What is the main industry on your layout? I am split between going with grain or warehousing. I like lots of intermodal so I am leaning torward warehousing. What about the rest of you?
Coal. I plan on moving about 300 cars in a four hour operating session. Of that total, about 80 will be coal coming off the Havana Branch through Savanna to Fulton, Illinois where there will be a rail-to-barge transfer and an associated power plant. About 20 more cars will be desitined for online and offline points. Obviously, half of the cars mentioned are empties. Second in car volume for any one plant will probably be the Dunleith works of Northwestern Steel and Wire.... I want a steel mill but don't want to bring ore jimmies down from the Iron Range; so this will be a remelt facility rather than a basic iron and steel mill. Charlie
One of the factors which can wreck a layout has reared its ugly head with the model RR I am building: that factor is "greed." I want it all; this is how people end up with spaghetti tracks and no where to put their scenery and structures. I have cars for coal, wood chips, grain, intermodal, freight, and what have you. I am torn between modeling two large industries on my level (we have a double decker, the top level is my son's - he's going agricultural up top). Or bringing in a series of smaller stuff - a small intermodal yard, a coal pile and a wood chip pile (this can all be found on the North Shore in Vancouver) with grainery. Hard to make up my mind. I hope greed doesn't get the best of me!
I plan on making two larger industries rather than several small ones. A coal mine and a papermill. The mill cause it can handle a variety of different rolling stock. I'm not sure of a intermodal terminal yet. I may just make those trains(intermodal) run-throughs.
My current switching layout has a team track, a freight station/industry siding (undecided what it'll be), a retail coal dealer, and a coal transfer track from a narrow gauge mine road.
My main industry on my layout is grain. I have a grain terminal and grain silos that allow trains to run between terminal and silo also thruogh train pick up strings of grain hoppers. These hoppers can aslo supply grain to for food processing. I also run a second industry between a cement works and gravel plant. here are some pics 1. Grain Terminal 2. Cement works 3. Gravel yard
I love warehouse districts so I have several buildings with sidings for switching. Also have a large grain elevator. I am planning either an oil refinery or chemical plant for tank car switching also.
I don't think I have one industry that dominates over the others... </font> Model Railroad Distributor</font> Stone Quary</font> Locomotive Rebuild Shop</font> Cold Storage Warehouse</font> Ready-Mix Concrete Plant</font> Scrapyard</font> Fuel Distributor</font> Flour Mill</font> Plastics Transload Facility</font> All that on a 2x5 foot layout!
The timber industry of south Mississippi ... Raw lumber, both stick and pulp lengths come onto the layout from Lumberton, MS to a sawmill and a paper plant. The finished products are then transferred for shipment out of the seaport at Gulfport, MS, also off-layout. On layout there are various support sidings for a lumber yard, a small warehouse, a freight transfer building, a passenger station serving the village of Saucier, MS, and a three-track interchange yard with the Beebe River Railroad of Ipswich, MA operated by my Brother. If I ever get off my butt and finish the scenery, I'll set up operating schedules and collect revenue. [ 03. September 2002, 01:08: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
Grantha gave me an idea for a freight transfer facility that I'm looking into. I ordered a back issue of Canadian Railway Modeller ( Jan 2002 issue) that describes this type of facility (hasn't arrived yet). It uses many types of cars so at this point if all goes well, that's what I'll be modelling. Hey Colonel, nice SD-35 in SP colors
Agriculture will be the main industry on the shelf layout I'm building. Industries include grain, flour, meatpacking, farm machinery, lumber. I chose agriculture because that's what I know the best and am attracted to.
Grain, by a LONG shot. I have dozens and dozens of hoppers, most BN. My goal is to have a completely-BN ACF hopper 30-40-car train behind 3 or 4 SD40-2's. BTW, I just finished my latest 40, in the number of the 40 that I took a cab ride in a few mos ago. In a distant second is intermodal/autoracks. I plan on having at least 10 small-town elevators on my branchline. CP will handle these, and interchange them with BN.
I model NHN that hauls sand and gravel from ossippe NH to Boston mass alot of it gos to the big dig in boston Plus there is an propane dealer who receive tankers + Iam Adding a wood chipper plant and lumber yard
