01-11-2015, 01:53 PM
Brakie Wrote:I started visualizing operation scenarios with MR's Doug Smith's track plan for Car card/waybill operation back in '61.
So this is really a point to point (Smiths Falls to Renfrew) but with continuous run possible. I've marked the beginning and end of the point to point with the red arrow. Trains going north/west from Smiths Falls yard go counter-clockwise (except trains to Toronto or Ottawa which are represented by staging tracks in the upper right). The sole destination south of the yard is the Hershey chocolate factory.
I had pretty much thought of the Smiths Falls - Renfrew job as a "turn". They are miles apart in real life (83km or 50 miles), so a return trip would be 100 miles, or what I think is about one shift. The run around is to help with putting the engine on the front of the train for the return trip, and so the Foundary and Textile mill can be switched as trailing sidings on the way back to Smith's Falls.
The other job is to switch the Hershey plant. Again, the run around could be used, but since the plant is actually within the town of Smiths Falls, it wouldn't necessarily be out of the question to back from the yard (layout is set within the caboose era).
I know my friend Dave also wants to run continuously just for enjoyment of watching the trains, hence the continuous run capacity.
What sort of operations could you visualize for this layout?
Thanks,
Andrew