After asking a question about prototype practices (in that forum) for modeling, I thought it might be good to solicit more responses here, especially from those of us who hold or plan to hold operation sessions and do not use magnetic decoupling only skewers.
Aside from plexi-glass shields on the aisle side tracks, has anyone come up with other methods for protecting towers, cinder hoists, silos, etc. from errant elbows while decoupling with skewers, etc.
I'd hate to put all that work into building the Walthers Wooden Coal Tower and cinder hoists only to have them decapitated!
I'd like to avoid a shield if possible. They visually intrude on the scene too much. I'm still considering putting them on a stub ended track or radial track (necessitating the use of the t.t. ea. time) which would not be prototypical but hoping to find protective solutions I can try instead.
As the guys in the prototype responses suggested, the mainline placement of the tower would solve things more prototypically but I don't know if I have the space for that.
Thanks,
Jim
Thanks, Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
I've learned the hard way that anything sticking up more than one or two inches is going to get damaged by people reaching for something behind them, especially on a club layout.
I've just about given up on replacing signals, crossbucks, signs, and other items, and have decided to just remove them from the layout when they get broken instead of continually replacing them.
Tall structures are placed as far away as possible from the front edge to avoid damage. If your layout is not built yet, you might want to consider changing your track plan so tall structures are in the back instead of the front.
Planning is part of the recipe, put taller structures in back, don't put areas where the operators will have to reach in behind tall structures or don't put tall structures in front of places that people have to reach in.
Another option is not to use tall structures. Instead of a coaling tower use a dump and a conveyor. Its only slightly taller than the cars.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Expect damage. This is why some modelers of contest quality never put their contest-level models on the layout.
I suppose it might be possible to create some sort of infrared detector that could emit a warning sound if someone's hand (or elbow or butt or whatever) approaches too closely but it may not be fast enough to prevent the disaster.
Some modelers use tall trees at the layout edge to prevent a derailed engine or car from falling over the edge. Perhaps a series of really stiff trees with nails for trunks could protect a fine model and yet look prototypical or at least plausible?
Dave Nelson
This may not be quite what the OP was looking for, but it works for me. I have several aisle-side minibackdrops where buildings need some protectipon and where they work well as backdrops. They are very simple, just a piece of 1/4" hardboard cut to fit the space and screwed to the fascia at the bottom. The layout side of them has a simple pattern of mountains painted on.
You can see a couple of them here, behind the smeleter complex and part of one on the right side behind the packing company.
This one is behind the refinery.
They are short enough to reach over easily for most operators.
This view of the refinery area and its backdrop is more distant, but you have to look to pick it out among things.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Since my layout was designed for OPERATIONS! from the beginning -
I remoted ALL of my Ground Throws to the edge of the Layout
This way the Operators - DO NOT have to reach into the scenery to throw a turnout!
AND - Everyone always states that the Ground Throws are NOT scale enough!
So why NOT place them OUT of the way out along the edge of the Layout.
As for Buildings
I have tried to make them as bulletproof as possible - almost to the point of putting them on the floor and kicking them to see what breaks and then reinfoce that and try again!
BUT we really do place a lot of extra reinforcement where possible as we know the Modules will get hit a lot at the Club Shows!
As for my layout - I make it Break Away as I leave the building loose so if it gets bumped it will give a little and I just set it back into the foundation!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Although I have not tried it myself, I saw an article a few years ago of an idea to allow block signals, crossbucks, and similar items to be knocked over by leaving them loose and fastening a fairly heavy weight under the layout that would pull them back up.
Wider aisles and narrower operators. I have a structure that actually intrudes a bit into the aisle, and it takes fewer hits now that I've lost about 25 pounds.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Better planing solves the delema. I have a few grown throws that you have to reach for but there is realy nothing to break there.
Thank you for all of the great ideas and suggestions! Unfortunately, the track has long been laid and ballasted and no where to move them to place the coaling tower and hoist in different locations. I did leave room for them on the aisle side engine servicing t.t./r.h. A/D tracks originally and they can still go there. (But that's about the only place they can).
I changed my mind after attending enough ops sessions to see they'd be very vulnerable and thought about relocating them...
Dave, the tree idea is another I'll explore. Might try that lst as it's easiest and quickest to start with and go from there if something else is needed. They'd be an easier repair for sure!
