Model the "Hump"

[gvdobler]

Has anyone modeled a hump in a frieght yard. I remember watching this operation from a bridge in Lincoln Ne. and wondered if anyone has tried it. I don't recall ever seeing it in magazines, but the thread on "momentum cars" made me think of it.

If you have never seen it. The cars were pushed over a hump in the yard and rolled down a hill, switched to the appropriate track to the assigned train.

I can think of a lot a reasons why it would be difficult to emulate on a model RR.

Jon -- Las Vegas

[Anonymous]

I know this isn't much help, but I remember seeing a reference in an article on something else, to a modeler who had a working hump yard. He used small air jets between the rails to regulate the speed of the cars. This was a long time ago (20+ years?) but it was in either MR or RMC. Good luck![:D]

[Anonymous]

A club I used to be in has one.

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by captncliff

I know this isn't much help, but I remember seeing a reference in an article on something else, to a modeler who had a working hump yard. He used small air jets between the rails to regulate the speed of the cars. This was a long time ago (20+ years?) but it was in either MR or RMC. Good luck![:D]

Ed Ravenscroft had a working hump yard on his Glencoe Skokie Valley that used jets of compressed air to retard the cars. The article appeared in the November, 1961 issue of MR.

Damn, I'm old. [:D]

Andre

[mcouvillion]

There was a fellow in Sarnia, Ontario that had a hump in the yard of his basement layout. I don't remember how well it worked. I've wanted to build one for years but have not got the space for one. I would like a little more experience laying track before I try one of those. I would need to study how high and steep it would need to be to function properly with free-rolling, weighted rolling stock. The trackwork and switches would have to be rock solid, either Shinohara or hand-laid, #6 minimum, probably #8s. And turnout control would have to do routing reliably very quickly. Could be done, but would take a good deal of planning. I'm not sure what type of retarders I would want to try to use. I'd also have to figure out how to uncouple the cars with the drawbars in compression and control whether one or more cars were cut at a time.

Mark C.

[Bob Hayes]

Check out the "Layouts & Layout Building" forum. Jim Rice is looking for air valves for his hump yard. Maybe he can give you some ideas.
Bob Hayes

[Paul W. Beverung]

I visited a gentalmens layout in Detriot some years back. He had a hump yard on his layout. He used air jets between the rails for retarders. It work very well once you got the hang of working the retarders.

Paul

the Duluth, Superior, & Southeastern

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