'lo all.
In the process of building an 4' by 8' HO layout, I've managed to work myself into a conundrum. That being how to provide a runaround track for the current sole industry I've planned for it. The industry, a flour mill. A known local still rail-served flour mill has such an arrangement, though the engine return track appeared rather overgrown when I did a quick photorecon of the site.
I came up with two possiblities on how to impliment said plan (still using demo Anyrail hence the red flex)
However, reality is a different kettle of fish...
That loco-less grouping of grain wagons is what I'd like to be able have in that spot with a loco attached, though it might be somewhat of a challenge as my shortest is about 11cm long.
There's probably a simple solution that I've not seen, beyond not bothering with a runaround in the first but I feel that it's probably a good idea to have one. After all the prototype uses them for a reason.
--rod.h
From a practical standpoint, you don't need a runaround on the spur itself. In real life, an engine could run around the cars on the double-track between crossovers and then shove them in. This happened (and still happens) on the real railroad all the time. Most industrial tracks do not have their own runaround built-in, although some that are very long or very far from a siding (or double-track crossovers) might incorporate such a runaround. Since any spur built on an HO 4X8 is going be be pretty short (compared to the real thing you've looked at), I think that argues against having the runaround on the siding itself.
I'm don’t know what you plan for the tracks connected by the 3-way turnouts, but that is pretty complex and a simpler arrangement might work as well.
It’s a minor nit (that doesn’t matter on the model), but industries which load or unload bulk commodities like flour need room both in front of and behind the loading spot for cars to roll as they are loaded (or unloaded). Where you have sited the flour mill would not be practical in real life, but that would not bother a lot of people.
Best of luck with your layout.
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Going by what I think you want to do, nice long sidings in front of a big industry, that flour mill would go better on a long shelf layout - are you limited onto to the one sheet (which I guess is 2.4 x 1.2m), or can you run also a connection to a shelf?Otherwise, can you sort of get away with just a few freight cars (or wagons - I sense you are not North American?) on that siding and give youself some space as suggested.Besides, as mentioned the cars would more likely be shoved into that sort of siding (if single ended), and positioned by capstan, by trackmobile, or by some guy with a fancy lever as needed.
Rod,
First, .
Second, with that layout, I would remove the runaround on the spur, as the mainline runaround will suffice. If you can change the layout, like the shelf suggestion, or another way of extending that spur outside of the mainline, then maybe need that runaround, but as is now, not needed, it will take up too much space on this layout. I'd remove it and just go with the one on the mainline.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Thanks all, that section of my layout, I'd basically pencilled as 'Here be dragons' for a while as I'd contemplated what to do there. I initially thought along the lines of goods yard, engine shop or grain silo, till I decided on a flour mill.
Going to off-board shelf sections is currently not possible, so I'm stuck on the 2.44m x 1.22 sheet. Though I've allowed for some future expansion, hence the 3-way crossover group and I've a basic fiddle yard module that I plan to attach to the left-hand side.
What if you reversed the positioning of the flour mill/siding, so that the mill is closer to the inside of the oval, and the end of the (single line) siding is on more of a tangent to the triple line at the top of your original diagrams. Could give you more usable space in the middle of the oval.
rod.hI'd have thought the livery on my rolling stock would be enough of a clue that I'm not North American but Australian, though thanks to the powers of internet shopping and blogs I'm aware that there's a few NA & UK collectors of such rollingstock & operators of Australian-based layouts.
I though of doing that, but it didn't feel right in that position with the truck bays facing the main. At least I've now got more of an idea on were to place the decoupler magnets, even if the two I've installed have shown there's something wrong with a number of currently installed couplers.
Also as seen in that photo, the runaound's been turned into a plain siding, don't know why I want it there or if it will stay, as it's made that location electrically interesting.
Ah, Lifelike, somehow I've ended up with one of their low nose GP-38-2 in Australian National colours, it doesn't run very well.
Rod H
I'd suggest moving your flour mill spur more to the left and use the run a round track space for spur to another industry.
I have something similar to what you are trying to do. On the left is Miller Milling Co and on the right New World Pasta. These are two for real comanies with this actual set up in the town where I live. I played around with the track to suit my situation. Miller pipes the flour to New World and also ships the refined four by rail and truck transport. Remember there are times we can't actually replicate real life, just the illusion of it.
