a trailer drop lot for "drop and hook" service? A trucking company with trailer spotting services ferries the trailers between the industries and drop lot.This gives the illusion of a larger industrial complex.

[FCIN]

...to give it that canyon look as you enter the spur...

This brings up a good question, Do you want your layout to be a congested urban industrial park with lots of buildings? or do you want it to be a somewhat rural industrial park?

Actually sort of a mix. Maybe a couple of buildings on either side of the track, then most of the rest spaced out similar to this: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=38.01...5&t=h&z=17.

Idea is/was if the train is staged on the entrance to the spur rather than on an attached staging track, then a structure on both sides of the track would help to conceal that somewhat. Even though neither structure is actually rail served.

Doesn't have to be done that way at all but could be laid out similar to this: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=43.11...5&t=k&z=17

At this stage in the game, I'm flexible.

[FCIN]

Instead of a trailer park or houses why not use that area as a trailer drop lot for "drop and hook" service?

Another good scenic idea there Larry! Hadn't considered anything like that.

[FCIN]

Hummmmmmmm... look's like there's about 2 inches of snow covering everything this morning! Guess I won't be heading to the LHS today after all.... What I should do today is to temporarily put down the track arrangement similar to my sketch and see how I like operating it. Have already done a simpler temporary arrangement, but might as well put down a couple more spurs and see how it works out... Maybe that will get me going...

[shortliner]

Ed - you might like to take a look at this - Chris is a mate of mine
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[FCIN]

Ed - you might like to take a look at this - Chris is a mate of mine
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/26277-csx-miami/">http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... csx-miami/</a><!-- m -->

Thanks! I'll be keeping an eye on Chris' work.

[Brakie]

Instead of a trailer park or houses why not use that area as a trailer drop lot for "drop and hook" service?

Another good scenic idea there Larry! Hadn't considered anything like that.

Ed,I try to model the unusual things instead of the well worn things you can see on most layouts.

Some of my industries include North American Knitting,a Pillsbury processing plant (cake mixes),a small municipal power plant,a meat processor,a tobacco and alcohol distributor,a printing company and grocery distributor..On the team track we have M.S Throngberry Distributors(caskets and steel grave vaults),C.J. Dowell Plastics-they recieve J Flex in tank cars that is trans loaded into tanker trucks..

My industries is centered around my love for boxcars especially the IPD short line boxcars.


Apologies for getting off topic.

[FCIN]

Here are two slight variations of what I've got fixed in my mind at this point. Probably should be a new thread, but for now I'll leave it here until something really gets built

Version 1 - Using only the existing 18in X 20ft benchwork which requires the train to be staged as if it has just entered the industrial spur...
   
Version 2 - With the addition of an 8in X 6ft staging track which would allow the train to actually enter the spur off the main...
   
I've kept the number of industries on this short (3/10 mile long) spur to just four to not overload the space and allow for a fair amount of scenery and clearly show where the spur connects to the "outside world". Very simple track arrangement, but typical of hundreds of such industrial spurs and it should offer plenty of operation.

Industries are:
1) Coca-Cola Bottling Plant - spots 2 to 3 tank cars of HFCS - one on spot being unloaded goes inside a small shed that is not quite the length of a tank car. The actual building will not be modeled, but may include storage tanks, similar to this...     I do plan to have a paved lot to the right of the track with truck trailers and a few Coke trucks sitting there. I haven't looked, but I'd guess that someone makes HO models of Coke delivery trucks and/or semi-trailers. The entire Coca-Cola area will be inside chain link fence.

2) Temple-Inland Containers - can spot a covered hopper or tank car by the small tanks at end of track - then at least 5 - 50ft box cars can be placed at specific spots at the main building. This is the largest customer on the spur and the reason the spur was originally laid. Credit Jack Hill http://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/ for this industry on the layout and will be switched the same as his PCA container plant.

3) Higgin's Premium Pet Foods - spots one or two covered hoppers of grain and an occasional box car for an outbound shipment. This company is actually located in Hialeah, FL, on CSXT and as I wanted either a feed mill or fertilizer dealer, when I saw this small facility on Google maps http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=25.88...7&t=h&z=18 - I moved it to my part of the country (along with all employees). My dog Abigail will appreciate the gesture. And no, I don't plan on trying to build an exact model of the real structure - just something reasonably close.

4) Trans-Load or Team Track - (The Jack of all Trades industry) track capacity is 5 - 50ft+ cars and they can be most anything. Primarily will be getting loads of lumber and building products (bulkhead flats/box cars) for a building supply dealer. Other odd shipments like a reffer load of potatoes or produce, perhaps even a car of bulk cement now and then - you get the idea. Have included a concrete dock/ramp at the end of the track for any shipments that might require it. I think I've got at least one TTPX chain flat so might see a load of machinery now and then.

The team track can also be used to hold a couple of cars in storage for Temple-Inland, although I'm going to say that all their stored cars are kept in the nearby yard or siding and are brought in as requested. I suppose I could put in another turnout just to the left of the first road crossing and angle a track off it that could hold 4 or 5 cars for storage, but for now I'll leave that out.

I put a highway overpass at one end of the plan and included two grade crossings to block while switching . Temple-Inland and Coca-Cola get switched every day, Higgin's about every other day on average. Probably will be at least one car for team track every day. I plan on limiting the switch jobs to a maximum of 5 inbound cars for any operating session, although there can always be more than one switch job during a day if desired. Based on real and model experience I'd venture to say that a "typical" operating session that works every industry will take well over an hour.

Going to work on temporarily placing the track per Version 1 today and try and get a feel for things. That about covers this plan concept - open to suggestions

[FCIN]

Ed,I try to model the unusual things instead of the well worn things you can see on most layouts.
Apologies for getting off topic.

Larry;
Apologies not needed! You and I seem to think along the same lines and I love some of the industry ideas you mentioned. We both love the short line IPD cars too.
Eager to hear what you think about my present layout concept.