looking for industries and what they make and where they ship it

briansommers787 May 3, 2018

  1. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm looking for a book or website that would list different industries
    and what they need to make what they produce

    so I could populate my switching layout correctly.

    I'm designing a 7' x 7' x 1' "L" N scale shelf layout.
    one side will have a yard/fiddle yard/off layout, etc and the other side will be the industries, etc.
     
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  2. DD99

    DD99 Guest

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  3. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    I love research and making sure everything fits in a time period, so obviously I will be biased in my response here. If you are interested in the same thing, I would take a look at what cars and locomotives you already own. They might influence the kinds of things you put on your layout. A Railway Express Agency building might go on your layout if you own many steam locomotives, but if you have modern diesels, maybe not. Location might play a role as well. If you have Eastern railroads, you could have coal related industries. Since you are switching, an intermodal yard is probably not the right way to go. Or it might be cool to have your whole layout related to one big industry. You could make a steel mill or a mining operation. Any way you go, pick something that you want to create so your layout will be something you are proud of.
     
  4. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    I have nothing. I do have one HO scale Coke car that I bought for my wife..

    I have model rr experience. I used to have a small layout about 30 years ago.

    I'm debating HO. At 52 yrs. young I'm not sure I can handle the fiddliness of N. But I love what I could do with it space wise.
     
  5. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    oops. forgot
    I for some reason don't know if I want to go rural or urban/industrial/gritty

    I want a cattle pen and chute for some reason. I used to live in Westcliffe, CO years ago and I miss it. But I think industrial/tight/gritty would be more interesting to look at. I want switching but don't want a clustered up mess that will have a high cost of ownership.
     
  6. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Brian, You might consider having interchangeable industries so it will add variety to your layout. On my layout I will have three locations that are interchangeable. The first one I have a option for a grain mill or ice house, second is a stock yard or oil refinery, third is a coal mine or saw mill. Each industry is built on a piece of foam that is cut the same size and it makes it easy to swap out.

    Joe
     
  7. MarkInLA

    MarkInLA Permanently dispatched

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    Brain, if you have the basic idea of your main line past the industries (road switcher leaves main to spot cars in your industrial area then leaves with cars from your area), you then should be able to visualize the structures you'd like and the spurs and run around tracks from the main, which serve them.. If you still want a cattle pen, though, I would not situate it anywhere near say, a sewing machine factory, bottler, appliance maker, piano maker or coaling tower. it would need to be in a rural setting. But it's that simple. Also, I wouldn't use any cork or foam under industry tracks. Better flat down on the ground. Then do have shouldered ballast under the main line to set it apart from the secondary tracks..
    Finally, unless you already were going to, put shelf at about chest or neck height so you wind up looking across the tracks instead of down on them and trains..
    Coincidentally, I too am starting an HO 10' X 10' x 2' (tapering to 6" on both shelves) L shape shelf layout !! MH
     
  8. txronharris

    txronharris TrainBoard Member

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    I'm sure you can make a period correct switching layout with the elements you're wanting. I'd just figure out what industries you want and then start working on the trackplan.

    As far as deciding on scale, that's entirely up to you, but even wearing glasses at the same age as you, I think N-Scale is still the way to go for me. Decals and details are still easily done (although with some magnifying help), and I can have the layout I want in a reasonable amount of space. Even now, I look at HO and sometimes think about changing but it still looks so "big" to me. And in my situation, I'd not be able to have the operations in HO I'm going to be capable of in N-Scale.

    Hope that's a little help.
     
  9. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Brian, if you want to see my layout drawing look for the "Frisco N Scale Shelf Layout" thread. I bumped the thread so it would be great easier to find.

    Joe
     
  10. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    Considering the fact that you want a cattle pen and an urban environment, you could build a Chicago Stockyard style layout. You could have cattle pens, a meatpacking plant, a slaughterhouse, and some other industries if you still have space. A basic warehouse is a good space-filler.
    Since you also want to know relevant cars, I would get stock cars for inbound cattle, reefers for outbound products, boxcars for the warehouse, and maybe tank cars for other food ingredients.
    Another industry you could have is an icehouse. If you have reefers you need ice to keep them cool.
    Right now I am imagining a 1920’s layout with Armour and Swift reefers pulled by Alton switchers in a dense setting. I don’t even model this era, but now I want to build it.
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2018
    txronharris likes this.
  11. txronharris

    txronharris TrainBoard Member

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    I seem to recall a layout in Model Railroader that was based off of this. Don't know when it was, but it would easily be adaptable to N scale. Also, you could just have an old cattle pen in the weeds next to the tracks if you're thinking more of a rural environment.
     
