New Micro layout project

[Zeus]

On 17/10/2021 at 22:07, 298 said:

 

Depends where you want to model and what traffic/types of cars you like. I can envisage either a logging/wood processing branch line either in the Mountains of Washington or Montana, or grain from the flatter prairies. 

Grain traffic seems interesting and the flatter part would probably suit me better as im not that confident with terrain and height, i also have some what i think are period appropriate grain cars. 

Im thinking for industries- grain elevator (covered hoppers)- team track (everything apparantly but mainly general use boxcars)- and a food processing plant( syrup cars, boxcars and reefers)

Would bigger hoppers and boxcars be in service at this point or are 40 footers still standard. 

 

Time to start doodling and see what i can come up with. 

Joe

[Regularity]

50 minutes ago, Zeus said:

Grain traffic seems interesting and the flatter part would probably suit me better as im not that confident with terrain and height, i also have some what i think are period appropriate grain cars. 

Im thinking for industries- grain elevator (covered hoppers)- team track (everything apparantly but mainly general use boxcars)- and a food processing plant( syrup cars, boxcars and reefers)

Would bigger hoppers and boxcars be in service at this point or are 40 footers still standard. 

It might help if you stated what "this point [in time?]" is.

 

"Flatter parts" when it comes to grain cars means shipping out, rather than inwards. Other parts would received inbound shipments, sometimes in bulk quantities (large cities, ports) and sometimes in terms of the odd carload, depending on where and when you are modelling.

A good processing plant might receive grain, flour (for example, in airslide hoppers or bagged), corn syrup, boxcars for packaging and canned products out, reefers for perishable fruit/veg inwards or just a few of those, and what about power to the processing plant? Probably electric, but maybe not. It depends on what you want: a single industry with multiple spots, or several different industries. Most people tend to go for the latter, but the former can be just as interesting. Even a marble quarry might produce large blocks of stone for transit to a stone mason's for cutting and shaping, smaller boulders for general use, still smaller for use as rip-rap, and wet slurry in tank cars.

 

Have a look around the web - this was particularly informative, but Jack Hill went off at a tangent and did something else! Also Tom Klimoski has a new book out, which is an interesting read, as well as his own website.

And of course, there is always Lance Mindheim...

Those are generally more modern than you seem to be thinking about, but your GP9 is suitable for the modern era - perhaps it has been repainted as an heritage unit: you might need to add new reporting marks for your own fictional short line, but otherwise could leave it as it is.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Regularity
Removal of Yorkshire spelling.

[Zeus]

8 minutes ago, Regularity said:

It might help if you stated what "this point [in time?]" is.

 

"Flatter parts" when it comes to grain cars means shipping out, rather than inwards. Other parts would received inbound shipments, sometimes in bulk quantities (large cities, ports) and sometimes in terms of the odd carload, depending on where and when you are modelling.

A good processing plant might receive grain, flour (for example, in airslide hoppers or bagged), corn syrup, boxcars for packaging and canned products out, reefers for perishable fruit/veg inwards or just a few of those, and what about power to the processing plant? Probably electric, but maybe not. It depends on what you want: a single industry with multiple spots, or several different industries. Most people tend to go for the latter, but the former can be just as interesting. Even a marble quarry might produce large blocks of stone for transit to a stone mason's for cutting and shaping, smaller boulders for general use, still smaller for use as rip-rap, and wet slurry in tank cars.

 

Have a look around the web - this was particularly informative, but Jack Hill went off at a tangent and did something else! Also Tom Klimoski has a new book out, which is an interesting read, as well as his own website.

And of course, there is always Lance Mindheim...

Those are generally more modern than you seem to be thinking about, but your GP9 is suitable for the modern era - perhaps it has been repainted as an heritage unit: you might need to add new reporting marks for your own fictional short line, but otherwise could leave it as it is.

Sorry i should have said in the post im looking to model 1970 washington state as the BN merger takes place. Im not sure what to do with the gp9 as it was kind of an impulse buy, i do have more NP-GN stock on hand as opposed to BM. 

I think a few small spurs would suit my space better, i read a very interesting thread from James hilton about layout design that i hope might help me with designing my own layout. 

i would like some sort of speciality industry look a food packing plant of maybe an electronics company but ill have to see. 

