Along the Chapeltown loop

[northolland]

Here are a couple of photos of my layout. An impending house move will mean that it has to be dismantled and I have stopped working on it. Before I do so, I want to take a few pictures and I thought I might as well share them on RMWeb.

 

 

It is Wednesday 2 April 1963, 6.00 am. The day starts at Pennyfields Sidings.  Pennyfields Sidings can be found along a short goods line coming of the Chapeltown loop in South Yorkshire. It serves Dearne Mill, an undergarment manufacturer, the Paramount car battery factory, and a coal yard.

 

 

Pilot D3586 is starting up for a day’s shunting.

 

 

The first job is to collect three empty mineral wagons from the coal yard. They are to be taken away by a train eventually bound for Wath Marshalling Yard later that morning.

 

 

Here they are, unloaded yesterday.

 

 

D3586 has arrived at the coal siding and just coupled to the three empty minerals.

 

 

The short train is arriving back at Pennyfields, coming under Carr Head Lane.

 

 

D3586 has uncoupled to run round.

 

 

The single mineral wagon on the exchange siding on the left has to be picked up and added to the other three.

 

 

D3586 is pulling the mineral away from the stabled wagons.

 

 

The wait is now on for the trip working from Astley Down Sidings to exchange the empties for a couple of loaded ones.

Edited July 6, 2014 by northolland

[Doughnut]

Very nice scenery of a place I know very well.

 

Dave K

[McRuss]

Hello,

 

your scenery looks very good to me.

Are your Car Cards of the FREMO type? They look very familiar to me.

 

Markus

[northolland]

Thanks for the compliments, guys. The layout is larger than the bit I featured in the pictures. This is just the branch. There is a mainline - my imagined bit of the Chapeltown loop itself - which goes round the room. In due course, I will add some more.

 

The car cards are inspired by the FREMO cards. This is a variant I designed myself, adapted to British practices. They play an integral part in how I 'play' trains. If there is an interest, I can explain and show more. I know a lot of people are not into this kind of thing but I find it gives a lot of purpose to the running of the layout: shunting wagons about for a reason.

Edited June 24, 2013 by northolland

[Guest bri.s]

Devastated to hear it has to be dismantled looks a very nice layout my area as well

There just isn't enough layouts based on the Barnsley area

Brian

Edited June 24, 2013 by bri.s

[McRuss]

Here are the car cards I use.

They are generated by a database available for FREMO members especially

for N gauge and TT gauge.

 

 

I use the UIC Codes for the wagons on the cards to identify the car cards more easily for me and my friends.

 

Markus

[northolland]

It is 6.01am and the Jinty is about to leave the small engine servicing facility at Astley Down Sidings. 

 

(This is obviously the unfinished part of the layout.)

 

It is 47629. The engine has moved forward into the engine facility spur. It will now move back and enter the Up Slow line.

 

47629 is waiting on the Up Slow for the points to be set by the signal man in Astley South Junction box. To get from the engine facilities to Astley Down Sidings, engines have to cross the mainline to the down side.

 

(The signal box was planned to be put left of the line in front of the lamp hut, indicated by the white square / piece of paper in that spot.)

 

47629 is now moving through the points.  Astley South Junction is not only the point were Astley Down Sidings connect. It is also where the fast and slow lines to and from Sheffield merge into a double up and down main line through Astley Tunnel.

 

The Jinty has now arrived on the No. 1 down arrival / departure line at Astley Down Sidings. The next move will take it into the shunting neck where it will wait for the first job of the day.

 

Here it is. Ivatt 4MT 43096 slowly moves through platform 1 with a short train of loaded mineral wagons. It started its journey only a short time ago at Carlton South Exchange Sidings.

 

It snakes into the Up Slow line …..

 

  ….. to be stopped at Carr Head Junction. This junction is just beyond Astley South Junction. There are crossovers between the fast and slow lines here and it is also where the Pennyfields branch diverges. Goods trains travelling in the up direction but heading for Astley Down Sidings are stopped here at the Up Slow Home to then back down across the main line at Astley South and into the sidings.

 

(There is only one signal – a first attempt to build a junction signal – guarding the up crossover. I could not get it to work. The pull wires and especially the cranks proofed to be too fiddly. The signal that has stopped the Ivatt was planned to be put where the white dot /drawing pin has been stuck in the baseboard.)