I had seen one manufacturer (Walthers maybe) who made street lights with sprung bases so that they would come back into place after a hit so was trying to come up with an idea along those lines. The string with a weight would be good thing for me to consider.
Mike, the facia additions are another good idea I'll explore. Maybe I can build up a small hill or building ON the aisle edge of the layout to make operators reach around the tower/hoist areas enough that they won't be likely to hit them...
All turnouts in the main classification yard are Tortoise controlled so no reaching in for that but we do manulally uncouple using skewers.
If I can just get operators to slide a cut of cars to the right of the tower/hoist location before uncoupling that might work.
I have a 3' aisle so I used switch machine motors to keep the yardmaster (and maybe an assistant) out of the aisle so through trains can be followed by their two operators without the yardmen (persons) roaming the aisle.
Dave and Cacole. I was kinda stuck having to have the A/D servicing tracks be the lst two tracks in from the layout's aisle due to the necessary location for the 130' turntable. I also appreciated that the big articulateds would be easiest to rerail for newbie operators (if I'm not in the room at the time) to rerail. A harder task and more time consuming than rerailing rolling stock.
I may have to reconsider a different coaling arrangement such as the suggested conveyor, etc.
I DO own a Cheyenne Coal Bunker kit that would straddle the trackage with it's non-uniform spacing. (some are 2" apart others more or less). That would eliminate the bumping issues or at least be a much stronger structure and large enough to withstand some light bumping. It's length across the class. yard would provide a nice view block moving down the aisle too...
Again that would stretch prototype aspects a bit maybe... I have three servicing A/D tracks that could be in existence after two others had been converted to stub yard tracks as the trasition era came along and use those for diesel servicing with the appropriate equipment on the farthest in from the aisle track. Maybe I'll look at that aspect. I could shorten the Cheyenne Bunker to three tracks but then I'd only be a bit larger/less delicate than the Walthers wooden tower and I've never really cared for the stubby versions I've seen.
5 track Cheyenne bunker too much of a stretch? This is a Terminal/Belt line and division point. The total trackage is only about 1.5 to 2 miles from yard to yard with an oval for through trains-to staging. I expect to run about 8 to 12 trains per session eventually.
Thanks so much. I'm constantly amazed at how many ideas come from a thread that I figue would only have one or two solutions. If there are others "hit me" (but don't hit my tower!)
I've read the original post, and I've read all of the comments to the original post.
Then I walk into my living room, and look UP 8 feet to my ceiling train, & I get this strange sensation as the corners of my mouth start turning up, as well....
Alas, ye poor, earthbound mortals....
Jim:
Great threads!
Lots to think about.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
A few years back, I remember reading about a layout, and the modeler glued small blocks of foam rubber to the layout so that the buildings were a snug fit over them. If bumped, they just fell over. For structures that don't have walls that sit on the layout, I'd drill the supports and insert pieces of wire into the supports that matched holes drilled into the layout.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
dehusman Planning is part of the recipe, put taller structures in back, don't put areas where the operators will have to reach in behind tall structures or don't put tall structures in front of places that people have to reach in. Another option is not to use tall structures. Instead of a coaling tower use a dump and a conveyor. Its only slightly taller than the cars.
www.deadwoodcityrailroad.blogspot.com
Hmmm....I might have a surprisingly workable solution. Even though the IHC Cheyenne 650 ton Coal Bunker is ridiculously large for my yard, it seems to look "right" placed down at the yard throat where the drill track, main, and port tracks all pass under it.
It's distanced enough and part of a "stepped" visual look to the yard up to the big city scene that will be built above it. It's right next to and slightly behind the Walthers Port Terminal bldg. and just reaches the upper level (7" higher) to the city. It actually might solve an earlier "problem" how to transition that scene/area so it looked natural and this might solve both issues-coal dock in a prototypical location on the layout and the scenic "climb" that ties the layout together better.
It'll be out of operators' elbow reach and could even act as a signal tower on the steel girder framework, for those 4 tracks that pass beneath it.
If it doesn't suit the layout visually in the end, I'll go back to your suggestions for the Walthers tower's protection. I'm considering a crane coaling operation too, if no other solutions pan out.
You all have given me much food for thought,