How do I shunt the Goods shed

[Londontram]

Just move the goods shed up near the station. Keep the spur where the goods shed is now and turn it into a small loco servicing point to add a bit of extra operating interest.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Londontram

[Thunderforge]

Haha, “goofs shed”

 

Edit: referenced a typo which has now been corrected :-)

Edited May 30, 2018 by Thunderforge

[sharris]

Just move the goofs shed up near the station. Keep the spur where the goods shed is now and turn it into a small loco servicing point to add a bit of extra operating interest.

I thought of that too, but decided it would be the Kobayashi Maru cheating solution of changing the game to make a winnable situation.

[sjrixon]

You look like you have a point on the station loop?

 

Why not add a small siding, then you could push back the brake van and any vans not for the shed.

[rodent279]

Another way to do it is fly shunting with a rope.

 

Can someone explain what this is please?

[Thunderforge]

Just flicking through June’s Railway Modeller and I notice ‘St Martin’s Wharf’ has a kickback Goods Shed too.

[AdamsRadial]

Can someone explain what this is please?

 

Tow-roping was an old trick. Position the loco and a wagon with a rope or chain going from the loco to the wagon buffer. The loco moves slowly ahead, and as it's wheels clear the point blades the points are changed. The rope pulls the wagon along the diverging track. The rope length (and strength) needs to be chosen with some thought as to distances and necessary force. Junction Road halt, near where I grew up, had a single siding that was tow-roped to drop off vans of shoddy for the nearby hop-fields.

 

Fly shunting was something else again, usually it was one of the tricks Harold Eliot performed at his flea-circus model railway show.

[Thunderforge]

Hmm, I wonder if you could simulate tow-roping with weak magnets? Maybe a magnetised bit of wire between two steel buffers, which would pull apart without pulling the wagon off the track.

Probably only workable in one of the larger scales though.

[Happy Hippo]

Two men can easily push a loaded 12 ton van, and labour was cheap in those days.

 

There was also the railway horse!

 

Much cheaper to utilise that than a loco.

[The Johnster]

Sometimes, the problem was stopping them where you wanted.  The holes in disc wheels are there to allow the wagon to be set into motion by levering; everybody used shunting poles which they weren't supposed to. Once the wagon was moving, it was not difficult to keep it on the move, as the main thing was to overcome the initial rolling resistance.  You had to be very careful with this in any yard that had anything but absolutely level track, or even on a windy day!

Edited May 30, 2018 by The Johnster

[Londontram]

 

Here is some archive film of capston shunting wagons for any body who isn't sure how its done. It would be hard to recreate this in model form but I guess it's possible in one form or another and I'm thinking a motorised wagon or something like that

Edited May 30, 2018 by Londontram

[Londontram]

 

Along the same lines (ouch sorry) here's another period film of one of the last shunting horses. Again a modeling challenge to recreate this but some one might have an idea

[figworthy]

 

Here is some archive film of capston shunting wagons for any body who isn't sure how its done. It would be hard to recreate this in model form but I guess it's possible in one form or another and I'm thinking a motorised wagon or something like that

 

A motorised wagon would be one way.  Looking at BurntIsland at Railex last weekend, they were moving wagons with a magnet under the base board.

 

Adrian

[The Johnster]

Seen it done on layouts, Leicester South comes to mind, with working capstans and cable haulage.  I would suggest having stiff or slightly braked wheelsets to give the wagon enough drag to keep the cable taut.