I'm sure model railroad layouts are one of the last bastions of individuality in our society. After all, "it's your railroad". I have a question about how different folks implement this principle.
I'll start with a short description of where I am trying to get to, and ask for comments. My layout wraps around the walls of half my basement-a room about 11' by 42'. There is a single track mainline all around the room. A yard with a switching lead takes up nearly half of one long wall, with a 25 car passing siding across the main from the yard. My yard is three tracks, holding from 10 to 14 cars each. The switching lead will let me pull the shorter two tracks completely without fouling the main. I have the makings of a paper mill site along the opposite wall and plan on a grain elevator in one corner, with a capacity of about 8 cars. A house track across from the elevator is the only other piece of track in place so far.
I have enough equipment now to pretty much plug up the layout. This led me to think "what do I need to do to make the railroad more fluid?" The obvious answer is staging. I'm not sure where I will put my staging yet, but I intend to build a staging yard of at least 4 tracks, hopefully double ended so they can feed either way onto the railroad.
Question-for those of you who are operating, or looking to operate, what percentage of the trains you run are through trains, travelling from somewhere "beyond the basement" to somewhere else "beyond the basement"? The BNSF Staples Sub, which is the line I am loosely following, runs many through trains long distances, and they are terminated either in large yards far beyond my capability to even simulate, or at huge industries that I don't feel can be modelled effectively in my area. I want to include some switching, hence the (small) grain elevator and the paper mill, but I love me some MAC's and the 25+ car coal trains they haul, intermodal trains behind Dash 9's and SD75's, and even some manifest freights. I'm looking at running a local from staging to the yard, perhaps serving a couple of industires on the way, with a second dedicated switch job serving the paper mill from the yard. The rest of the trains in a "day" would be through freights. I might make a meet at the passing siding, but other than that the train would appear as just passing through on the way from somewhere to elsewhere.
In my area, 19 out of 20 trains probably stop only for meets or some very unusual occurence. Should I try and come up with a scenario that changes that ratio, and if you think so, anyone got good ideas about the best way to do this?
Thanks, Jim
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Jim,
My layout has 4 'through' staging tracks that can eat up an entire train each. I also have 4 stub staging tracks off of a branch line that represents another terminal. Are these enough ? Not really!
In your case you would like to launch trains from Dilworth or Northtown yards to re-create the traffic on a fast moving section of main line. 4 tracks may be enough if you can 're-use' trains several times on an operating session. When I built my layout, I figured 4 through staging tracks would be more than enough for a secondry Milwaukee Road line. The truth is that I keep wanting to 'add' to what I got!
If I build a 'new' layout, at least 10 through staging tracks will be built. Hindsight is just so clear...
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
If your main yard is a division point, I don't think a local should start from staging. Here is how I see it working, and I operate my layout this way:
My yard is a division point, so all local trains originate and return there. (Only the locals service the industries and interchanges on the layout) Those going eastbound and those going westbound. I have two interchange / staging tracks that are double ended. (for making switching them easier) Then I have two single ended staging tracks that have out-and-back trains on them. I also have a branch line that is an independent RR.
The staged trains and trains from the branch come on the layout mainline and run to the yard. There, some cars are dropped and some cars added to the train. Then the train either keeps going or returns to staging, and the cars that were dropped are classified in the yard.
The interchange runs also start at the yard as special locals with cars destine for the interchange. the complete cut is swapped out there and all the cars from the interchange track are brought back and classified.
All Locals originate at the yard (division point). All through trains originate at staging. I run about 40 trains in a 24 scale hour period, about 25% of them are from off layout. I run about 20 trains per 4 hour session.
I hope this helps.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Very quickly, my Santa Fe in OK 1989 is on three decks, helix connected in an area 33ft by 29 ft. I have Oklahoma City Flynn Yard as the south end of the mainline, with traffic coming up from Texas. The visible staging is built into Flynn Yard, which is pretty large in area. the main runs on to Guthrie OK where it goes into another staging yard. This one, not so big but represents Arkansas City KS, the north end of the division. Then there is the Enid branch which takes off at Guthrie and consumes the middle deck, large grain operations, elevators, refinery, etc. No staging except for a couple of tracks at Enid for the UP (ex CRIP) and BN (ex SLSF). From Enid the Enid branch continues down to the bottom deck, encounters Cherokee OK which was a terminal for the old Orient branch, 3 hidden staging tracks for the Orient and continues to Kiowa KS with an interchange with the ATSF transcon main. Staging here. Trains from from Kiowa to Waynoka, 9 staging tracks.