 

In the meantime, the first passenger train of the day, a stopper from Cudworth to Sheffield Midland has pulled into Astley Park station.

 

Astley Park station building.

 

(Astley Park and the sidings next to it are pure fiction. Yet to create some realism with regard to train operations, I have imagined it to exist on the Chapeltown loop between Elsecar and Monkspring Junction. It is served by an irregular connection between Sheffield Midland and Cudworth, going right at Monkspring Junction, and a more regular service between Sheffield Midland and Barnsley Exchange, going left at Monkspring Junction.)

 

The Cudworth service is still steam hauled. Big tender engines serve out their days on it. This time it is a Stanier 2-6-4 4MT.

 

The passenger train has to clear Astley South Junction first, for the minerals to be pushed back across the mainline into the sidings. It has just done that, pictured here passing Carr Head Junction on its way to Elsecar and Sheffield Midland.

 

(The signal box is ex-Midland, as is the Chapeltown loop, but painted in Eastern Region colours. I am not happy with how they have turned out.)

 

43096 and its short train of minerals has backed down across the mainline and arrived on the No. 1 line at Astley Down Sidings, …..

 

 ….. also indicated by the packet of car cards, now dangling from a hook.

 

The train engine heads back across the mainline on its way to the engine facilities to be watered and turned. In the distance, the first passenger train in the down direction is held at the Down Fast Home signal. It is the DMU service to Barnsley Exchange.

 

(The signal is actually not there but was planned to be put just beyond the platelayers hut in the distance. The signal that can be seen is the Up Slow Advanced Starter. It is not operational – hence the droop – but it does work if it is connected to a servo.)

 

Engine movements heading to and from the engine facilities are not to move beyond the Astley South Junction Up Slow Advanced Starter.

 

The Ivatt has arrived in the engine facility spur and now will move forward into the engine facility.

 

43096 has arrived at the water column. It will be turned shortly.

 

The DMU has now been able to proceed to Astley Park platform 2 and stopped just short of the footbridge to pick up passengers for Barnsley Exchange, the next and final stop of this service.

 

 

 

Shunting the minerals today is easy. Only B3003 is to stay behind at Astley Down Sidings. It is to be delivered to Samuel Cooke & Co, a fuel dealer situated along the steelworks branch (off side). The remaining wagons are all for destinations at Pennyfields Sidings.

 

(B3003 has an ‘operational remark’ on the car card. It was my first Parkside kit and it turned out a little wonky. Because of that, it has a habit of derailing on the Y-points at Pennyfields – it is fine anywhere else on the layout.)

 

The points are set for the jinty to couple to the minerals on the No. 1 Down Arrival / Departure Line. Astley Down Sidings serves as an exchange sidings for a steelworks (offside), a fuel dealer (offside), and a grain storage / flour mill facility. It acts as a point of departure for trips down the Pennyfields branch and it serves Thorncliffe siding, situated along the mainline in the direction of Elsecar. It receives three goods services per day. Coal is delivered early in the morning by a trip working from Carlton Sidings to Wath Marshalling Yard. It delivers loaded wagons and picks up empties. There is a train from Dunford Bridge via Barnsley with connections over Woodhead Pass to handle loads to and from the London Midland and Western Regions. Another train from Masborough Sorting Sidings brings in and takes out loads for the Eastern, Northeastern, Southern, and Scottish regions. And there are the local trip workings.

 

47629 has coupled up and prepares to pull B3003 away.

 

Here they are on the shunting lead, ready to push B3003 into the No.5 line for unfitted wagons.

 

And job done, parked next to a grain wagon.

 

B3003’s car card has been put in the appropriate pocket.

 

 

43096 has now been turned and awaits its next duty.

 

43096 has left the engine facility, coupled up and stands ready with the mineral trip to Pennyfields. The ER Sectional Appendix requires steam engines to travel tender first on to the branch. The Jinty has move into the No.3 line in preparation for its next job.

Edited July 15, 2013 by northolland

[Flying Pig]

There are plenty of layouts more complete and fully detailed than this one, but precious few with as much railwayness about them.  Huge pity it has to go - I hope you find space for something as absorbing in you new home.

 

Any chance of an overall view or trackplan please?

[northolland]

"Railwayness", I did not know the word but I think it nicely describes what I have been aiming for. I am afraid I do not have a trackplan. I also have to think how I can take a picture that provides an overall view. As soon as I have worked that out, I'll post it

[northolland]

Pushing button 19 will make 43096 depart for Pennyfields with the mineral trip working.

