Siding designing and usage

[Anonymous]

Here is a question for someone with more knowledge of operations than I have. I have a siding that scales out to 400 feet. It will be servicing a mid 20th century farmers co-op. There will be small warehouse, a grain elevator and small loading chute for the local livestock to be shipped to market. My question is about placement of the elevator since it will need the largest number of cars to service it. The siding is long enough for 7 fifty foot cars but it is obvious I can't block the main when I load the cars ad I have to move them one at a time under the loading chute. My guess is that I place the elevator so that the loading chute is half way down the siding so there is room for 3 loaded cars behind the chute or 3 empty ones in front of it and the main stays clear during the entire operation. Have I got that right?

Now I understand that a trains comes by and drops four empties on the siding then another comes by later and picks up the loaded cars. In between that what moves the cars into loading position? Does a switcher come out when needed and move them or is there some other way to move them? Sorry if it is a dumb question.

[NZRMac]

I've seen a tractor at remote sidings pushing cars into postion, no coupler just a big wooden bumper.

Ken.

[lesterperry]

I don't know about your particular situation with grain but years ago at coal mines the track was on a slight grade the coal cars were spoted on the high side with brakes set. As the cars were filled the brakes were released and reset to move and stop the cars as needed. This would work for you. I don't know if it prototypical or not.

[dehusman]

You are correct on needing space on either side of the elevator.

The cars can be moved with:
1. A manual pinch bar, a big lever that a man puts on the rail behind the wheel and inches the car along.
2. A tractor to pull the cars.
3. A winch to pull the cars.
4. A powered car mover (small ones look like a big garden tiller to big ond that look like a truck cab with wheels.

A small elevator like that would use 1 thru 3 of the above list.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

The factory I worked at had a winch at the loadong spot and a concrete pile about five car lengths down with a block and tackle so cars could be moved in both directions. Pretty neat set-up and considering CSX's $150 per car move charge a good investment.

[roadrat]

I've seen the winch,block and tackle method in use at smaller warehouses and the car mover at large industries.
but seeing that you are serving a farm co-op I'd say a tractor parked beside the rails would be about right , it should make for an interesting scene.

bill

[Eriediamond]

Yep, having been raised on a dairy farm in the 40's and since your modeling the mid 50's a Farmall H or M,or a John Deere 60 or older B model with a cable or chain to pull the cars would be the way to go in my opinion. I watched them move laoded cement hoppers at a cement plant not long ago, with a large front end loader. Ken

[jacon12]

I'm glad you asked this question as I've wondered how the cars were moved myself. Is the track arrangement for this type business almost always a single siding? If so, and the rr has to bring out, say.... 4 empties when they pick up the loaded ones, where are the empties left while they're getting the loads out of the way? Wouldn't they have to block the mainline for a little while anyway?
Jarrell

[Anonymous]

I want to thank everyone for the input.

Dave H.
Great information. I think the guys I grew up (myself included) with would all want to use the manual pinch bar just so they could go home and brag about the train they moved single handed.

Eriediamond
I grew up raising tobacco, corn and beef in the late 60's early 70's and the Farmall H and M's were still the most common tractor in the area. there were also some Ford 600's and a thin scattering of newer tractors of varied manufacture.

Jarrell
This one I think I know. When the local switcher is assembled so that the empties that are dropped off first are at the rear of the train. When they reach the siding they break the train in front of the empties to be dropped off, back into the siding and pull out the loaded cars. After hooking back up to the remainder of the train they pull forward, back the end of the train onto the siding and leaves the empties in place. The main is blocked for a short time but it is a scheduled service.

[johncolley]

Another way...Some areas that have a lot of industrial switching to several different customers will have a siding and the spurs drop off the siding. That way there is no reason to block the main. In really congested areas there might be a siding on each side of the main for customers on both sides. One place I worked had both sides served because on the north siding was: a canned goods warehouse, a can plant, a fruit and tomato products cannery, and a wholesale liquor distributor. On the south siding was a bottling plant (connected to the cannery by large pipes over the tracks), a glass plant that made the catsup bottles, a large cold storage and ice co., and a pickle factory. Note that this complex covered about 4 blocks between two gradecrossings.

[Anonymous]

I worked at a distillery, were I loaded feed into covered hoppers. We had room for about 6 cars behind the shute and only 3 cars in front after being loaded. Though we were at the end of the plant, we technically blocked the switch to our lead. We used a "donkey" type pulley, a large motor with a barge winch, and barge rope, with a hook on the end. It was tough at times moving 2 loaded and one emtpy, snapped the rope may of times. They eventually got a lod trackmobile, but we used the rope more then not, as the trackmobile was operated by the formans kid, and getting him to move stuff when we needed just didn't happen. RR's must have trained him. Once in a great while Conrail would move our cars, that was the fun part.

[cwaldman]

One issue with the solutions given ( unless i totally missed something ) is that it is a model situation and the movement of the cars can not be done by the methods listed. I would especially avoid elevating one end of the track as the cars will roll. Of course the appearance (if that is all you are interested in ) will work with a tractor etc.

As I said, I may have missed something,

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwaldman

One issue with the solutions given ( unless i totally missed something ) is that it is a model situation and the movement of the cars can not be done by the methods listed. I would especially avoid elevating one end of the track as the cars will roll. Of course the appearance (if that is all you are interested in ) will work with a tractor etc.

As I said, I may have missed something,

You did not miss anything. I was wondering how it was done in the real world so I could represent it properly. Most likely I will add a tractor and a shed to the complex and when someone asks what they are for now I can tell them. I could also model a pulley on the bumper with a hand crank or a stationary motor to pull the cars along. Even putting a long pole in the scene could represent the pinch bar method of moving the cars. I don't have to really do it the way. I just want to show (and know) how it was done.