04-03-2012, 11:54 AM
After re-laying the track this is how it looks at this point; and yes, I made a few changes!
Managed to eliminate the transload track (and along with it lumber and building product shipments), but do have industries on both sides of the switching lead, which is something that I've been experimenting with off and on.
Since the layout is strictly freelance, I'm free to pick and chose various prototype industries from around the country to use on the layout and having located two perfect candidates for front edge industries, I decided to make these changes and see how it works out. As I've mentioned previously, all the industries are based on actual prototypes.
Industry A is either a bakery or confections plant (haven't made up my mind on that) and receives Airslide hoppers of either flour or sugar, depending on what I pick for this one.
Industry B is based on the Trinidad-Benham facility in Chino, CA and receives gravity discharge covered hoppers of beans, rice, popcorn for processing and packaging.
Industry C is based on the Family & Son food products distributor in Miami, FL, although will be reversed from the prototype structure. They receive general service tank cars of cooking oils, box cars of food products and reefers of meat.
Industry D is a beverage distributor (think beer!) and will be a generic facility based on a couple of prototypes I'm familiar with. They receive 50ft and 60ft insulated box cars.
Industry E is a soft drink bottler that receives tank cars of corn syrup and is based on the G&J Bottling plant, nearby in Lexington, KY.
Note that the prototypes for Industries B and E both have rail spurs that are far enough away from the main structure to allow easy viewing of the cars on spot and switching. I need only model enough of the structures to give me that "concrete canyon" effect. In fact, the Trinidad-Benham facility could actually omit the structure completely, but then it would look like a team or transload track so I will include just enough of a structure to show that something is there.
My conductor/engineer trainee is coming over tonight for a formal operating session so we'll see how things work out with two of us working it. Having tested it out a couple of times myself; so far I'm fairly well pleased, with a "typical" operating session taking over an hour. But I do want to test it out a bit more before I commit myself to the actual construction.
BTW Callum... Where ya' been??
Since the layout is strictly freelance, I'm free to pick and chose various prototype industries from around the country to use on the layout and having located two perfect candidates for front edge industries, I decided to make these changes and see how it works out. As I've mentioned previously, all the industries are based on actual prototypes.
Industry A is either a bakery or confections plant (haven't made up my mind on that) and receives Airslide hoppers of either flour or sugar, depending on what I pick for this one.
Industry B is based on the Trinidad-Benham facility in Chino, CA and receives gravity discharge covered hoppers of beans, rice, popcorn for processing and packaging.
Industry C is based on the Family & Son food products distributor in Miami, FL, although will be reversed from the prototype structure. They receive general service tank cars of cooking oils, box cars of food products and reefers of meat.
Industry D is a beverage distributor (think beer!) and will be a generic facility based on a couple of prototypes I'm familiar with. They receive 50ft and 60ft insulated box cars.
Industry E is a soft drink bottler that receives tank cars of corn syrup and is based on the G&J Bottling plant, nearby in Lexington, KY.
Note that the prototypes for Industries B and E both have rail spurs that are far enough away from the main structure to allow easy viewing of the cars on spot and switching. I need only model enough of the structures to give me that "concrete canyon" effect. In fact, the Trinidad-Benham facility could actually omit the structure completely, but then it would look like a team or transload track so I will include just enough of a structure to show that something is there.
My conductor/engineer trainee is coming over tonight for a formal operating session so we'll see how things work out with two of us working it. Having tested it out a couple of times myself; so far I'm fairly well pleased, with a "typical" operating session taking over an hour. But I do want to test it out a bit more before I commit myself to the actual construction.
BTW Callum... Where ya' been??
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"