02-23-2011, 01:06 PM
FCIN Wrote:Mark;
Having visited the EFRR several times over the years, I can tell you this much about the TQW warehouse. The building is constructed of what I call typical corrugated sheet metal, attached to steel H and I beams. A fairly common method of constructing large facilities like this one. When I worked for the F&C Railroad, we switched a very similar facility, the case house at Schenley Distillers that spotted 5 cars inside.
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I want to have such a facility on the edge of my layout with a detailed interior and have been experimenting with having the track on the outside, but am now thinking more of having the track enter the building since you'd be able to see the cars spotted in the structure. The track entering the warehouse from both ends like the Effingham TQW warehouse is also an interesting feature.
Biggest problem I see with having the cars inside the structure is a practical way of uncoupling cars so that you wouldn't have to pull the whole track just to switch out one or two cars. Track magnets are out of the question (don't like them or the un-prototypical moves you often have to make when using them). I have thought about modifying a Rix uncoupling tool http://www.rixproducts.com/6280014.htm so that you could stick it inside the structure over the warehouse floor and be able to magnetically uncouple the cars. I have a couple of the Rix tools that I don't use, so may well test that idea out.
My current mockup for my warehouse has the track outside the structure which works fine except for not being to see what is spotted at the warehouse. I'm able to uncouple cars over the proposed structure which will scale about 30 feet high, with no problem. Just don't like the fact that you can't see what is spotted there.
I think that having such a structure with a detailed interior would be a nice feature on an ISL. Rolls of paper, large boxes, drums and a couple of fork lifts and personnel in the structure would really look nice.
Have you considered using electric uncouplers for your in building tracks? I was using "advance search" for Gary S' home made Kadee uncoupling electro magnets, but I didn't have any success finding what I was looking for. Gary has so many posts that if the search function doesn't find the specific post I'm looking for, I would need to search thousands of posts to find it. He had a very nice design using two kadee electrical coils for O gauge if I remember correctly. The only thing you would need to do to modify your cars is to make sure wheels and axles are non magnetic and use metals other than iron or steel for car weights.