Hope this is of some help.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Just my opinion, but if you move the building 3 cars farther down (to the last silver car, next to the first yellow one), it'd be more realistic. No need for a turnout on the siding itself, one spur is for loading and the other spur for car storage. Here is the long story:
So, when the railroad delivers 3 cars, it shoves them all the way to the end of the track so the first car may be loaded. When that car is loaded, the 3 cars are pulled so the next car can be loaded...etc. When the 3rd car is loaded (all the cars are still in the clear on that spur, since the building is moved down), those cars can be put on the storage spur, or exchanged for the empties that were left there (if any were left there by the next local). When the next local comes to town, it can pick up/drop off cars on the storage spur while leaving the industry track alone (let a dedicated plant switcher move cars on and off the 'active' loading track so flour plant employees won't be surprised by cars moving while being loaded...as well as provide another job for you to do). The second track will be a sort of a yard track just for the flour industry so it never runs out of cars to load. All the cars will be switched from the 'main line' end so no engine escape track would be needed...all moves would be 'trailing point' moves and any runaround moves would be on the main line.
Moving cars at the industry one by one, as they are loaded, seems to be rarely modeled (we just shove a string of cars to the end of the track, then pull them all out at once and trade them for the empties in our local train...how does the product get into each of the cars if they aren't spotted one-by-one at the loading chute?).
Having just as much room before the building is just as important as having room after it so the loaded cars can have somewhere out of the way to sit without interfering with other switching. You may only be able to spot 3 cars (which is the practical capacity of the siding) at the industry, instead of 6 (which is the total capacity of the siding) but it would be more realistic. If you are modeling a prototype, is there any way you can visit them and watch them switch the industry? Watching the prototype is what inspires most of my modeling, I rarely do anything without doing a quick search online for prototype references.
http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/5
SEMI Free-Mo@groups.io
Hmm, going to watch the prototype do things is somewhat of a challenge, no ones quite sure when a grain train's going to turn up at that location, as the main commuter operator is quite hostile towards freight trains and anything else non-EMU. Also our freight operators prefer to minimise shunting and run block trains and the smallest grain consist I've seen evidence for is six grain hopper wagons long.
Though I do see the relevance in moving wagons around like that, its just more incentive for me to go dcc. Flat out on that F class is 1/3 throttle on the Y.
I think superbe/Bob's suggestion finally sunk in...
--Rod.H
The switcher spur there will be blocked by cars at the mill. Or you have to leave that track half empty.
RT
Hi rod.h
Forget the station pilot rd off the siding it just looks wrong.
If you have eough room put a small loco facility in one of the outer corners
just needs single track and a fuel and water point nothing to fancy.
But a good corner filler
Wot no Z vans?
regards John
Hi Rod.HI
A VR layout with out Z vans just seems a bit odd
if the Z vans are all condmned by your period perhaps you could use a Z van body as a workers humpy or store shed some where.
Never heard of a ZZ van sounds interesting will have to do a google search on one of those
later addition
Ah so thats what a ZZ looks like just a Z on bogies, I would think for your layout one would look well and truly worse for wear a real weathering challange to say the least.
And probably has SWO slapped on the sides with a paint brush
Salvadge Written Off or whatever VR would have put on it before it got broken up and burned.
Here in the US (at least the code times I've seen it) the switcher just sits on the track, usually coupled to the string of cars. No dedicated shed for protection, if/when it needs serviced, they ship it to a contractor or main railroads' closest maintenance shop (usually dead in another trains' consist because it's some distance away...which could add an interesting operations to simulate).
Looks good! That industry does a great job of blocking the view...nice job on a smallish layout!
I believe that's what they do here at locations that still have a dedicated shunter of which there's not too many left. I'm aware of just one and it just doesn't interest me -coiled steel- I'd run it as mixed freight or as through traffic.
Well the obvious ones are a large std VR goods shed and or a stock race.
May be a wool store or loading bank with a yard crane.
just some thoughts given its rural location.
At least town is easy if you do a blink and you will miss it one a pub, service station and farm machinery repair shop.
Or a general store and only maybe a small church and town hall or perhaps a one room school.
Well thats The Railway Hotel taken care of.
and a case of I will have a middie thanks Insert suitable state brand.
that pub could be anywhere in Aus except possibly Qld.