Now, the Oklahoma City staging is pretty big, but still not enough at times, so the staging area goes into a mole hole which is hidden from the rest of the railroad. An operator then removes trains going to Texas and adds trains going north. One operator handles both. There is also a Tulsa staging area for the BN which runs on the middle and bottom deck and using joint trackage with the ATSF Enid district, ends up in Avard OK and then on to Waynoka. Tulsa staging then is also handled in the mole hole.
It may sound a little complicated, but works quite well. Each staging area has its own array of diesel consists, so trains don't always have the same units, and extra cars on shelves so consists are different.
Works fine on my railroad, which admittedly is a little complicated. We do change mole hole operators at the break time, otherwise it would be looney tones in there.
Bob
I'm so lost after reading this lol
Brief description of 'to be visible' track:
JNR mainline: Double track under catenary emerges from the Netherworld and runs to Tomikawa (Subdivision / engine change / end of catenary / interchange with the coal-originating Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo.) Single track runs Up (but downgrade) the Tomikawa Gorge to Haruyama (passing siding / helper station / transloads with two narrow gauge feeders.) Single track then disappears into the netherworld.
In the netherworld are staging yards for EMU, for the locomotive-hauled and DMU passenger trains, plus five staging arrangements for different classes of freights.
Passenger traffic:
Freight traffic:
Tomikawa sees quite a bit of freight classification - local to through, through to local, local-local pass-on and loose car interchange with the TTT.
The Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo runs passenger (diesel railbus) freight (coal units and loose car trains) and mixed (a coach and a few odd loose cars) trains on a seemingly pure point-to-point route, all of which is visible. Except for the diesel railbus and a diesel-mechanical that switches the magazine (when it feels up to it,) all motive power is steam - either elderly-to-ancient teakettle tanks or the latter-day articulateds that power the unit trains.
The JNR operates to the prototype's timetable, but station names have been changed to protect the guilty. The TTT is a pure flight of imagineering - there never was a workable coal seam in the Upper Kiso Valley.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks everyone! Lots of good ideas for me to ruminate on as I decide on the next steps to take. My layout is the antithesis of planned-started out as a 10' shelf along one wall, and just grew and grew until it travels around the whole room. I'm starting to learn why people spend time planning before they start screwing boards together and laying track.
I've realized that one of the challenges facing me is that the section of railroad I'm loosely following doesn't do what I want to do when I play with trains. That means I need to use my imagination to create a workable concept, which is harder than I thought it would be.
There may just be some "re-alingnments" in my future.
I am like you htqguy.I started out with a small shelf but soon it expanded all around my 12x20 room.I use all types of traffic though.I am one who does not worry about stuff like that,I mix modered locos with old steams.Every type of car from old to new.Just have fun.No set rules or sticking to some rule.Its a hobby not a real railroad.BOB
I operate no through trains, 100% branchline operation, depending on the season, a locomotive is stored at the end of the branch and works its way back to stagging (aka: interchange). This was common among my protoype when loaded priority reefer movements were required, only pickups are performed by this job. A similar method is used to forward empty reefers to the same customers from interchange.
The vulture turn is also operated as required, time to time a customer will request a car for loading, for a variety of reasons this load my be lost and the customer no longer requires the empty car, its always packing season in my world and these cars can't afford to remain out of circulation. As of late the vulture has had the added responsbilty of forwarding loaded PFE express reefers to interchange, these cars as assigned to cut flower service and have priority over all other traffic.
A general turn serves several shook/lumber dealers and a major tool & die plant, it also performs any station/team-freight house or emergency customer switching, often I run it as a mixed train that also handles the mail and express packages.
I do operate one extra that simulates the termination of a through run, SP oil drags from Bakersfield departed the mainline at Saugus via the Fillmore branch to a Coast Line connection and eventually via a complicated routing, a connection with my branch. This customer was important enough to warrant construction of a modest yard.
Like my prototype, I endevor to operate one train per session, runs are staged in order of precedence simulating movements assigned for specific days of the week and a specific season.
Dave