Industrial Track Arrangements

[tomikawaTT]

Mark, that track layout at Creal is a paragon of efficiency!

Every arriving train pulls to the end of the switchback at the left, presumably after stopping to drop a switchtender at the first turnout.  After that, every spotting move to a dead-end spur is into a facing-point switch - even those two long coal spurs at the upper right.  Then, after the spots are made, the empties are assembled, the loco runs around the empties, pulls the loads from under the bins onto the right switchback tail and backs them down on the empties.  Finally, pump up the air while walking the train, putting the rear-end device in place in the last coupler, back onto the left switchback, set and lock the switch and highball for Mojave.  One runaround, and almost every meter of loco movement with cars coupled on.  Nice.

Here in the northeastern reaches of Sin City there are three switching areas.  One is a, `tree,' with all sidings facing the same way and no runaround.  One is a multi-track balloon loop.  The third is more traditional, with a runaround, sidings facing both ways and a switchback at the end.  All of them would require some serious compressing to fit on any layout smaller than supermarket size in HO.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Southern Nevada garage)

[markpierce]

This industrial-track arrangement for a cement plant is interesting..  There are three switchbacks.  One tail serves double-ended spurs) and the other two ultimately serving two stub-ended tracks which I bet were on a grade so cars could be moved over the coal dump using gravity.  The switchback serving as a switching lead to several spur tracks wasn't uncommon as I've seen it at other locations.

[cuyama]

DSchmitt

Rarely modeled prototype industrial track arangements  I noticed in article on LA Jct Railway by Charlie Slater in The Warbonnet , Third Quarter 2003

The first one on the left isn't really practical if only a single car is spotted where you placed the oval (and I don't think only a single car was placed there on the LAJ, from looking at the same article you cite).

The second and fourth are reasonably common on model railroad designs. The third was pretty rare in real life except for very large installations because it adds two sets of points and two frogs and doesn't add much in switching flexibility versus the second.

So in general, yes, it's good to keep some of these ideas in mind -- but I don't think I'd consider them "rarely modeled".

The saw-tooth arrangement in the photo was fairly rare in real-life and takes quite a bit of room compared to a longer track with many "spots". They seem to have been most often used for produce and other perishable commodities, where the inefficiencies of switching one or two cars per move was balanced by the need to keep the cars moving that are being unloaded in an unpredictable order. Typically, real-life railroaders seem to prefer to pull or spot a longer string of cars with each move and do so less often.

[West Coast S]

The Central Produce Terminal in Los Angeles had an identical saw tooth profile as the one pictured, as did the bannana transload terminal in San Pedro on the Pacific Electric, I agree it is rarely modled, the CPT was served by the SP,PE & Santa Fe and  numerous trucking concerns and was a massive operation  in its day. This offset track profile was common among industries employed in the citrus/produce industry in Southern California and was not uncommon.  

Dave

[mobilman44]

Hi,

This may be obvious to most - but maybe not............ 

Lineside companies and the area RR work very closely in laying out trackage for the particular company.   I was involved at two new refineries in Joliet, Illinois in the early '70s - both being on land formerly owned by the Santa Fe.  In both instances, the refinery folks worked very closely with the RR to meet the companies' needs - and to make switching as efficient as possible.  As I recall, in both cases the placement of track scales was a "big deal", and it took awhile to get it resolved.

Also, it is very desireable to have a close bond between the two factions, even down to the operations level - meaning the train crew and refinery yard crew.   And, the train crew must be very keen as to what they are doing on the company property - particularly in a refinery setting.

I also spent time in a large refinery in Beaumont Texas, and they - having been in existence "forever" - had their own switch loco and crew.  So, Company personnel would pick up cars in the refinery and set them on a designated siding on RR property, and pick up cars in the same manner.   Yes, I did hitch a ride or two during my time there.

Just wanted to throw this all out - not sure if it means anything to the design or operation of a layout............

[Paulus Jas]

Hi gentlemen,

Stein you made my day. You are the web-wizzard.

Paul

[steinjr]

 Lots of interesting spot diagrams on the net, if you e.g. search for SPINS , CLIC or ZTS maps/diagrams/schematics.

 Here is an example: http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/spins/books.html (click on the link to the PDF files of the "San Jose", "San Franciso" or "San Francisco Peninsula".

 Here is another example: http://www.multimodalways.org/archives/rrs/CR/CR%20ZTS/CR%20ZTS.html

 Smile,
 Stein

[Doc in CT]

John Armstrong presents a number of possible industrial yard designs in John Armstrong  Freight Yards mrpdf0.pdf which is available as a download from Kalmbach.

[DSchmitt]

Rarely modeled prototype industrial track arangements  I noticed in article on LA Jct Railway by Charlie Slater in The Warbonnet , Third Quarter 2003

 LAJCT by Donald Schmitt, on Flickr

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