 

The mineral trip has arrived at Carr Head Junction and awaits permission to enter the branch.

 

To allow 43096 to enter the Pennyfields branch, button 13 needs to be pushed.

 

43096 now enters the Pennyfields branch. The bridge carries a former Great Central line over the Chapeltown loop.

 

Peeping through the shrubbery, 43096 has stopped just in front of the point giving access to the coal yard.

 

The empty coal yard where two of the loaded mineral wagons will end up later today.

 

In the meantime the 7.03am departure for Sheffield Midland has arrived in platform 1.

 

Having departed Astley Park, the DMU leans into the curve. Next stop Elsecar & Hoyland.

 

(The DMU is passing under a mock up for the bridge carrying Hough Lane over the railway)

 

The Jinty has arrived at Tower Mills. The cottages on Robinson Terrace back on to the steelworks branch.

 

There are four wagons to collect at Tower Mills Sidings: one VANWIDE loaded with flour for Dutton in Barnsley and three empty grain wagons to be send back to Whitemoor.

 

The points have been set for the engine to enter the flour mill spur to collect the VANWIDE.

 

As could be gathered from the car card, it is B782873. Somebody parked a Lotus Cortina in the alley behind the flour mill building.

 

47629 has coupled up.

 

The pilot now collects the empty grain wagons from the elevator spur.

 

Having pulled back, 47629 will couple the short rake to the VANWIDE waiting on the branch.

 

(Because of the length of the track beyond the Tower Mills sidings point, only two wagons at a time can be pulled out.)

 

All four wagons have been collected and the train crew is now ready to push the train to Astley Down Sidings.

 

The rake has been moved to the shunting neck, from where it will be pushed into the No.2 Up Arrival / Departure line. It will be temporarily stored there. The 7.41am Astley Park departure for Cudworth and Normanton, pulled by a Fairburn 4MT eases past.

 

42073 has stopped at the end of platform 2.

 

The car cards of the four outbound wagons are put aside. B555323, B885337 (loaded with barley) and E203846 (loaded with wheat) are waiting on line No.5 for delivery to Tower Mills.

 

The loaded grain wagons have been gathered on the No. 4 line and are ready for departure to Tower Mills. The rake collected earlier at Tower Mills is standing on the No.2 line.

 

Back at Tower Mills.

 

The two GWR grain wagons have been delivered for unloading.

 

The LNER grain wagon has now joined them.

 

The grain store at Tower Mills.

 

The flour mill at Tower Mills.

Edited July 15, 2013 by northolland

[Guest bri.s]

A real shame not just by what I said before but you've put a lot of thought into it with the whole concept and its very nicely modelled

Love the knowing where the trains are coming and going and why

My layouts based on a the area as well but mines on the great central between stairfoot and new oaks junction set in the 70's

Do you fancy modelling the area next time or fancy something different

Brian

[Flying Pig]

 

 

"Railwayness", I did not know the word but I think it nicely describes what I have been aiming for. I am afraid I do not have a trackplan. I also have to think how I can take a picture that provides an overall view. As soon as I have worked that out, I'll post it

I've pasted together your signal box diagrams and if I've got it right, your system is something like this: as bri.s says, very nicely thought out and thoroughly railwaysome.

 

Edit: image updated in the light of northolland's explanation below.

Edited June 30, 2013 by Flying Pig

[northolland]

@ Flying Pig

My jaw dropped when I saw what you did there. There is one bit missing. You could not know because I had not featured it yet. Thorncliffe siding has to be fitted in between Carr Head Junction and Astley South Junction.

 

 

Also, the signal box diagrams of Astley South Junction and Astley Down Sidings overlap a bit. Point 17 on Astley South Junction is the same point as the unnumbered one on Astley South Junction. If you start at point 17 and move your finger to the right towards the No. 1 Down Arrival / Departure line, you will come across the unnumbered point.  I don’t know if you can picture it, but the stump to the left of point 17 actually connects with point 5 on Astley Down Sidings.  Point 17 is under control of Astley South Junction box. All the numbered points on Astley Down Sidings are hand thrown. “Under control of the box” on my layout means: automatically operated by Railroad & Co. Hand thrown means that they are operated by one of those grey boxes with switches.

