The Industrial Lead - Introduction

gregamer Dec 29, 2011

  1. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Track Plan 11 - Fixing some things I didn't like

    [​IMG]

    Made south and east shelves narrower. Removed Seattle Pottery. Reoriented yard lead to extend through clost wall. Use #5 turnouts for yard ladder. Moved yard tracks west. Reoriented Franz Bakery. Extended Cargill to spot 14 cars from 12. Extended PCC Logistics to leave extra room for spotting longer cars. Pulled industry turnouts in by running diverging leg off of curve.
     
  2. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Looking good.
    You can still have a good scene along the yard lead at the top wall.
    (Not necessarily rail-served industries).

    You can still get the "urban canyon" feel to The Hole by using fascia flats (flats that face inward) or even a cut-away industry that would give you the canyon and also the opportunity to model the interior of the cut-away.

    Food for thought.
    I like where this is going!
     
  3. Railroad Bill

    Railroad Bill TrainBoard Member

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    Nice idea for the "urban canyon" look, i.e., putting flats on the backdrop and reduced depth structures across from them, track running through. The structures would be backed by an "in-the-layout" backdrop for the "countryside" look of the rest of the layout. Well, too many words, but this discussion has been helpful. :pbiggrin:
     
  4. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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  5. cajon

    cajon TrainBoard Member

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    Greg
    In response to:
    "I had planned on modelling Seattle Pottery on the North side of the Hole tracks, but I decided it would be difficult to couple and uncouple cars with this building in the way."
    There's no reason you couldn't still have the spur for Seattle Pottery and just have the loading platforms or what ever else was there w/o the building.
     
  6. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Andy,

    I was actually going to model just the building. The track next to it, the Steam Track is still in the plan.

    Incidentally, The prototype Pottery Spur Track is on the opposite side of the building off of the Colorado Main.

    Thanks
    Greg

     
  7. rsn48

    rsn48 TrainBoard Member

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    For me, "fun" is more important than prototypical authenticity. All layouts are initially fun even the simple oval with no switching, my first train set when I was in 3rd grade. So I often will look at a layout to see if I would have fun on it after I've run it a hundred times. On yours I think I'd start to get bored (but that's me, maybe not you).

    If I were to have your layout, I'd want some way to get new rolling stock on the layout which you can do through three mechanisms. The first is team track which allows cars from everywhere switched in and out, the second is an interchange track on which new rolling stock can be placed, and thirdly is port area so that the area has cars from different destinations and RR's to service.

    On your layout, I'd have the top track serve as an interchange track and maybe servicing a port area. You could even have a train set up in a long drawer sleeve that you could temporarily hook up to the end of the top track to get new trains on the layout and "old" trains off the layout.
     
  8. cajon

    cajon TrainBoard Member

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    Greg just noticed the Xover at the bottom of the yard isn't going to work well especially if that spur has any cars in it. Simply make it a left hand vs right hand so you're working the lead & not the spur. And have to agree w/ Rick as RRs don't exist in a vacuum. LOL AND it'll give alot more switching to do.
     
  9. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    I Hope I Won't Get Bored

    Thanks for the comments Rick. I'm hoping I don't get bored too fast. I don't think I will. I've been switching these places for the last 5 years, and it still seems interesting. Some people have fun going somewhere. That's not really me, I have more fun figuring out the best way to accomplish a task.

    And even though this plan looks simple, it really will be a challenge to operate. PCC Logistics and Cargill will both use sure spots. Cargill uses both tracks for spots, so just getting PCC Logistics creates a challenge. The yard is smaller than the capacity of the industries, requiring creative stashing to get things done. The yard lead is only long enough to pull out one full spot, requiring more creative stashing.

    Cars come on the layout via the hand of god. This is not unlike a lot of jobs, where a transfer job performs the transfer duties, the industry job performs the spotting and pulling. So when industry job arrives for work, the work is already there, when they leave, someone else comes and picks up the pulls.

    Thanks, Greg
     
  10. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Track Plan 13

    A little more work to do.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. paulus

    paulus TrainBoard Member

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    hi,
    about the same:
    [​IMG]
    Have fun with your plan.
    Paul
     
  12. postman

    postman New Member

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    Great info Larry. I´m designing my ISL and looking for info at the moment. Google maps is a nice tool if you´re looking for industrial spurs. Sometimes I have seen there is a runaround at the beginning of a spur going to an industrial park or industrial area.
     
  13. dexterdog62

    dexterdog62 TrainBoard Member

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    Did you ever get around to building your layout? I like the track plan.
     
  14. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    The Industrial Lead Progress

    Thanks for asking dexterdog,

    The layout is in progress. The bench-work is finished.

    [​IMG]

    The track plan has been updated to follow the prototype Industrial Lead. No runaround, only two industries, #10 turnouts.

    [​IMG]

    I'm now building turnouts to Proto:87 Standards.

    Switch-Works-211.jpg

    Thanks,
    Greg
     
  15. RGW

    RGW TrainBoard Member

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    Looks great Greg, like the revision, but did you lose some switching opportunities? M
     
  16. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Michael,

    It's less switching and less diversity; only tank cars now vs. tanks, hoppers, reefers and flats before. It will still have spots for 20 cars and room for another 14 off spot. I decided to stick with a strict prototype arrangement because I liked the simplicity of it. This arrangement requires much less compression and much less artistic interpretation :)

    Greg
     
  17. Backshop

    Backshop TrainBoard Member

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    So how much time do you estimate it will take you to run a complete switching session? Do you plan on spotting singles in specific sequences at each industry, like John Hancock's grain elevators on the Argentine Yard layout?
     
  18. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Each industry has specific spots, an op session should last 30-60 minutes. The lists will be similar to the prototype. I might score some op sessions by counting moves, like golf less moves is better.

    Do you have a link to the Argentine layout you mentioned.


    Greg Amer
    The Industrial Lead
    gregamer.com
     
  19. postman

    postman New Member

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    Hi Greg!.

    Can you explain how it will be a complete switching session?. The incoming train is on the Sig runaround track at the beginning and then…
     
  20. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    First off some terminology, so it doesn't get confusing.

    Spot - A car that is to be placed at the industry and the specific location where that car is to be left
    Pull - A car that is to be removed from the industry
    Respot - A car that is to be moved from one position to another position at the industry
    Hold - A car that is to.be held in place, or held off-spot for a future spot.

    Each car is Spotted at a specific location. Cargill has 14 spots: Sugar 1-7 and Steam 1-7. Maxum has 6 spots: West 1-3 and East 1-3. So in total there are 20 specific locations a car can be spotted.

    A Switch List will detail which cars to Spot from the Industrial Lead and the Odom Lead, which cars to Pull from each industry, which cars to Respot at each Industry, and which cars to Hold at each industry or on the Odom Lead.

    A session will start with the engine and the days cars sitting on the Industrial Lead. The Odom Lead track will have loaded cars waiting to be spotted. The crew will need to sort the cars on the Industrial Lead and Odom Lead to line up the Spot cars to take down to the hole, and place the Hold cars on to the Odom. This is usually a good time to place the cars in a logical sequence according to Spot location.

    The crew will then shove the train down to the Hole. The crew can either perform the work In the Hole, pull the train back up the Industrial Lead and switch up top, or do a combination of both. The determination will have to be made based on space required to make the moves needed to accomplish the switch-list. Crews are encouraged to order their work to the most efficient method, the fewer moves required to accomplish the Switch List the better.
     

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