Switching Sidings off the Main

[R. T. POTEET]

onebiglizard, the prototype handles facing-point spurs in a variety of ways.  Ideally, of course, is if there is a siding not too far distant from the spur; here the locomotive can use the siding to get around behind the car to be dropped and shove it up the main and into the spur. Three hundred and forty two miles is, however, too far a distance for shoving since shoved cars have imposed speed restrictions and railroads do not like peddlers interfering with their manifests.  There may be a siding beyond the spur where the peddler could get behind the car to be dropped and, in this particular case, pull it back down the line and drop it; the spur would now be off of a trailing-point switch.

I know of a particular situation on the Onion Specific in eastern Idaho where a car is carried to a siding beyond the spur and dropped at that location to be picked up by a train coming from the opposite direction and delivered when that train gets back down the line to the spur. I actually observed this occur one time.

There is one other way to get cars into a facing point spur: the 'dutch' drop.  This is where the locomotive pulls the car very fast and, after it has been released, is allowed to coast into the spur.  Of course, with this, if anything goes wrong, you will be able to go home and tell the significant other that you saw something new that day, the unemployment line.  I didn't actually see this happen but I encountered a 'dutch' drop gone awry, again in eastern Idaho.  Here, the switch had been thrown prematurely under an SW, it had gone on the ties, and the coasting freight car had piled into the switcher.  My uncle, a section chief on the UP, told me that the conductor had gotten fired on the spot over this incident.  The brotherhoods can't do anything for you when you deliberately disobey the rules.

[wjstix]

I've been looking at this sort of question myself, since I'm in the planning / basement prep stages of a new layout which will be my first "mainline" railroad (i.e. not a branchline).

One thing to think about is mainlines tended to connect cities and towns. A wayfreight might start at a division point yard and run say 4-5 miles to town where it would serve maybe a grain elevator, a coal dealer, and a team track. Then it would run another 4-5 miles to another town where it would serve a small cannery, a lumber yard, and a freight depot. Then it would go on to the next town.

In between towns would generally just be 'scenery'.You might have a big industry, like a "Green Giant" size cannery, an oil refinery or some other industry on their own between towns, but generally most small businesses that get 2-3 cars at a time would be congregated together in a small town.

Keep in mind too a mainline implies fast freights, top line passenger trains etc. They're not going to be happy sitting at a red signal waiting for the local peddler to drop off two cars of oil to a fuel dealer and clear the mainline for them. Again, it would be better to have several businesses in one area with a runaround track and a couple of spurs leading off from it, so the local train could use it as a passing siding to allow thru trains to pass.

 

 

[nucat78]

In general, the prototypes would try to switch the sidings as trailing-point.  The local freight would make its way down the main, switching all the trailing-point sidings and skipping the facing-points.  Then it would turn around at the end of its run and come back to finish the job on the way home.

Yup.  Or one train would switch its trailing point sidings and a second train going the opposite direction would switch its trailing point sidings. 

Was it John Armstrong who advocated making most sidings in an area trailing point but throw in one facing point for a little challenge?

 

[MisterBeasley]

In general, the prototypes would try to switch the sidings as trailing-point.  The local freight would make its way down the main, switching all the trailing-point sidings and skipping the facing-points.  Then it would turn around at the end of its run and come back to finish the job on the way home.

[selector]

There may be a yard, or maybe a siding, a distance away where the locomotive cuts the cars to be spotted and then noses up to them for shoving in facing point industrial tracks.  For the trailing point, the cars must be backed into place, ostensibly by uncoupling what is behind those cars, leaving them behind the turnout, and then passing the points, switching, backing in and uncoupling, then retrace to couple anew to the cars left out on the mains.  It might only be the caboose.

[onebiglizard]

I'm building my first big (for me) layout around the walls of a 13x24 room, loosely modeling flat western Illinois, through St. Louis, and into hilly SE MO.  This endeavor continues to reminded how little I know about so many things. 

My latest head scratcher is about switching industrial sidings.  I have several spaces for a single industry and 2-3 car siding (some facing point, some trailing point), but not always space for a runaround track nearby.  I see this scenario on many published layouts also.  How do prototypes switch the isolated siding?  What do experienced modelers suggest?  I want plenty of switching in addition to my (mainly single track) mainline, but don't want to create situations that are either unworkable or totally unprototypical.

I'm sure many of you have been here.  All tips and wisdom shared will be appreciated.  Thanks!