 

Here is a shot of my computer screen showing the Railroad & Co page of my layout. It also shows the staging yard that connects the mainline to Monkspring Junction on the right, with the mainline to Elsecar on the left.

 

 

@ Flying Pig and Brian

A ‘railwaysome’ system, I like that. I was inspired by the big American basement layouts that you can read about in Model Railroader but fancied something British. US modelers predominantly model freight traffic. I have always been more fascinated by goods traffic and goods trains than big expresses. South Yorkshire and the Barnsley area in particular has very little to offer when you want big expresses, but its web of railways is one big shunting paradise. Besides, it is on my doorstep.

Shunting goods wagons about – and the shunting puzzles that are created – gives me the most enjoyment when I am ‘playing’ trains. But I also like the occasional train to pass through so that I can ‘spot’ it. It is obviously a DCC set up, automated with the Railroad & Co software. It runs on the basis of a timetable, with passenger and through goods trains passing through while I do my shunting. Most passenger trains are locals and call at Astley Park. The goods trains that call at Astley Down Sidings also appear automatically and stop in a section where I can take control of them to be shunted. When I am finished, I push on one of those push buttons I showed in some of the pictures above, and Railroad & Co takes care of them to drive them where they need to go.

An operating session takes the best part of the day, with breaks for coffee, lunch (dinner in South Yorkshire), and tea. The Railroad & Co fast clock is set at 3 in 1. The timetable runs from 6.00am to 11.00pm. The photographic record that I am creating follows this timetable. I have various industries on and off the layout, which generate traffic flows. What you have seen thus far is most of the coal traffic and grain traffic that I have imagined. It is all sympathetic to South Yorkshire but not ‘accurate’ in that I had to adapt it to what I can fit on the layout and what I can find out about it.

 

The coal traffic is only featured by way of the Carlton Sidings – Wath Yard pickup goods and the trip working between Astley and Pennyfields. I am wondering whether coal was actually distributed by rail in South Yorkshire or whether it went directly from mine to customer / coal dealer by lorry. I should have simulated the many empty and loaded mineral trains that made the bulk of the South Yorkshire goods traffic. The plan was to have another loaded coal train doing the rounds but I have not come round to putting one together, i.e. constructing all these Parkside kits that are sitting in a drawer. Some asked whether I would start again in the new house, and I am sure I will. At the moment, the plan is to build another Chapeltown loop.  I hope I can fit in a bit more coal, maybe some exchange sidings with a coal mine. Given where I imagined Astley to be on the Chapeltown loop, Wombwell Main would be an appropriate name for my coalmine.

I would like to learn much more about coal traffic flows. Where did it all go? What is the typical journey of a mineral wagon: being delivered empty at a coal mine, loaded up, passing through concentration yards, traveling up and down the country to ports, power stations, or domestic coal dealers, being picked up empty again, and back to a coalmine? And not all coal is the same. How did it all work? There is also a lot of other traffic associated with coal: coke, coalite, tar, props, etc. How did that work? Can / should I add it to the new Chapeltwon loop? I have only found snippets of information.

 

My excuse for a grain traffic flow is the Town Mills complex in Rotherham. Well actually, I liked the Walthers kits of the grain elevator and the flour mill and had to have them. So I put a flow together of grain wagons coming loaded from East Anglia (Whitemoor Yard) and Hull (imported grain), and flour being distributed locally to Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Chesterfield. I am not sure how authentic this is. If anyone knows more …..

 

I have only recently acquired the Railway Memories No.8: Barnsley, Cudworth & Royston by David Green and Peter Rose. From this I found out that my Sheffield Midland to Barnsley Exchange service actually went all the way to Leeds. The passenger service I imagined between Sheffield and Cudworth via Chapeltown never existed. There was a connection between Barnsley Court House and Cudworth – The Pusha – but this was abolished well before 1963, the year I model, and it went on another route.

Edited June 30, 2013 by northolland

[cheesysmith]

For inspiration for a barnsley (or dingle, thats what we in sheffield call them) layout, keep a eye open for a book called rails around barnsley by mini msw mr whitehouse. It is full of pictures and gives a good idea of the area. It even has the cudworth flyer in it. As a nouther local to the area, ane having walked most of the old lines around SY, I think this is excellent.

[Guest bri.s]

There was a few passenger trains over the loop and it would get diversions my uncle said the only train he saw on the line before it was changed was a peak on a passenger .