  12. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for all the responses.
    Each day I keep researching this I keep narrowing my focus.

    As of now: N scale
    I was reading on Wikipedia about car float service - gotta have one of those... that would be a great idea to get cars off/on

    then when I reading about that it talked about terminal railroads that would do nothing but sort cars for major RR and then put them together for another major RR to pick up... I LOVE THIS idea. I could build my whole layout on this. a car float on one end and nothing but yard, turntable, engine house, etc.

    Now if I'm right the way this would work is major RR A, B and C would come in and drop off cars. I would rearrange them and then Major RR D and E would pick them up? It probably wouldn't be that many but isn't that the idea? Even if I would have to physically pick them up off/on or could I just run my car float off/on instead? I ordered John H. Armstrong Track Planning... 3rd edition, coming today.
     
  13. txronharris

    txronharris TrainBoard Member

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    Hey Brian,
    The car float idea is something you could use almost like a switching cassette that lots of euro guys use on their layouts. I saw a video recently of an N-scale layout where a guy used one that actually operated on a module as part of a club layout. I'll try and find the video and post it.

    Sounds like you're off to a good start, so keep those ideas and questions coming and post some pics when you're to that point. There are many guys here that are extremely talented in layout design (excluding myself, lol) that will be able to help you along the way.
     
  14. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm pretty sure I saw that. I was shocked to see it move.

    I'm thinking car float on one end and an interchange track in the yard on the other side.

    I'd have room for another 5' section on another wall, but it wouldn't be connected.
    I thought about using that to shuffle my cars around on the float. It would represent the destination but then
    I thought maybe that would be just tracks and more of a holding area/display area for all of my full car floats, etc.

    I'm looking at my Coco-Cola HO car and I have to admit, that seems small enough to me.
    I did order several pieces of Atlas Code 55 track and one N scale boxcar to see how that "feels."

    If I would go HO then I would give up my car float and have a small interchange track at both ends. (east/west or north/south)
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  15. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    The time period you model will have an effect on what buildings you ship from.

    As an example:

    fuel dealers of old would have been coal sellers. Then as other combustibles appear they might also sell heating oil.

    Milk was often carried in combination passenger cars on short lines. Heavier production areas would use box cars, or even milk cars.

    Grain elevators of old were serviced by box cars with paper barriers in the doorways. But after this they used grain cars.

    Knowing a specific time period will determine what you are using as shippers and receivers.
     
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  16. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm thinking 1950's - I want the option of steam and diesel.
     
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  17. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Brian, you might consider starting a thread for your layout. Be sure to take photos and/or videos so you have a record of your progress.

    I have my locomotives and railcars divided into groups by decade. Then I use only the railcars that are in a 40 year span. Frisco merged with Burlington Northern in 1980 so if I wanted to run trains in the later years I will select railcars manufactured from the 1940's to 1980.

    Joe
     
  18. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Brian, what does the 787 mean in your moniker, do you work on Boeing 787 aircraft? I used to work at Boeing and was on several aircraft, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, F111, B1-B cockpit, B1-B weapon launchers, Space Shuttles Columbia, Atlantis, Endeavor and the International Space Station. I was the Leadman on the modules, Integrated Equipment Assembly, that holds the Solar Panels as well as the Leadman on all of the electrical systems on all of the modules that were assembled in Tulsa. We built twelve modules for the Truss Structure, a total of 290 feet of 355 foot wingspan. I also built the KU band Antenna Assembly. The Space Station was the best program I worked on, 6 of 24 years.

    Joe
     
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  19. briansommers787

    briansommers787 TrainBoard Member

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    the 787 does indeed refer to the Boeing 787 but only in simulation. I used to be a big flight simulator enthusiast but I still participate in that hobby not near as much. I just think it's a really cool looking airliner. I prefer virtual bush flying in the Cessna 207
     
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  20. Amtrakking

    Amtrakking New Member

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    Hello to the community,
    Amtrakking here as a new member.
    Hope to converse with like minded folk and be able to learn from those much more knowledgeable than I.

    I would like to model an automobile factory and associated industries in HO scale for my first layout. I have a space approximately 16' long by 4 1/2' deep with a 4'x4' extension forming an inverted " L" shape up against the wall.
    Walthers has six kits priced on ebay @ $600-700...ouch!!
    I have previous modelling experience so may just scratchbuild needed structures.
    Researching archive pictures for auto factory structures and set-up but so far have not come across anything substantive.

    Amtrakking
     

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