robbostrains Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Just found an old yard office kit in HO,lurking in one of my many spares boxes.Are they typical of what might be found on US railroads?The layout I have is a switching layout 1970/80 era.Have a place to put it on one of the sidings but don't want to put buildings in that don't really belong there.Should add I run the layout as a shortline type. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted August 13, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2011 If the switching layout represents the trackage of the railroad, rather than a set of private sidings, then a yard office would seem appropriate. There has a to be a place where documentation is handled, waybills dealt with and crews are briefed on what and where. Many yard offices on smaller roads, then and now, would be old cabeese or converted boxcars - anything secure and dry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Yes - I have a grounded caboose tucked away somewher for exactly that purpose - it was an actual kit with a moulded base etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbostrains Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Thanks,a great help as always!While I'm on have bought a great layout but there are uncoupling magnets buried in the track that uncouple in places that I don't want them to.Is there a way to neutralise them without digging them out? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Yes - I have a grounded caboose tucked away somewher for exactly that purpose - it was an actual kit with a moulded base etc yup, I had one once....un-grounded it with a 10p underframe and 5p trucks.... The kadee* couplers probably cost 5 times as much as the caboooose... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Thanks,a great help as always!While I'm on have bought a great layout but there are uncoupling magnets buried in the track that uncouple in places that I don't want them to.Is there a way to neutralise them without digging them out? Not AFAIK without either cutting off the "dangly -bits" from the couplers (OO-ER, Missus! ) , or digging out the magnets and refilling the hole Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 you could destroy the magnetic field by using a blowtorch on them? might be a case of 'defeating the object?' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Yes - I have a grounded caboose tucked away somewher for exactly that purpose - it was an actual kit with a moulded base etc I once turned down the offer of a grounded boxcar kit; they can become a little bit of a cliche to my mind... On the other hand, a Short Line could be as frugal with it's buildings as it could with it's rolling stock, so a "second hand" Yard Office of whatever description wouldn't look out of place at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Just found an old yard office kit in HO,lurking in one of my many spares boxes.Are they typical of what might be found on US railroads?The layout I have is a switching layout 1970/80 era.Have a place to put it on one of the sidings but don't want to put buildings in that don't really belong there.Should add I run the layout as a shortline type. Not knowing what the building looks like makes it harder to answer. A yard office is usually at locations multiple crews or other workers go on duty. They normally have a space for clerks to handle switch lists or waybills, places for crews to go on duty (bathrooms, showers, lockers), get lists and orders and to store their stuff. The more modern you get, the less likely a yard office is. On a contemporary layout a "yard office" might be just a small (6 ft x 8 ft) building with a phone, printer and computer terminal in it. The yard office might have a yardmaster in it. In the 1970-1980 era, computers are just coming around and the drive to consolidate the clerical staff is starting. The yard office might only have one or two clerks (instead of several, inbound clerk, outbound clerk, waybill clerk, PICL clerk, billing clerk, crew caller, cheif clerk) and they might handle several locations. In 1981 in Houston on the MP I had an "OCC" (yard office) that had two clerks on duty in a interior room of the large freight house at the major yard and they controlled/supported about 25 switch engines and locals a day on 4 branches and a mainline route. The yard offices were the old depots where the crews had a desk, printer, telephone and computer terminal in one room and the MofW used the rest of the depot as offices and storage. A "new" yard office was a 20 ft shipping container with a door and window cut into it, an air conditioner, phone, desk, terminal and printer. So if you switching area is the "center" of the operation and several crews go on duty there it might have a "yard office" with clerks. It could also have the old building there and they are only using one room and the bathroom for the crews to get their paperwork. The unused areas might have the windows boarded over or hasps and locks put on the doors not used by the crews. Or the non-crew portions could be used by the MofW, put some track supplies around that end of the building an park some hi-rail and work trucks there. If you are in an urban area, then ther are lots of road crossings so you will need a signal maintainer to take care of all the crossing gates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.