11-26-2014, 06:42 AM
Thanks, Matt for the information I'll keep it handy when moving to other locations and being able to use it for a balloon track. You certainly appear to be the "ram rod" behind your club working on so many things behind the scenes when other members can't/aren't there and then waiting on agreeable opinions to proceed. You really have a gift for scratch building and yet very realistic track planning and track work evidenced by the gradual curves , easements and really straight tangents.I also like how you managed to include an opportunity for continous operation via the loop to loop for open houses? It's all a joy to witness.
In addition to the fine club layout, I have also been enjoying the progress on your small home layout. The idea of having a small private layout in addition to the club's is a great idea and gives one the feeling of ownership away from the club. Your desire for less is more really makes the case for a branch operation and the inclusion of a runaround track at the end of the branch is more realistic than many of the shove and pull ISLs which are now common on many small layouts. The use of the run around track gives the operator the feeling of "arriving" at the end of the line, switching the industries and then "turning back" to the hidden terminal. Having operated several short lines in the US either as a locomotive engineer/conductor or manager I can verify that more of them use runarounds rather than shove and pull although they do work okay if you have a caboose to handle the safe shove. BTW I see you spotted both a tank car and reefer on the feedmill spur. Is that because there is a bulk oil distributor and a warehouse which ships out potatoes on the spur too? just curious.
Thanks again for the information and have a great Thanksgiving.
Barry
In addition to the fine club layout, I have also been enjoying the progress on your small home layout. The idea of having a small private layout in addition to the club's is a great idea and gives one the feeling of ownership away from the club. Your desire for less is more really makes the case for a branch operation and the inclusion of a runaround track at the end of the branch is more realistic than many of the shove and pull ISLs which are now common on many small layouts. The use of the run around track gives the operator the feeling of "arriving" at the end of the line, switching the industries and then "turning back" to the hidden terminal. Having operated several short lines in the US either as a locomotive engineer/conductor or manager I can verify that more of them use runarounds rather than shove and pull although they do work okay if you have a caboose to handle the safe shove. BTW I see you spotted both a tank car and reefer on the feedmill spur. Is that because there is a bulk oil distributor and a warehouse which ships out potatoes on the spur too? just curious.
Thanks again for the information and have a great Thanksgiving.
Barry