Building the Potomac Line

[Puddlejumper]

Of the 4 spurs that lead off the edge of layout, over the lower peninsula, the first three (occupied by the PRR, L&N, and LS&W hoppers) will lead to the trestles of Metropolitan Fuel Co., Inc. I love hoppers, so this will be the primary customer in Spring Hill, with 3 trestles and approximately 15 spots. There will be perhaps 6-8 grades of coal, plus sand, gravel, and road salt available at Metro Fuel, as well as firewood (bought and sold locally through local residents, not the railroad)




The 4th spur, occupied by the MDT reefer, will lead to Capital Cold Storage. The spur will be elevated, with loading bays into the building. Below the elevated rail spur will be loading docks for over the road trucks. The area where the foam ends marks where the various industrial fronts and backdrop will be. The white foam area will be on the other side of the backdrop and will be Potomac Yard.

[Puddlejumper]

As for the 5 industries along the backdrop, I have not yet decided what they will be. Could use some ideas from the peanut gallery. There are 3 spots each in the 4 industries that accept cars into the building. The industry with the loading dock has 2 spots. The area in front of the buildings will be shared by rails and pavement, not sure of the layout of the streets yet.

So what do you guys think as far as urban industries, older style brick buildings, that would receive cars fairly regularly, and had interior loading/unloading docks? Some ideas I thought of were window/glass manufacturer or distributor, furniture, and plumbing, pipe, etc.

Dave

[Ralph]

I really like the track configurations of the industrial complex. Looks like a lot of fun to operate. The styro flats make me think of the more modern warehoues but I'm guessing your era is more suited to brick builindgs as you noted. In addition to industries you mentioned, perhaps a printer or newspaper that would receive boxcars full of paper rolls, or a food canning business maybe?

[ratled]

It reminds me of the old MET in Merced CA when I was stationed at Castle AFB.. You could always see what all of those industries were for ideas.


ratled

[Puddlejumper]

Thanks for the ideas. A newsprint warehouse or newspaper printer are definitely possibilities.

Thanks ratled for the idea of checking the MET, I will do so, thought the MET is a west coast line, not sure if that matters or not when it comes to likely industries.

Dave

[Tyson Rayles]

Looks like you got the makings of a major urban layout. Cold storage was a fairly common business back then I think, of course you would need some refridgerated boxcars. A transfer wharehouse is another possibility. Meat packing, bottling or electrical supply????

[FiatFan]

Another thought would be a food distribution facility. When I was working, I worked for a company that had distribution centers that were capable of handling 17 50' boxcars on each side of the building.

Tom

[tomustang]

Very nice work so far. I would suggest the Magic Pan Bakeries since I like the building a lot.


I forget, what era you representing?

[Puddlejumper]

Very nice work so far. I would suggest the Magic Pan Bakeries since I like the building a lot.


I forget, what era you representing?

Tom, I have quite the anachronistic collection of equipment with no single era, but I recently decided to focus the layout around 1950 or so. That means a lot of my diesels and more modern equipment will have to go, but I find myself increasingly more interested in steam locomotion and older style freight cars, old brick buildings, fine architecture, old cars and trucks, etc. I think 1950, +/- 5 years will allow GP7s, F/E units, and early ALCos, and also allow late steam. Also, my favorite type of freight car is the open top hopper, favorite commodity is coal. My largest customer is a fuel dealer, and I want to represent different grades of heating coal. In this way, they hoppers become individual loads, not unlike a boxcar. My understanding is that this type of fuel dealer was in decline by the 1950's, and that is a factor in my decision. I find no interest in modern coal operations, where the are few grades of coal, and it is treated as a bulk commodity rather than individual car loads.

I do need to further research the topic of era.

As far as Magic Pan bakery, would they have an inside or outside loading/unloading area? I have not seen the building you refer to.

Thank you guys so much for your input. I really enjoy reading all of your input, criticism, ideas, etc.

Dave

[Puddlejumper]

Looks like you got the makings of a major urban layout.

I hope so. I want the layout to look like the railroad and the streets are squeezed in, not unlike some areas of some major Northeastern cities.

Cold storage was a fairly common business back then I think, of course you would need some refridgerated boxcars. A transfer wharehouse is another possibility. Meat packing, bottling or electrical supply????

What exactly would a transfer warehouse do? Is that for transferring freight from railroad cars to over the road trucks?

[Puddlejumper]

An update on progress...

Here are a couple of views of Potomac Yard. It is a fairly small yard, only 4 tracks. The track in front is the main, the track all the way in back, where the A-B-A E7s are parked, is the passenger main. Behind the passenger main will be a train station with long platform, that goes right against the backdrop.



A view of the short runaround track and the downgrade to the Rosslyn Subway.



Here is a view from the opposite direction. The tower is a building I bought from a junk table at a train meet. The track in the foreground is the Rosslyn Subway, which leads to the Spring Hill Industrial complex. In the backround you can see the cabin tracks and MOW track.



Close up of the cabin tracks, with the MOW area in the backround.

[Puddlejumper]

Here is a look toward Race Street. There will be engine service facilities here, and maybe a RIP track.



Here we are back at Spring Hill. The backdrop is in place, and will be bracketed by buildings, flats, and landscape to separate the scenes of Potomac Yard and Spring HIll.



Another view of Metropolitan Fuel and Capital Cold Storage.



Here is an updated view of La Plata.



And here is a section where the front fascia is installed. The only part of the layout that is this far along.



Thanks for looking!

[tomustang]

As far as Magic Pan bakery, would they have an inside or outside loading/unloading area? I have not seen the building you refer to.

Thank you guys so much for your input. I really enjoy reading all of your input, criticism, ideas, etc.

Dave

It's an outside unloading from hopper cars. Then finished product at the loading dock to trucking.

[TTRAK_andrew]

G'day Dave, I like the LIMA brand HO scale Australian Brake Van (Caboose) next to the Pennsy shorty combine. Also, for your possible entertainment, taking your 'Puddlejumper' title into account, you may like to watch:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHp8x3nCAlU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHp8x3nCAlU</a><!-- m -->
which comes from an Australian TV teenagers comedy skit show called "Your Skitting Me!"
Regards,
Andrew G.

[Puddlejumper]

You have a sharp eye Andrew. I have a few pieces of Australian equipment including this neat little van, and a 4 pack of hoppers. I like Aussie trains, and they are similar enough to U.S. equipment that I bought a few items and will run them on my layout.

That video was funny! "Remember, the water should completely fill the hole. If it doesn't completely fill the hole more water will be needed, which can be purchased from the Puddlejumper website"!

Dave