Me and my brother liked nothing better than to get the bikes out and ride on the old lines you could get anywhere around the Barnsley area .

The memories no8 and the Alan Whitehouse books are good

Don't know much about the trains in the era you are modelling unfortunately

I'm more 1970's nearly everything went to wath yard behind a diesel and got a electric on the front then over wood head.

When I was researching stair foot sidings I found (there is a thread on here about it there maybe some info in there )

There were 3 pilot engines for the sidings from Barnsley shed they shunted and took local workings (probably to local goods yards there were loads around )and banking duties

Pinder oaks sidings

Barnsley goods yards (midland and great central )

Cudworth station good yard

Freemans coals yard

Summer lane station good yard that would have had milk and coal wagons

Penistone goods

To name a few .

Brian

Edited June 30, 2013 by bri.s

[Guest bri.s]

There was also the sand trains which came up from Norfolk (I think) to wath then I heard a rumor they went to stair foot sidings and split some wagons went to beatson clark glass works and some to redferns glassworks not sure what type of wagons they used in your era though .

Brian

P.s sorry for going in a bit

[Flying Pig]

@northolland - thanks for the fuller explanation of how the layout works.  I've updated my mashup above and hope it's nearer the mark this time.

 

 

I am wondering whether coal was actually distributed by rail in South Yorkshire or whether it went directly from mine to customer / coal dealer by lorry.

 

 

I think this has been discussed on RMweb in the not too distant past (possibly even on the present incarnation) - worth a search as I recall there was some first hand information on the thread.

Edited June 30, 2013 by Flying Pig

[northolland]

@ Flying Pig

Re-doing the mash up tells me you are very smart. I'll do a search for the South Yorkshire coal distribution thread.

 

@ Brian

Please do not apologise for "going on a bit". I remember your thread on Stairfoot Sidings. I cherish every bit of information I get. 

[Guest bri.s]

Forgot there's another book called

Times remembered Royston ,Carlton and cudworth by ken bird that's not bad either

Brian

[northolland]

The mineral trip working has pulled forward into Pennyfields Sidings. The coal empties are waiting next to it.

 

The stack of car cards has arrived in Pennyfields as well.

 

The empties are to the left.  The loaded wagons are to the right. The brake wagon car card is in the middle.

 

The Pennyfields pilot with the empties has attached to the train and pulls the wagons away.

 

In the meantime, the 8.42am departure for Sheffield Midland accellerates away from Astley Park.

 

Only a short time later, the 8.53am departure from Normanton to Sheffield Midland has arrived at Astley Park’s platform 1.

 

In the opposite direction, a BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 with a parcels working passes through on its way to Barnsley.

 

With the loaded wagons tucked away at the back and the empties standing ready on the left, D3586 is parked out of the way so that 43096 can run round.

 

The Ivatt is standing ready with the empties to depart for Astley Down Sidings.

 

The car cards of the loaded minerals have been put in the pocket for inbound traffic. They will be sorted out later.

 

40396 is waiting for the branch signal to clear. Down traffic from Pennyfields Sidings has to travel wrong way on the Up Slow to reach Astley Down Sidings.

 

The next wait is for the shunting disc to go off, which allows the train to cross the mainline and enter Astley Down Sidings.

 

(I am not sure how this would be signaled. A train is coming wrong way here and stops at the back of the Up Advanced Starter. I have assumed that there would be a shunting disc facing the other way, which controls trains arriving ‘wrong way’ here. Any opinions?)

 

The coal empties from Pennyfields cross over into Astley Down Sidings.

 

43096 has stopped at the water column at the end of the reception sidings.

 

The stack of car cards has transferred back to Astley.

 

There are another three mineral empties waiting on the No.5 line, which need to be added.

 

The Astley pilot will first pull away the brake van.

 

The brake van has been parked on the No.6 line next to the one that was already there. Behind it are the empty grain wagons from Tower Mills. They have been moved from the No.2 line, where they were put temporarily, to the No.5 line earlier.

 

The 10.01am departure for Barnsley Exchange has arrived.

 

The Pennyfields empties have been parked on the No.2 line so that the engine can pull back and be turned at the engine facility, but this has to wait ….

 

…. because the premier up train emerges from Astley Tunnel. It is the 10.00am ‘South Yorkshireman’ from Barnsley Exchange, pulled by A4 ‘Woodcock’, scheduled to arrive at St. Pancras at 1.14pm.

