Ed - just to add a little more towards your Atlas post, this may be of interest
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despite being designed for the trackmobile, with another couple of inches each end, it would be ideal for a 44- or 45-tonner

shortliner Wrote:Ed - just to add a little more towards your Atlas, post this may be of interest
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despite being designed for the trackmobile, with another couple of inches each end, it would be ideal for a 44- or 45-tonner

Well I'll be! I often check things out on Carl Arendt's Micro/Small Layouts site, but missed that layout based on the Atlas Terminal. Would be a fun project for a very small portable layout to work on. Believe it or not, I have considered basing a large scale (1:29th) switching layout on the Atlas Terminal - but that's another story for another time

Ed,You bring up a excellent point about large industries like grain operations.

I suppose out of sight out of mind..I forgot about Landstar Grains.




That's 3 Godzilla size industries-the printing company,the municipal power plant and Landstar..Landstar eats the space because I need to have enough room on both sides of the loading shed for cars.I need a minimum of 16 car lengths-8 cars each side of the loading shed plus a area for grain trucks..Even in N that's a lot of space.

Back to the drawing board.

Brakie Wrote:I suppose out of sight out of mind..I forgot about Landstar Grains.

Larry;
My! That is a big one! And yep, even in N scale that's using a lot of space! For me, grain elevators or like the IPD box cars. I love 'em, but just not practical for an ISL unless you were modeling a prototype industrial spur or short line and that was the main industry on the line. I do prefer the small rural type elevators and modern steel bin type elevators.

I gather Landstar Grains is two Walther's ADM elevators? I've got the HO version in a box around here - never assembled - and falls in the category of "why did I buy that?".

Oh yeah, I think I've settled on an Xpedx distribution warehouse to replace the Trinidad Benham facility. They seem to have quite a few rail served facilities around the country and would be another 4 or 5 box car spotting location.

Ed,Landstar is indeed 2 ADM kits.I had originally planed a layout on a 36" x 80" hollow core door but,that never got much beyond planing and Landstar..

So,Landstar maybe used at the N Scale club if I decided to build another modular.

This is the latest incarnation of the ISL I'm working on. At least this is the way I have temporarily laid down the track. Just a few minor changes (industry names and track locations). Still a simple track arrangement and just enough industries to keep me busy switching for an hour or so. I have aligned the track at the left side to allow for a possible separate staging track. The switch is a dummy just to show the spur leaving the main line.

If I can ever get hold of some matboard, I'll mock up some of the structures to get a better feel for how it might look. For now, just have placed a few boxes on the plan as stand ins. Not sure how the angled track/structure will work out, but seems to be workable at this point.[attachment=6449]Once I get a simple backdrop in place and have a few structure mockups, I may get up my nerve and post a few photos...

FCIN Wrote:Once I get a simple backdrop in place and have a few structure mockups, I may get up my nerve and post a few photos...

We're waiting! :-) Don't be shy! :-)

torikoos Wrote:

FCIN Wrote:Once I get a simple backdrop in place and have a few structure mockups, I may get up my nerve and post a few photos...

We're waiting! :-) Don't be shy! :-)

Indeed..We are waiting-at least I am..I might find a idea to "steal". hock:

Looks good Ed.

Well Please! Don't anyone hold your breath waiting for photos! It's a mess and a half down here right now and will be some time before I get it cleaned up/straightened up enough to allow anyone to see anything. Every day, the wife gives me her lecture entitled "When are you going to clean up that mess and get your layout built?". Ah women, can't live with 'em - can't live with 'em!!!

Here's another potential track plan that I've been playing around with, based on an this industrial spur in Liverpool. NY.[attachment=6498]I added the brown lines to better show the track arrangement in this image and marked the industry locations. You'll note there are some interesting features that would make it a bit of a challenge to switch and I'm sure that some of you will spot them right off. As indicated on the aerial view, the spur is 2300 feet long or just a hair over 26 feet in HO / 14 feet in N Scale.

Not sure if Industries A, B, C or D currently use rail service, but Industry E (American Steel & Aluminum) may and Industry F (GTS-Welco) unloads tank cars on the lead. Of course in my modeling era (1980) they probably all had frequent rail service.

Here is a simplified version of this spur that I drew up (viewing the spur from the north instead of south as in the aerial view):[attachment=6497]On my plan (20 feet in length), I've actually omitted American Steel & Aluminum and GTS-Welco for lack of space, although a short spur could be added just before the first turnout on the plan for a tank car unloading facility. As it is, I would envision one of the modeled industries receiving tank cars, and would pick other industries to match up with my freight car fleet.

I like the layout of the spur - even modified using "modelers license" because of it's open look and spur arrangement. This area along CSX in Liverpool, NY, is full of industrial spurs and various industries, which I could "transplant" to this spur if desired. http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=43.11...27423&z=15. Starting with this spur on the west side of the CSX main between Crown Rd and Morgan Pl - take a look around and you'll see what I mean.

