Different narrow-gauge idea

[FJ and G]

Some have incorporated narrow gauge on their layouts. Perhaps an N or Z scale train in an amusement park or possibly an 0n30 branchline.

But, if you are strapped for space and can't fit a branchline in or you don't like the amusement park idea, then here's another idea.

A very very very short industrial railroad. You can't find most of these industrial railroads in any books but there are hundreds of them out there; more 50 years ago than today, but still some today.

Are you baffled yet?

Well, these are warehouses or lumber or construction yards that sometimes contain stand-alone tracks, used to shunt materials back and forth.

In Gloversville, New York, there used to be one at Pete's Lumber company. Tracks were about 4 foot gauge and the "trains" consisted of a humongous dolly using railroad wheels on very light rails. Cars were pushed by hand or pulled with a small tractor or forklift.

I've seen an Industrial switcher at a cement factor as well, with tracks not adjoining any railroad.

Boat yards too often employ a rail system to get the boats from storage to water. I saw one that actually went down the side of a mountain and used a pulley system so that the people living in the house could get their boat and possibly themselves to the lake, here in Virginia at Occoquan reservoir.

Have you ever encountered these self-contained industrial railways? I'd like to hear your experiences. Would be easy to replicate on your layout using some HO track.

Dave Vergun

[cnw1995]

Dave, this is a good idea - especially for 'extra' track. I've noticed numerouse old sidings off the former C&NW (now UP) main line down which I commute. They are usually into current or former lumber yards, but seemingly were regularly switched by the railroad. Out by my home, many of the gravel pits used to run their own spidery railroads. The other object I've spotted is a large crane that ran on temporary rails by the quarry. It was pulled/moved by a small engine on a portable cart.

[FJ and G]

Doug,

Yes, forgot to mention that intermodal yards have cranes atached to very wide rails. Even in a non-railroad environment, cranes often run on rails.

Forgot to mention one thing. Some of the wheels on these cars are double-flanged (flanges on both sides).

Another self-contained type of railroad, and they had these back in the 1950s, are rack rails for houses. The system lifts invalid persons from one floor up to the next.

Lonoke County Courthouse in Arkansas has such a system.

[Anonymous]

You might want to check out this web site. http://carendt.us/index.html
Lots of narrow guage and industrial railroads. a functioning O or G scale
layout in a shoebox? no problem for these guys. You can build On30 layouts with curve radiuses so small, they make 027 track look almost realistic. (ok.. just kidding about the realistic part. =)