Hello to all, You have helped with some questions in the past and so I am back. I am new to the hobby and was directed to the Virginian layout as a start. I love the Virginian layout and its extras, as well as the newly found Milwaukee Road Beer Line. I would like to build the two (extras and all) in time, keeping the lay out scenery, but I would like to change the Industries used. I am not a big fan of the coal and I don't think I need that much for my beer line. I would like to build a liquid-asphalt transfer terminal (as shown in June mag) but need more ideas on Industries. I will be starting with the Virginian layout first but just need some ideas to link the layouts together, Green trees etc. of Virginian layout and city back ground of the beer line. Thanks for any and all help.
Jermo
Jermo, welcome back to the Forum.
From someone who has been a participant for a decade, I highly recommend you hang around here more often.
As to your question regarding industries, it sounds like you would consider most anything (as you don't want coal). One way to help on this is to look thru the Walthers website at what kits are available out there. That way you will get an idea as to the various industries, and what kits are available to allow you to achieve building those industries.
Of course, maybe your layout would just be more fun without a big industry, but with a number of small businesses and sidings and of course RR facilities...............
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Jermo,
You can also put in the fact,of what kind of rolling stock you like,or what appeals to you in making your decision on industry's,like tankers,box cars,flat cars,etc....
Cheers,
Frank
From your interest in liquid asphalt, I'd assume this is more or less a modern era layout. It's important to make that clear when looking for industries. The facilities for dealing with various products differ greatly with the passage of time. Look at the modern enclosed auto-racks, for example, compared to the open cars used for auto transport in the late Transition Era, or today's rotary-dump hoppers vs. the older bottom-unloading cars.
Spend some time researching industries to see what they need and what they produce. I've got a meat packing plant and I'm building a tannery, for example. This gives me the chance to have a small stockyard needing stock cars, along with ice-bunker reefers going out, and those reefers must first visit the icing platform. A by-product of meat packing is hides, which are taken in single-use old boxcars to the tannery, which also needs acid, salt and either coal or oil for power. Finally, generic boxcars take the leather to market.
I'm more of a Builder than an Operator, though, so I consider the visual interest of an industrial scene. My packing plant is little more than a rectangular box with a SWIFT sign on it, for example, but the stockyard full of hogs next to it adds the visual interest.
With all of this in mind, how about a small container terminal? This is a modern industry that is ideal for putting next to the wall, with a backdrop suggesting a larger facility. The container-handling equipment is visually interesting, and you can "build" lots of container scenery by printing them on cardstock, cutting them out and folding them to make 3-D models.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
JermoI love the Virginian layout and its extras, as well as the newly found Milwaukee Road Beer Line. I would like to build the two (extras and all) in time
If you have enough space to build all of that (and incorporate all the needed aisles), you need not limit yourself to the tight radii and SnapSwitches used on those two layouts. Rather than build two cramped 4-foot wide layouts, You would likely be much happier in the long run to expand the curve radii and avoid the SnapSwitches.
Since an asphalt terminal suggests a more modern era, those broader curves and turnouts would handle a larger variety of modern-era cars. Best of luck.
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
In what configuration will you butt the two layouts together? As Cuyama has mentioned, both layouts are wide layouts; which means that with either, it is impossible to stand on one side of the layout and reach across to the other side. You need enough space in your room to walk around the layouts.
This reality increases the space you'll need to operate the layout...the layout itself and the ailseway around it. Because of this, many people find it better to instead place the track on benchwork that represents your outside loop of space, and have an open area in the center from which to stand and operate the layout. You can have broader radius curves that way, which is something that almost assuredly improves any trackplan.
Going purely with what you have explained, you could have an Asphalt mixing plant (Walthers Black Gold kit) rather than a transfer terminal. The plant could receive materials like sand or small aggregate via shorter cars; two bay hopper cars for sand and 100 ton open hoppers for the aggregate. Both of these materials could originate from your Virginian side of the layout and travel to the beer line side where the plant could be. The plant could also receive oil for making the asphalt via tank cars.
In this scenario, since you will have aggregate, sand, and oil; you can have two separate industries; a redi mix plant (Walthers Blue Star kit) and an oil distributor (about any Pikestuff kit and piping). The redi mix plant could also recieve cement via rail with 100 ton cement hoppers. All of the cars used for these industries should work with the tight radius curves on those layouts. The oil tankers are not really that long, as far as tank cars go.
Other industries you may want can be completely non related to these basic three.
Just ideas...good luck.
- Douglas
Jermo just need some ideas to link the layouts together, Green trees etc. of Virginian layout and city back ground of the beer line.
just need some ideas to link the layouts together, Green trees etc. of Virginian layout and city back ground of the beer line.
Perhaps a "narrower shelf-connector" module of what would be to the casual observer a side-by-side 2-track mainline (of coming + going) -- One track goes to the Virginian-inspired layout -- The other track goes to the Beer Line-inspired layout.
Example: DCC programming could facilitate continuous running of train(s) between each layout while you are busy switching at one of the layouts -- To enhance the feeling of activity.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
In my opinion, the best way to pick industries is to stick a pin in a map and then research what's there.
You say you don't like coal. Fine. Everything from gold to gravel comes out of the ground, but the facilities to process it are pretty product-specific (and also somewhat era-specific.)
One of the bigger facilities served by the N&W when the Y6 was king is still there - the Bassett furniture factory in Bassett, VA. Don't know if it still has rail service, or even if the original buildings are still standing. In other areas, former industrial neighborhoods now consist of boarded-up buildings and empty lots. At the same time, in other places, new commercial-industrial areas (with planned-from-the-start rail service) are going up on what had been bare desert.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with the industries I like)
Thank you for your advice, I had not thought about wider turns. That would solve a lot of problems like what i can and can not buy to make a turn. 22 would be a good size to rune most if not all trains and engines, right?? and yes I am thinking of modern era. Thanks for the ideas
WOW... I have not really given that much thought to it all yet. For now it was an idea to combined the two, now I am rethinking things. lol I really appreciate the ideas on kits, I looked at them and they are perfect for what I am thinking. now i have to rethink the lay out idea. The layout will be in an extra bedroom and another gentleman suggested I use two main lines so they could run continuously while I did switching. Any Ideas on how to put the two layouts together?? I am excited to get started but don't want to rush things.
That is an awesome idea, thanks. Are you suggesting that I have two main lines for both layouts?? I like that idea but I only have a extra bedroom to play with and I am having layout size problems as brought to my attention by another gentleman.
If you want useful ideas, the best first step is to post here a dimensioned rough sketch of your space, showing doors, windows, and other obstructions. Then those with the time can help you.
Most "extra bedrooms" are less than 140 square feet, in which case those two layouts wouldn't have a remote chance of fitting as-is once you consider the necessary aisles, unfortunately.
Some great ideas so far, but the Beer Line especially I wouldn't consider a beginners layout. Pretty complicated. One thought to consider if you really like the design of the Virginian is to stretch it out to fit the space you have, perhaps as an around the walls layout operated from the middle. In that case it would be a pretty simple line to construct and operate, and the curves could easily go up to 24 or larger, as could the turnouts. Of course there are a lot of different track plans you could go with and do the same thing.
Don't try to bite off the super dream layout right at the beginning. Build something and see what you like. Your interests will grow and develop the more you actively do something. And don't be afraid to build something, learn from it, and then either modify it or tear it down and start over. I doubt there's a single one of us who built the perfect plan the first time. Heck, I'm on number 9 and I keep growing in various directions.