11-01-2009, 02:27 AM
Old news, and I know Brakie knows this from way, way back, but probably worth mentioning again for any new readers - the most general industries on a layout are simple spurs without any buildings at all:
- interchange/exchange tracks : where someone else has left cars for your engine to handle, and where your engine leaves cars for someone else to handle.
- team tracks: where any car can be spotted for industries that are not located on a spur, to be unloaded into a truck of some kind
A simple interchange track gives you "the world" - any kind of traffic source or traffic destination can be "beyond" that track, traffic can go from that track to any industry on your layout, and from any industry on your layout. And you don't have to make it an interchange with a foreign road, you can also have a track somewhere where a passing train from your own railroad has dropped off a cut of cars to be switched by you, or will pick up an outbound cut of cars from your industries - same concept - a general source and destination for traffic of any kind.
And at a team track (you can use a different name if you like, same function) unloading can be done by a tank truck with a hose, a flatbed truck with a crane on, a forklift and a simulated metal "bridge plate" for unloading stuff from a boxcar, an end ramp to drive off vehicles off a flatcar, or mobile conveyors to empty a bulk car of some kind. Plenty of room to model interesting varying loading and unloading equipment, only requirement for a team track is room for a truck on a gravel patch or concrete apron alongside the track - your archtypical aisle side industry.
Smile,
Stein
- interchange/exchange tracks : where someone else has left cars for your engine to handle, and where your engine leaves cars for someone else to handle.
- team tracks: where any car can be spotted for industries that are not located on a spur, to be unloaded into a truck of some kind
A simple interchange track gives you "the world" - any kind of traffic source or traffic destination can be "beyond" that track, traffic can go from that track to any industry on your layout, and from any industry on your layout. And you don't have to make it an interchange with a foreign road, you can also have a track somewhere where a passing train from your own railroad has dropped off a cut of cars to be switched by you, or will pick up an outbound cut of cars from your industries - same concept - a general source and destination for traffic of any kind.
And at a team track (you can use a different name if you like, same function) unloading can be done by a tank truck with a hose, a flatbed truck with a crane on, a forklift and a simulated metal "bridge plate" for unloading stuff from a boxcar, an end ramp to drive off vehicles off a flatcar, or mobile conveyors to empty a bulk car of some kind. Plenty of room to model interesting varying loading and unloading equipment, only requirement for a team track is room for a truck on a gravel patch or concrete apron alongside the track - your archtypical aisle side industry.
Smile,
Stein