I just thought of something: How come on ISLs all of the cars on the train are either pick-ups or set-outs on the layout, don't locals switch multiple industrial parks each day?

This would make it prototypical to have cars on your train that don't belong on your layout since they have been picked up or are destined to be set-out "beyond the basement"

Not necessarily. if the industrial park is out by itself on terminal end of a branch, there probably won't be.

How about this? I tried to angle the tracks a bit so that they wouldn't be parallel with the ends of the layout. This should not only help give the layout some depth, but it allowed a broader radius at the top.

Starting at the"bottom" and going up, you have a generic ware house, with just a single spur. There may be space on the south wall for truck docks.

Next is a pair of stubs off the main track. the left hand track is for box cars and hoppers (the building be made so that you can spot cars where they belong). The right hand track i saw as a corn syrup unloading track, with pipes and a pump house parallel (yellow line)

Next, a curved turnout goes to the Intermodal Container facility (though it just occurred to me that you may have meant a box factory.... whatever). Small inter modal transfer locations like this do exist. I've seen one in Pennsylvania somewhere.

Finally, there is another blue warehouse. Once again, it could be whatever you envision it.

The only issue I can see is that because of the angle of the track, additonal warehouses may need to be flats along the side. The road doesn't have to go parallel to the track either, it could just go straight with another building there to give that "concrete canyon" look you mentioned sometime earlier.

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Not necessarily. if the industrial park is out by itself on terminal end of a branch, there probably won't be.

I was thinking an industrial park off of the mainline, I don't think the local would head back to the yard after every industrial park they switch

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Next, a curved turnout goes to the Intermodal Container facility (though it just occurred to me that you may have meant a box factory.... whatever).

Inland Container: http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=24&t=3921

Justinmiller171 Wrote:My Versions of FCIN's design, Some industries may look familar :?

Here are some operating notes:

-I plan on starting the train from the bottom of the layout, the train will have been imagined to have just entered the industrial park at the start of the ops session

-The switching lead at the upper right of the layout can also be used as a material lay-down area

-Temple-inland will occasionally need to load scrap paper onto boxcars, this is done at the switching lead at the upper right.

Justinmiller171 Wrote:

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Not necessarily. if the industrial park is out by itself on terminal end of a branch, there probably won't be.

I was thinking an industrial park off of the mainline, I don't think the local would head back to the yard after every industrial park they switch

Yes, but what i'm saying is that many industrial parks (at least in my expirience) really are just all by themselves on some branches.

That is certainly an idea to get a greater variety of rolling stock, but you only have a limited amount of space, and so it is justifiable to assume your industrial park is all that is left of the customers on a particular line if that means giving you more space to operate.

Also, many industrial parks are "off to the side", if that makes sense. The main track rarely snakes through the park itself. if its some god forsaken branch out some where (like the Pemberton industrial track discussed earlier), then other cars for other places are simply left behind on the main branch while the locomotives bring the cars they need to the industrial park.

Justinmiller171 Wrote:

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Next, a curved turnout goes to the Intermodal Container facility (though it just occurred to me that you may have meant a box factory.... whatever).

Inland Container: http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=24&t=3921

Ah, i figured that might have been the case. Well, there is plenty of space in that spot for that. It looks like it should take more than just a single track, but thats my opinion. You probably have enough space to add that extra track for storage in there somewhere.

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:Yes, but what i'm saying is that many industrial parks (at least in my expirience) really are just all by themselves on some branches.

That is certainly an idea to get a greater variety of rolling stock, but you only have a limited amount of space, and so it is justifiable to assume your industrial park is all that is left of the customers on a particular line if that means giving you more space to operate.

Also, many industrial parks are "off to the side", if that makes sense. The main track rarely snakes through the park itself. if its some god forsaken branch out some where (like the Pemberton industrial track discussed earlier), then other cars for other places are simply left behind on the main branch while the locomotives bring the cars they need to the industrial park.

Ah, that makes sense now.

Hey Ed, could you tell me how you would operate the layout?

Justinmiller171 Wrote:Hey Ed, could you tell me how you would operate the layout?

Of course it would depend on what theme you choose for the layout. I gather that you're thinking Conrail now?

If the layout represents the end of a Conrail branch line, such as suggested by GEC, then I'd stage the train at the upper right side of the plan as though it were just arriving at the town. Switch out the two trailing point industries (Lowes, Munson's), runaround the train and switch the other industries then depart. Good operating theme in my opinion. And if you've been following the Conrail Shared Assets thread: http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=26&t=4204, you can get some good ideas off that thread for such an operation.