Not sure that I'd actually use this plan, but it has some potential. Guess I'm still in planning mode and I plan on seriously doing something once I survive the Christmas holidays!

Ed,That's a very nice and simple design..

Simple and easy on the modeling budget as well..Some flex track and 4 switches..

Here's yet another plan I've come up with for my ISL. Look's like this one or something quite similar to it may be it!
[attachment=6584]
The bench work is of course 20ft wide by 18in deep and although my plan is strictly freelance, the track arrangement is based on a part of a Florida Central (FCEN) spur in N.W. Orlando, FL, between Silver Meteor Dr and Shader Rd, crossing Hazelhurst Ave, located here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=28.58...3&t=k&z=17 or in other words this much of the spur:[attachment=6583]Since my ISL will be freelance, I've taken the liberty to have industries that appeal to me and support my freight car fleet. The industries are from left to right:

Beverage Canning Plant - (2 or 3 car spots) for my fleet of corn syrup tank cars.
Storage Warehouse - (at least 6 car spots) for my box car fleet. This structure may be constructed with an open back and a detailed interior as has been discussed in this thread: http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=24&t=3763
Food Processing Plant - (2 or 3 car spots) This one will be a Trinidad Benham facility http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=24&t=3731 for my covered hoppers. Alternately, it might be a facility like the Higgins Premium Pet Food feed mill in Hialeah, FL http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s...2&t=h&z=18 that I found a few weeks ago while playing with Google/Bing maps and since I do have suitable small grain bins in my stash.
Food Processing Plant - (4 or 5 car spots) This second food processing plant will be like the Trujillo & Sons facility in Miami, FL http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s...6&t=h&z=19 - this industry was selected just today, after the wife surprised me with a fleet of 25,500 gal tank cars (vegetable oil) for Christmas and is also a great destination for more box cars and my reffers.
Lumber Dealer - (2 car spots) Destination for still more box cars and my bulkhead flats.

Finally, the scenery only/staging area will be like what you see in the photo - trees, bushes and assorted junk. Although I may throw in a highway overpass at the left edge of the layout.

I'm currently laying out the track arrangement to see if it fits as well as the plan shows and I know it will provide plenty of switching and there will be plenty of structures to scratch build too! Maybe I'll get started now. I'm actually more eager to start scratch building structures then I am about getting the track laid and wired!

Just a little something to add - a long thin shelf-type spur, where you might not expect to find one - Anchorage Alaska - the APU spur.
Look on Google Maps Satellite view for E Warehouse Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, USA, That is the start of the spur that breaks off from the yard (it could be an interchange if required) and heads south-east then east along the road, where there are a couple of disused (difficult to spot!)sidings - it curves NE and back to E by Alaska Garden & Pet Supply, and has two sidings in opposite directions (one each side of N Orca St, all part of the same company), continues E with another siding at PSC Environmental, and then curves NE again by Bob's Services (who I believe do wagon repairs, (cars are left on the roadside at N Sitka St for Weaver Bros Transport, and unloaded by fork lift and truck as suggested by Lance Mindheim) and back E ending in a scrap yard.
It could make an ideal switching line in the space you have. the map below might help you to follow the line. There are photos on Railpictures.com

shortliner;

I'll have to check this out this evening! But in a way, I'm afraid to, as it could lead to more planning Still I'm always interested in these industrial spurs and how they are laid out. Thanks!

UPDATE
Spent a few minutes looking at this industrial spur. Sure is spread out, and not your typical industrial spur with all "shoe box" buildings.

Found a few interesting things while looking at it with Google and Bing:
At the corner of N Orca St and Spar Ave is Alaska Garden & Pet Supply and I found that there is spur running into it from a curved turnout that runs between the building and the two storage bins. Across the street is Alaska Mill & Feed Fertilizer that also has a rail spur. In this aerial view you can see a covered hopper spotted at both these industries:[attachment=6597]

Here's a view of Alaska Mill with a covered hopper on spot and looks like they are using a tow motor to move the car:[attachment=6599]And no, the rails are not split as it appears in the photo. Seems to be an effect that you sometimes get because of the way Google street view images are stitched together. Noticed that effect several times as I followed the track along from the street.

Here's an aerial view of PSC Environmental Services that has 2 60ft box cars spotted:[attachment=6598]

Then there is this unidentified industry that has tank cars on spot:[attachment=6600]

Finally, here is the spot on N Stika St where Weaver Bros Transport unloads their cars - complete with a portable derail and blue flag:[attachment=6596]The building on the right was Odom Corp and Frontier Paper and used to be rail served, but track has been removed.

I doubt that I would try and model this particular spur, but it would make an interesting layout - even compressed to try and get every rail served industry on the plan.

Ed - there should be an article on it in Model Trains International due out 20th January 2011 - It is a subscription only magazine printed here in UK - I do trackplans and art with an occasional article for it.
This is an attempt to fit the main items onto a folding shelf-type layout in 3 metres x 30 cm, it needs the "main" to run back in the opposite direction behind The Alaska buildings forming a hidden fiddle track