 

Joe

 

 

[298]

Probably a little later than your era but Blair Kooistra's albums would be worth a look:

 

 

 

 

This looks fairly flat and has team track industries, and is surprisingly not that far from civilisation...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/120320833@N02/39854563682

 

There was alot of fruit shipped from a central belt from Wenatchee down to Pasco, usually in Reefers (either mechanical or Iced). Another industry I modelled on a previous Yakima WA layout was the door factory, outbound loads and occasional inbound were in boxcars.

Edited October 20, 2021 by 298

[298]

Of interest to the OP since you might be in the area is Antony Quinlan's post BN merger in Washington State  "Kamiack Falls" layout at the NMRA Convention in Derby this weekend. 

 

https://www.black-diamonds.org.uk/convention/

[Zeus]

20 hours ago, 298 said:

Probably a little later than your era but Blair Kooistra's albums would be worth a look:

 

 

 

 

This looks fairly flat and has team track industries, and is surprisingly not that far from civilisation...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/120320833@N02/39854563682

 

There was alot of fruit exported from a central belt from Wenatchee down to Pasco, usually in Reefers (either mechanical or Iced). Another industry I modelled on a previous Yakima WA layout was the door factory, outbound loads and occasional inbound were in boxcars.

A night well spent down at the NMRC, good company and i got to stretch the legs of some of my locos which seems to have fixed the running issues i was encountering which was awsome. 

 

These are really some stunning photos, i found the astoria branch album which is really interesting, time to do some more research on that as it seems like a near perfect prototype.

 

im assuming for grain traffic https://www.trainworld.com/shop-scale/ho-scale/rolling-stock/hopper/athearn-18781-ps-4740-covered-hopper-great-northern-171556-athearn-18781.html https://www.trainworld.com/shop-scale/ho-scale/rolling-stock/hopper/athearn-63798-ps-2-2600-covered-hopper-np-1977-76002-athearn-63798.html

these 2 types of hopper would be most appropriate for a small grain facility at the end of a branch.

 

I like the idea of a door factory id assume that would also potentially take wood chips in our out aswell as boxcars?

 

Joe

 

 

 

[Zeus]

27 minutes ago, 298 said:

Of interest to the OP since you might be in the area is Antony Quinlan's post BN merger in Washington State  "Kamiack Falls" layout at the NMRA Convention in Derby this weekend. 

 

https://www.black-diamonds.org.uk/convention/

I plan on going to the convention on the saturday if i can get there!

thanks for the info 

Joe

[doctor quinn]

1 hour ago, Zeus said:

A night well spent down at the NMRC, good company and i got to stretch the legs of some of my locos which seems to have fixed the running issues i was encountering which was awsome. 

 

These are really some stunning photos, i found the astoria branch album which is really interesting, time to do some more research on that as it seems like a near perfect prototype.

 

im assuming for grain traffic https://www.trainworld.com/shop-scale/ho-scale/rolling-stock/hopper/athearn-18781-ps-4740-covered-hopper-great-northern-171556-athearn-18781.html https://www.trainworld.com/shop-scale/ho-scale/rolling-stock/hopper/athearn-63798-ps-2-2600-covered-hopper-np-1977-76002-athearn-63798.html

these 2 types of hopper would be most appropriate for a small grain facility at the end of a branch.

 

I like the idea of a door factory id assume that would also potentially take wood chips in our out aswell as boxcars?

 

Joe

 

 

 

Hi Joe, 

 

The three bay hopper is the grain car, the smaller one would be for cement or other dense materials. I recognise the pic that 298 has posted, it was published in a mag called Trains Illustrated. It was an article on Washington grain branches that had very light rail so old 40 foot boxcars were used, helpful on a small layout

 

This link may be of interest https://prototopics.blogspot.com/2019/01/shipping-grain-by-box-car-and-grain.html?m=1

Edited October 20, 2021 by doctor quinn

[Zeus]

i will be heading down to the NMRA convention in derby tommorow!

[298]

On 20/10/2021 at 18:29, Zeus said:

 

I like the idea of a door factory id assume that would also potentially take wood chips in our out aswell as boxcars?

 

Joe

 

Potentially, but the industry I'm thinking of was pretty much exclusively boxcars, mostly arriving empty with their doors open although there was some fairly local timber traffic and the occasional boxcar full of hardwoods from other parts of the US.

[Zeus]

A nice day out at the NMRA convention yielded some goodies 

 

£50 for 5 from anoraks, unfortunatly i couldnt find any locos that where suitable.

 

Kamiack falls was really impressive and very inspiring so im glad i got down