If you were operating the layout as though it were just an industrial spur, then you could stage the train at either end, depending on which end of the plan you consider to be the end of the spur then work the industries as required and return to the staging point.

If I were trying to treat this plan as though it were a separate short line or switching company, then I suppose I'd keep my engine at the end of the spur by Lowes or perhaps on the Munson's track and stage inbound cars on the main between the runaround switches, as though the connecting road had set them off there during the night or whenever. You'd then block out your cars and switch out the industries as required using the runaround track as necessary. When you've finished switching your industries, the outbound cars would be left between the switches of the runaround track to be picked by the connecting road and then tie up your engine where ever you choose to keep it when you aren't working.

Personally, with this track plan, I'd have the theme to be the end of a branch line. Just seems to fit the plan better than it being strictly an industrial spur or even a separate switching company, although treating it as a separate switching company might be my second choice.

Thanks Ed!

But what would the difference be in operations of an End of a Branch-line and an Industrial Park?

Justinmiller171 Wrote:Thanks Ed!

But what would the difference be in operations of an End of a Branch-line and an Industrial Park?

The main difference is "where" your trains are coming from, and how efficiently the work is done.

Using the "branch" method, you would be starting at the top most section of track, heading south to the runaroudn, switching all trailing point industries before running around and handling the remaining industries. you basically go up and down and you're done.

Using the "Industrial park" method, your locomotive would wait for "inbound" interchange traffic, which would likely be deposited on the run around track. Then, you would have to switch all the "trailing point" industries, come back, run around and push your train around, switching all the "facing point" Industries.

Going the industrial park method, you make more moves, but I suspect that it would be a bit complex with only the runaround as an impromptu "yard". The branch line method reqires less work but is smoother and more efficient.

Also, before you 100% settle on Conrail, there is another railroad up in northern New Jersey (near where I model), known as the Raritan Central Railroad. It interchanges with Conrail Shared Assets but switches a LARGE industrial park that takes up a huge area. They have attractive Green locomotives, but at one time nearly all was a patch of previous roads. They have two former CSX B23-7s, Three former Conrail GP10s (All GP9 rebuilds, one of which is chop-nosed), and a former Boston & Main GP9.

This railroad may more closely match your Industrial switching area schemes then a generic Conrail branch like the Pemberton Industrial track. Its up to you, but check out the pics. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locolist.aspx?id=RCRY">http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locolist.aspx?id=RCRY</a><!-- m -->

a BIG map of the RCRY in Edison, NJ.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.raritancentralrr.com/pdf/raritanmaps.pdf">http://www.raritancentralrr.com/pdf/raritanmaps.pdf</a><!-- m -->

Raritan Central Railroad Interchanging with CSAO

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2228724">http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2228724</a><!-- m -->

CSAO often uses a former Conrail caboose as a shooving platform. I just saw this car a few weeks ago on the Northeast Corridor (a small industrial track runs parrallel of the 4 track main mostly out side of the Catenary)

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2096665">http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2096665</a><!-- m -->

Just things to think about!

Justinmiller171 Wrote:But what would the difference be in operations of an End of a Branch-line and an Industrial Park?

For all intents and purposes, there wouldn't be any difference other than the theme of your layout. If it represents the end of a branch, then the train would be your local freight arriving, working, and departing back to its origin terminal. If it represents an industrial spur, then the train would be coming on to the spur from a nearby yard with whatever traffic it had for the spur.

If your theme was a separate company operating an industrial area such as what SMS Rail Lines operates in Pureland, NJ http://www.smsrail.com/map_detail.htm, then you'd have a different operating theme, wherein your short line must interchange its traffic back and forth to a connecting line and keep its motive power on its own line. Countless operations like that around the country.

To me, your track plan just seems to say "end of the branch", but that doesn't mean it has to be treated that way. I just gave you three possible themes that you might consider for your current track plan, any of which would be interesting. Treating the plan as though it were a short line or switching/terminal road, would add a little more operation.

Ultimately, it's up to you what theme and era you want to go with.

Thanks guys, I think I am going to stick with a CSAO operation.

I have a question about what type of locomotives would work a branch-line, would it only be Geeps?

When I do get around to getting a Conrail loco I want to get one with sound, the only two I could find were a GP20 which I know were scrapped in the 80's, and a U-25b, If all else fails I could move the date back to the 80's

Conrail? Why not complete your journey to the dark side and go all the way to Penn Central.