Southern Pacific Switching Layout

[Russ Bellinis]

I generally pause for a few seconds before going on to the next move.

One simple and prototypical thing I do is to note the time when cars are placed/pulled from each industry on the switch list after completely the work at that industry. This is required on the prototype for record keeping purposes and the short amount of time required to do this adds just enough "kill time" to operations to be interesting without being boring. I find that too much "kill time" tends to make things seem too much like "real work" LOL. Operating at scale speeds, waiting a couple of seconds before pulling away from a car you just set out and noting the time that the car was placed/pulled is about right.

Wouldn't the railroad get more money from requiring a runaround move, since industries are charged on how many "moves" it takes to switch?

Not sure where you got the idea that industries are charged by how many moves it takes to switch the cars. The railroad doesn't charge the customer to spot a car for loading/unloading.

The only charges that the industry pays to the railroad are the freight charges for the shipment; paid by the shipper as all shipments must be prepaid today and then any demurrage charges that might accrue if the shipper/consignee exceeds the allowable free time to load/unload the car (typically 24 hrs to load - 48 hrs to unload). These days, that can be very expensive. You can find these charges listed on most all prototype railroad web sites, but an average charge seems to be in the $60-$120 per day range. Far cry from what it used to be a few years ago.

Exception, if the car on spot is a private owner car placed on a private track, then in almost all cases, no demurrage charges apply. One reason why you'll see certain cars on spot at some industries for many days as the customer may actually being using the car as storage for the commodity.

In some situations, there may be a switching charge involved when a customer has a car on spot and needs that car moved to another spot on their track to finish loading/unloading the car. And this charge might be something that a short line or STC company might waive to keep the customer happy.

Lot's of other miscellaneous charges can apply pertaining to railroad accounting rules, but we, as model railroaders need not be concerned with that aspect other than keeping track of when a car was placed and should be pulled, i.e.; brakies rotation scheme. We just want to operate in a prototypical fashion and get the work done as efficiently as possible (like the prototype), although you don't want to rush it!

As for having a runaround track on the layout; I've tried a couple of times to come up with a track plan that would include/require using a runaround with industries that must be switched from both directions. But for whatever reason, it just never feels right to me for an industrial spur. Of course it would depend on what you are modeling and if you're modeling a particular prototype location that does have a runaround, then you'd of course include one. Were I to change my layout theme from strictly an industrial spur to say a small short line or STC based on something like the Effingham Railroad, then it would feel right to me.

The end of a branch line is often another good example where a runaround might well be required, but as has been pointed out, these days they seem to be vanishing as a long shoving move or the use of a locomotive on each end of the train can eliminate the need for running around the train.

When the BNSF works the San Jacinto branch (aka-the San Jac) they have a caboose on the train. It works out of Corona, Ca, and runs to Riverside, Ca where it then leaves the main line to go up the San Jac about 10-15 miles. They pull the caboose at the end of the train one way and return with the caboose on the front coming back. It is probably 30 miles each way.