The question about engine service on a stub or garden track got me to thinking about this small yard in my book, Railroading on the Wabash Fourth District, that appears on page 156.
http://s1380.photobucket.com/user/Vic244/media/Garymap1950resize_zpsb7f422b1.jpg.html
Let's face it, even on small railroads, stub-ended yards are rare, except perhaps for industries. But most model railroad yards are stub-ended because of lack of space or the need to use the space saved for something else. Here is an example of a small stub-ended yard on the Wabash Fourth District circa 1950 that also serviced a mixed train. To best of my knowledge, it never had a turntable, ash pit or engine house, but did have a hostler on duty. The passing track on the mainline was used as a run around track if necessary. There had been a depot to the west of the freight house, across Broadway Avenue (a street that had two trolley tracks) but circa 1950, with no regular passenger service, operators and clerks had moved into the freight house on the east side of Broadway and a color light trainorder signal had been installed.
"Goldie", an African American, who lived in a nearby shanty, serviced the mixed train steam locomotive (usually a "2400" series Mikado). Track No. 3 in the stub track yard was elevated so Goldie could shovel coal from a gondola down to the loco's tender and he also used a hose to water the tender. No. 4 or 5 track was usually used to drop cinders but there were no cinder pits. (The entire yard was ballasted with cinders.)
The mixed train at this time ran M-W-F west from Montpelier, Ohio to Gary and then T-TR-Sat east back to Montpelier, staying overnight at its endpoints. Goldie would only put enough coal and water into the mixed train's engine tender to get it east to Crocker the following morning, where there was water and a coaling machine on the mainline to top off. The mixed would work all the interchanges and industries btw Montpelier and Gary. In addition, express was handled by the REA man in the heavyweight combine baggage section and box cars loaded wtih LCL on the end of the train were also unloaded at the stations along the line.
Two switch runs worked Gary. The Gary Switch Run ran btw Tolleston (a support yard to the west) and Gary and sometimes east of Gary working sand pits. The Calumet Local would work btw Landers Yard (Chicago) and Tolleston. Once a week, the Calumet Local would also drop off an LCL car at the Wabash station on the B&OCT at Hammond and then pick it up on another day after it had been loaded, taking it to Gary to be put in the mixed train for the trip east. It might also drop some other cars in the Gary Yard. However, the 1st and 2nd shift Gary Switch runs handled all the switching at Gary. Sometimes No. 98 would drop off cars at Gary for the Yallowitz Fruit Market. The Swtich Run would sometimes pick up cars at Tolleston from No. 89 to get them to the 47th Street Yard quicker without the need for classifying.
In the late steam days, the switchers were 0-6-0 B-6 and B-7 Class and later, diesels could be Alco or EMD switchers. The mixed train was eventually dieselized with an EMD GP7. It was the last mixed train in Indiana, operating to 1962. Photographs and an entire chapter dedicated to the mixed train, including operations at Gary are in the book.
And you might ask if there were no turning facilities, how was the mixed train loco turned for it return to Montpelier the next day? Well, the 2nd Shift Gary Switch Run would borrow the mixed loco overnight, because it had more power, and turn it on a B&OCT wye at East Chicago before it brought it back.
Victor Baird
Erstwhile Publications
www.erstwhilepublications.com
Victor,
Thanks, lots of great ideas for a layout-size operation. I never knew anything about this last mixed train in Indiana, although I am a Hoosier -- from the south end of the Monon, which of course explains a lot...
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mike:
There are some photos of the mixed, steam and diesel on the Ready Track Page of the website.