 

 

The express thunders through Astley Park’s platform 1 at 10.05am …..

 

….. without stopping, …..

 

….. and leans into the right hand bend towards Astley South Junction,

 

….. to slow down to 40mph for the left hander going under Hough Lane, and ……

 

….. accelerates away passed Carr Head Junction. The A4 will come off at Sheffield Midland, when the train will be strengthened with the Sheffield portion and a Peak diesel.

 

(I know the real ‘South Yorkshireman’ did not go anywhere near Barnsley or the Chapeltown loop, but I wanted at least one express passing through. So I used my imagination. Also the A4 would be very unlikely but maybe it is on a running in torn from Doncaster. As it comes off at Sheffield, it can then return to the ‘plant’. From the Green & Rose book I now have learned that there was a Halifax-St Pancras express that took the Chapeltown loop, and there was a – I believe – a Saturday only Bradford-Poole.)

 

43096 can now cross the mainline to be turned.

 

Here it is a little later on the engine facility spur.

 

And now it is being turned.

 

Ready to go back on the train.

 

The 10.17am departure for Cudworth has to go past first, …..

 

 ….. and there is the 10.28am departure for Sheffield Midland to wait for.

 

The Dunford Bridge – Astley Down Sidings is just behind it, scheduled to arrive at 10.43. It will bring in loads that have been brought in over Woodhead Pass. The train engine is a brand new English Electric Type 1.

 

(Too new actually, as head code box Type 1s did not exist yet in 1963. It is my first sound equipped engine, bought cheaply to see if I liked it. I did and now am quite a few pounds poorer for it.)

 

The Dunford Bridge train has been stopped at the Up Starter. It will move into the Up Slow and continue to Carr Head Junction to then back down into Astley Down Sidings. However, the coal empties is still on the No.1 line and has to depart first. It is running late. The train should have left at 10.08am, just after the ‘South Yorkshireman’ had gone past. If you miss that slot, you have to wait for the other passenger trains to pass through first before you can cross the mainline to the Up Slow and onwards to Carr Head Junction.

 

Here are both trains, the Dunford Bridge arrival in platform 1 and the coal empties ready to depart for Wath Marshalling Yard.

Edited July 15, 2013 by northolland

[Flying Pig]

I love the hillside rising above the tunnel entrance.  So often model railway tunnels carry the line under mysterious perfectly flat table-lands, but this looks like real landscape.  The superelevation is rather nifty, too.

[HillsideDepot]

I'm really enjoying this "day in the life of", and especially following the card system as I want to develop something similar for my own layout - albeit I only have one set of siding, all the customer's facilities are imaginary.

 

I note on post #10 there is a photo of the car cards at Tower Mills Sidings and I see that the Vanwide has it's card in the side of the holder, I assume that this means it is ready for collection. In the next part of the card holder is a yellow card marked "Flour Mill" which I assume is merely a way of segregating wagons in the different sidings at the location without needing a holder for each siding. On the left are two shelves marked "Dispatching" and "Receiving" which I assume hold the consignment cards, how are these selected? Do you say there are 3 wagons in the yard so select 3 consignment cards, or do you select consignment cards in some other way and then work in wagons accordingly if there aren't sufficient on hand? The top card in the lower tray seems to have a large letter on the lower section, the bit which is hidden when allocated to a wagon. Is this to match the load to wagon type - V as on the Vanwide?

 

Sorry for so many questions, but I really think that this card system has something for me, so I'd like to understand how it works.

[northolland]

@ Flying Pig / Simon

The tunnel mouth and hillside was inspired by the north portal of Tankersley Tunnel between Elsecar and Chapeltown. I put superelevation in because I like the look of it. It was tricky to get the transitions right and you don't want to overdo it.

 

@Adrian

I am happy to explain about the car card system. I am afraid you have to be a little patient with me because it might take a while before I get round to it. I have a busy time ahead of me. There is rather a lot to explain. There are the car cards, the waybills (all American terms I think but they came up with it first), setting up traffic flows, and how to use it in operating sessions. 

[HillsideDepot]

@Northolland

Thank you for your reply, I'm happy to be patient, I need to do my wagon stock list first (and renumber any doubles/triples!) and decide which businesses are where in the context of my fictional city.

[westerner]

I think I've seen that flour mill somewhere else.

 

looking good! can't wait to see the progress when its re-assembled.