Passenger locomotives

[Green_Elite_Cab]

GEC, on another thread, you were speculating about whether your layout has evolved as far as it can go. It seems to me that you're getting a good deal of use out of it as it is. But why not try some other simple upgrades like adding ballast to the track? Inexpensive, fairly quick, good practice for future layouts.. I get the impression that layout has a good way further to go.

Well, in the case of ballast, I had started with my industrial park and the old yard, but my mainlines were never really quite reliable enough for me, so I never followed through with ballasting. Now that I'm almost done relaying every inch of track (just have the last two outside curves and feeder wires to solder), I'll probably go ahead and do that. I've had the bottles of Woodland Scenics Ballast for YEARS!

Before i started replacing everything with Nickel Silver flex track, it was a mix of Steel, Brass and some Nickel Silver sectional tracks. I originally laid the track when I was 14, over 7 years ago, so you can imagine alot of it hadn't aged well!

Getting back to the point though, actually running trains on my layout hasn't been fun for a long time. getting the interchange to function rationally has been difficult, and my industrial lead is very short, requiring something small like a Trackmobile, or 44 tonner to operate. my SW1200 can Barely squeeze in with more than one car on the lead. Even though maximum train length is 5-6 cars, it is still difficult to switch them all out in a rational manner.

Current operating scheme involves using the 44 tonner to "prepare" the outgoing cars on the industrial lead (except for hopper traffic at the silos). Inbound Conrail locals have to pull out the prepared cars, then pull out the hoppers, then switch onto the lead and hopper tracks all the inbound cars. What was a 5 car train turns into something that is 10+ cars and spans the half the inner oval in an attempt to shuffle them all around. Tight curves and 50' cars start getting iffy on those inner 20" mainlines.

The only answer seems to be to just switch fewer cars, but then I start to wonder why Conrail would be running such a short train. On the other hand, given the close proximity to the yard, i guess it makes sense for yard power to make a short hop over. Still, i feel like i'm making excuses for inadequacies in the layout.

I haven't even mentioned the glorious passenger loop! then again, I guess you can't really run passenger trains on a 4x8 either. The layout is great for pictures, but it just gives headaches when i want to relax and run trains.

Just to stay on topic, U34CH. Trains Magazine's Locomotive Issue called it a "Working Class Hero". The big U-boats definitely look out of place on passenger trains.

all old photos







Six Axle Commuter trains? Only NJ Transit.