What would you do with it ?

[Switchman]

What would you do with this space if it were on your layout?

I've had to change my plans for it and have some ideas myself. But I'm looking for some suggestions and other brainstorming on the use of the space. It's 18" wide by about 3.5' to 4' long. It's 1' squares. There is a leadin/out from a branch line for access. I forgot, the
Era is 1940s to 1980s and anything inbetween. A freelanced any railroad.



I thank you for your time, suggestions and help.
See ya
Ron

[Nuts4Trains]

Hi Ron,

Not sure what "era" you'd like to model (saw your engines and you kinda have some of everything!).

First thing that comes to mind on a long skinny bench would be a pier with a coal loading arrangement for the old days (barges with full cars), or container loading crane for more modern times.

Since part is against a wall, you could also do something alongthe lines of a busy "downtown" industrial switching yard with lots of businesses and a background "facade" of building fronts & mirrors to create additional depth of field.

The old standby of a lonely mine and rough terrain usually works.

Same for a rural logging line, or maybe an oil refinery with tons of complicated piping right up front where visitors can enjoy the fine detail.

Or you can put the whole module on a "rotissary" and model TWO of these ideas!

:tb-biggrin:

Go nuts! (works for me)

[Switchman]

Rotissary ??

I like you ideas.

See ya
Ron

[ppuinn]

It is possible to design the track configurations in several different ways depending on how you want to work this area of the layout.
1. Will rail traffic come to this industry only from one direction (always from the right (east) or always from the left (west)?
2. Or will it be necessary for cars to enter/leave the industry regardless of whether trains are traveling eastward or westward?

The track arrangement could be as simple as a single turnout from the main leading to the industrial lead which, in turn, branches off to serve all possible industry spots like multiple branches of a Y with all trailing point turnouts (that is, all turnouts have their points at the same end [east end in my examples below] as the mainline turnout). If the single turnout on the main is in a trailing position, then all the industry sidings could be served without any need for a run-around movement.
EDIT: If someone has a clearer explanation of facing and trailing points/turnouts, please post it...Here's my attempt, but it may need corrections!! "Facing" turnouts are entered when your choice of going straight or curved is in front of your direction of travel; "Trailing" turnouts are entered when your choice of going straight or curved is behind you. If the car is in front of the loco, it can be dropped on a siding with facing points, but the loco would be trapped if it pulls the car into the siding with facing points (unless the siding has a turnout at the other end that lets the train back onto the main).
If traffic is coming primarily from the other direction, then it will be necessary to perform a run-around movement to get behind the cars to push them into the industrial sidings. That run-around movement (made on a two-ended siding long enough to hold the cars to be pushed into the industrial sidings) could be right there by the industry or, depending on how far the RR is willing to push cars in front of the loco, located at a more distant run-around track.
If the track arrangement within the industry has sidings with both facing points and trailing points, then it would be most convenient to have a run-around track located near where the run-around movements are going to be needed...either within the industry's track configuration or along the main near the turnout on the main that serves the industry.

3. Will the industry be served by a roadswitcher or by a dedicated industrial loco?
Typically, a roadswitcher would leave a yard somewhere on the layout with a number of cars and would work this industry and several other industries and/or interchanges along its route. It would pick up cars outbound from this industry and set out cars inbound to the industry. Depending on the working arrangement between the RR and the industry, in-plant moves might be made as well. For example, moving cars from a holding track or a cleaning track to a loading track, or moving an empty boxcar by the receiving dock to a loading dock by the parts warehouse dock.

If the industry is served by a dedicated industrial loco that never goes on the main track, then there will need to be provisions for parking/servicing the industrial loco...an engine pocket somewhere convenient. Also depending on where the industrial lead ties into the RR's siding, there may need to be a lead tail long enough to pull a string of cars from the industry spots to push them onto the RR's siding for pick-up rather than having to position them one car at a time.

For an industrial loco to work this area, the industrial loco would pull all outbound cars from the various industrial siding spots and put them on the RR's siding to be picked up by the RR. Cars would be dropped off by the RR at the RR siding for this industry and the industrial loco would spot the inbound cars within the industry.

Selective compression and space compromises often mean we don't have room for long sidings running next to the main. On my own layout, I've tried to make my RR sidings long enough to hold at least as many cars as I expect to switch into/out of the industry spots: if I have capacity to spot 8 cars on industrial sidings, but expect to change only 4 or 5 each time there is a cut of cars for the industry, then I'll make my RR siding long enough for 4 or 5 cars. If I anticipate switching more cars each time, then I'll increase the RR siding capacity to hold more cars, either by lengthening the siding or making it 2 tracks instead of just one.
If your industrial loco typically needs to move more cars per day than your RR siding capacity and increasing the RR siding capacity is not feasible, then set up a second, third or 4th shift in the industry and drop off cars more often (once each shift). That way, an industry with 20 cars per day of traffic into and 20 cars/day out of the industry could be served by a RR siding that can only handle 5 or 6 cars.

FWIW: Below are some generic track plans for 4 possible combinations of facing/trailing points on the main and in the industry, and using a roadswitcher or an industrial switcher. The top two show all facing points in the industries as cars are pushed into the industrial sidings. The bottom two show run-arounds and both trailing and facing points.
1. trailing point on the main and industry served by a roadswitcher, with all industrial sidings branching off like a Y with multiple arms
2. facing point on the main or trains going both eastbound and westbound and the industry served by WB and EB roadswitchers, with all industrial sidings branching off the lead like a Y with multiple arms
3. trailing point on the main, with both trailing and facing point industrial sidings, and industry served by a roadswitcher
4. trailing and facing points on the main and in the industry, and all industrial sidings served by a dedicated industrial loco needing a long lead.

[Switchman]

Dave, Wow !!:thumbs_up::mcool:

Thank you Dave for the time you took as well as the extensive and very detailed suggestions of what to do with the section. :tb-cool:

It can be entered from the west and leave heading east, from/to a branch line .

I'm going to print off the suggestions and the drawings for further study.

Again thanks.

See ya
Ron

[Helitac]

I like Dave's sugg #4, an interchange w/another RR, or an offline switching opportunity!

[Powersteamguy1790]

I would use the space to make an ultra large junkyard with several sidings. It would a focal point on your layout.

[HarryII]

Dave, # 4 :thumbs_up::thumbs_up:

[Grey One]

Having looked at the rest of the track plan I saw either a stub ended passenger terminal or freight yard. You have huge mainline and very small yard. You are unable to make up a train that could take advantage of your mainline.

[MRL]

You could have a passenger terminal. A bunch of granger type shortline industries. A sugar factory!!!
One of the small industries could include porta potty dealers, a small beanery, maybe a scrapyard...