JWB Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 One industry nobody's mentioned is a corn syrup distribution facility. The buildings are small, and corn syrup tank cars are usually 40 feet or even shorter. Here's one that used to be near downtown Los Angeles, switched by SP SW1500s (sorry for the black and white, but it's a long time ago now). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I wondered if you had a specific facility in mind that had some unique reason to clean cars. If you had the packaging warehouse you could either recieve the packaging in boxcars and then switch the cars over to the outbound side to ship donuts (maximizing switching)or have the packaging come in plain sliding door boxcars and ship the outbound in DF/LD/plug door food grade boxcars (maximizing car types). Some of the hottest moves we had at Spring, TX were moves of the little paper french fry cups to a fast food company warehouse. We actually gave them special switches on a couple occasions. I guess the customers wouldn't be happy if they dumped a bunch of french fries straight out of the fryer into their hands. If the oil and corn syrup tracks were combined, having one spot for oil and 2 for syrup, it would create more switching and then let the oil track be used for frozen foods. Not only do they make doughnuts but frozen pastries for the oven or toaster. That would bring reefers onto the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 If a Company deals in Dairy products there might be a need for a washout facility... we have Reefer trailers (road) and you don't want to go in the back of one that's had some milk or yoghurt spilt and gone off in it..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
highpeak Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Oh boy that might open a can of worms on this side of the Pond... there's no end of "Small TMD" (Traction Maintenance Depot) layouts over here, often pushing the bounds of plausibility way beyond what any Inglenook-type Shunty plank might do... it's becoming a Cliche to match the "Great Western Railway Branch Line Terminus" layout of a few decades ago, which at the time was promoted as an ideal subject for small layouts... I think though that Dave's idea would actually be an interesting change from the British style TMD in that some of the activities would be quite different, as he points out. Rigby Yard on the Maine Central in Portland was quite a big "TMD" but you wouldn't need to model all of it. The kind of action Dave is talking about took place away from the roundhouse and its turntable, which would probably exceed the space available. Fiddling around with engines took place with the backdrop of the two-story yard office on one side and the sanding tracks on the other. Add in the mandatory fuelling facility and you've got the elements you are looking for. Rigby was of interest in that you had power of the B&M and Portland Terminal as well as Maine Central (I am looking at the pre-Guilford days) so quite a lot of variety. B&M power more or less just came and went as a consist but MEC stuff was broken up and recombined all the time, plus there was the periodic gathering and dispersal of the yard switchers at shift change time. As Dave said, if you crave freight cars then there is scope for tank cars for fuel (MEC had some elderly cars in company fuel service in the 70s) and hoppers for sand (early covered hoppers that were too small or tired for the cement traffic they had been bought for) as well as all sorts of veterans in the work car fleet. The sanding facility on its own would make for a nice contrast to the British TMD: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 What I am proposing isn't a "maintenence" area or a depot, its purely a service track. Three or four tracks, a small fuel rack, a sand tower, maybe lube oil. No roundhouse, no shop building, probably not a turntable. If there is a turntable, no roundhouse. Only and office/locker room for the mechanical dept. staff and the hostlers. Operation would be creating a line up of inbound trains with power and a line up of outbound trains. For the inbound trains there would be a time they arrive. For the outbound trains there would be a time they would depart and the power had to be ready to go one hour before that. Each outbound train would have a tonnage estimate and the object would be to build the outbound sets of power to match the outbound requirements using the inbound sets of power as fodder. Outbound requirements would be the tonnage, which direction they are going, what type of engines they required, what model engines they require, any special equipment they require and any special configuration they require. For example the north local might need a back to backset of GP engines, it gets engines with less than 2500 hp, they don't need dynamic brakes or cab signals. Today the train will have 2700 tons and it will need an extra 1500 hp GP, facing south, to set out on line. GP7's are rated at 1200 tons and GP38's are rate at 1600 tons. So I can use 3 GP7's plus one extra GP7 to set out or I can use 1 GP7 and 1 GP38 plus a GP7 to set out. The local power has to have the lead unit facing north and the trailing uinit facing south. plus the set out unit has to be a south facer. Figuring out all this stuff was one of the first jobs I had on the railroad back in 1980-1981. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Here's an overall shot of a cleaning facility owned by GATX in West Colton, CA adjacent to the UP West Colton yard. Note that the cars in lower right are sitting on the ground, off their trucks. Here's an example of how some damaged cars come in for repair: If you ask me, a car cleaning facility in and of itself is a little boring and industrial for sustained interest, but it is an option, especially as a way to run critters. The wrecked cars might add extra interest, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 If you ask me, a car cleaning facility in and of itself is a little boring and industrial for sustained interest, but it is an option, especially as a way to run critters. The wrecked cars might add extra interest, too. Dear JWB, If you're a heavy-weathering fan, and a single SW or even trackmobile is enough for you in the motive-power stakes, it could be perfect... Consider - you'd have to build at least _two_ of every car (1 x wreck damaged, and 1 x "repaired") - plenty of weathering, painting, and decalling practise - opportunities for dynamite levels of super detailing (in many senses of the word!) Indeed, IIRC I think such options have already been well "planned out" should someone wish to go there... http://carendt.us/contest/vote/index.html (Check plans 04, 09, and 20 for starters...) or http://carendt.us/scrapbook/page73/index.html Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I friend built an exhibited a freightcar repair shop, and I like the idea of having two cars of the same prototype, before and after repair. It'd be a good way to promote RPM modelling to UK exhibition punters, but I'm not sure whether a casual observer would understand the concept or stick around long enough to witness the damaged car enter the shop and its repaired version emerge... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Beyond that, who has the eyesight to stand at an exhibition and say (after N minutes) AHA! That's GATX 27653 coming out of the shop again, with its railings straightened and all cleaned up!! You might be able to sell the concept to a mag, though. . . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouse2037 Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 I'm still pondering over industries and how many or not to be rail served.. Meantime - turnouts.. Walthers or Peco?? Hmmmm Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted July 17, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 17, 2011 I'm still pondering over industries and how many or not to be rail served.. Meantime - turnouts.. Walthers or Peco?? Hmmmm Roger The Peco Code 83 stuff looks good to me, but I'm not sure if there's anyone local who stocks it off the shelf? The same is true for Atlas track, of course. If it's a small layout you could just order the track in one hit from Model Junction or someone similar. Or go P87! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_long Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Scalelink sell shinohara track in the UK. Their code 83 is the walthers track. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Peco Code 83 is not common in the 'States either. I think it's down to cost. When my local store had in (one) turnout it was $38. 70% more than an ME #6. as Barry Ten said you can always make them (like this shortline - to be fair they are replacing it):http://www.bdrry.com/2010%20Track%20A%20Turnout%20RFP%201002.pdf Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouse2037 Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 Great link Pete! P87 ! - Al !! Thats just not helpful lol I have seen a Walthers 3 way turnout on US ebay for £30. Peter at Lord & Butler (here in Cardiff) has said he can get Peco code 83 turnouts in for me - he has the track. Just wondered looks wise? The check rails look a bit odd from the pic of the Walthers? Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Roger, If I was you I'd get what you can get locally, when you need it.................I think that the Peco Code 83 looks quite good, certainly by the time it's been weathered and ballasted. In comparison with US or Japanese track in the UK it's probably at a fairer price than here too. Cheers, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Not sure about "real life", but they look normal enough on the track template, if that helps Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouse2037 Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 Thanks guys Roger Its wine time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouser Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 For a short switching layout you might like think about modelling one industry instead of a general area with several small rail served pplaces. If you know what kind of cars you like and what era you prefer it is possible to find an industry that takes a variety of cars. If this tickles your fancy i could make a few suggestions, if not I will climb back into the box. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Please do so, scouser. I'm interested in your "out of the box" thoughts........ Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouse2037 Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 For a short switching layout you might like think about modelling one industry instead of a general area with several small rail served pplaces. If you know what kind of cars you like and what era you prefer it is possible to find an industry that takes a variety of cars. If this tickles your fancy i could make a few suggestions, if not I will climb back into the box. Paul Hi Paul I'd sure like to see the plan you had in mind - my (un)original idea was for a scrap yard type industry using a few battered gondolas etc. mid 1980's or so? but i'd really like a small variety of cars and yes, serving one industry sounds interesting! Cheers Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Klyzlr Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Great link Pete! P87 ! - Al !! Thats just not helpful lol I have seen a Walthers 3 way turnout on US ebay for £30. Peter at Lord & Butler (here in Cardiff) has said he can get Peco code 83 turnouts in for me - he has the track. Just wondered looks wise? The check rails look a bit odd from the pic of the Walthers? Roger Dear Roger, Believe the group has already thrashed out whether PECO Code 83 was "up to snuff" or not... Check out thread... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37644-peco-code-83-track Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouse2037 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks Prof for the link - interesting comments. Progress of sorts at last with my project: Shelf boards fixed to wall brackets, foamcore purchased and cut to fit on shelf, nice pale powder blue sky painted direct onto wall behind. 5 lengths of Peco Code 83 and a stack of template paper turnouts now being stared at Cheers Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 So what track plan are you going for then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Our modules have a few Walthers/Shinohara switches on them for specific configurations that Peco doesn't do in c83 yet, the rail is 'fatter' at the top and it all looks rather more chunky than the Peco, but both work... If you're in the UK to my mind the Peco is a no-brainer, easy to get hold of, nice looking, only slightly higher in price than the 'domestic' Peco products as well, and much cheaper than importing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouser Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Hello Roger, just a few thoughts (damn it's dark in here).When modelling a large industy it is not always necessary to model the entire site. The interesting bit is the rail handling facility.It is also possible to omit the entire industry and concentrate on some exchange sidings. If we consider a steel distributor or even a mill, using the exchange siding idea allows the use of a variety of cars and the inclusion of main line and industrial switchers. Model the sidings and use a lead that disappears off stage, this way a fiddle yard can be used for main and industry. This also allows for loads to be swapped off the main layout. Using this idea a paper mill becomes possible. This would use boxcars, chemical tankers,log cars,woodchip cars and probably some others I've missed. Depending on the space at your disposal you might also be able to squeeze in a team track. These can be used to serve as many industries as you like, often with only one car of product.Or an empty car being filled. One industry I found in Florida was Florida Tile. This had box cars, covered hoppers and tankers.It also had a nice set of sidings in front of the plant which turned the plant into a very nice backdrop. Incoming loads were:- Kaolin (china clay), Dies and acids,packaging,clay. Outgoing would be:- Empties,Finished tiles. Hope this helps, got to go the candle is nearly finished. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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