Supply track

[tstage]

I have a question for all you experts out there. Just to give you a little background, I am modeling a small servicing/fueling facility and freight stop on the NYC, in the early 40's.

Let's say I have three tracks running in parallel, with the center one designated as my supply track. On either side of the supply track are my steam and diesel terminal tracks. Okay, can I use my supply track to service BOTH my diesel AND steam terminal tracks? Or, is it more prototypical to have them separate: a supply track for diesel use only; another supply track for steam use only?

My layout is 4 x 8' HO so I'm a bit cramped for space. On my supply track I can reasonably squeeze (in order) a:

1. Ash/conveyor pit
2. Coaling tower pit
3. Diesel fuel storage tank
4. Drying house/green sand bin

Putting in a service track for each terminal track may turn out to be more of a challenge. The other question that comes to mind: Was the diesel fuel storage tank situated along side some sort of service track?

Many thanks for your help ahead of time.

Tom

[csmith9474]

Nice layout!! As far as what you are asking, various railroads used all kinds of configurations during the transition era. If you like what you got and it works for you and your space, go with it man. I guess I would make a terrible critic.

[egmurphy]

Let me offer a couple of comments.

QUOTE: Let's say I have three tracks running in parallel, with the center one designated as my supply track. On either side of the supply track are my steam and diesel terminal tracks. Okay, can I use my supply track to service BOTH my diesel AND steam terminal tracks? Or, is it more prototypical to have them separate: a supply track for diesel use only; another supply track for steam use only?

Real railroads often had similar problems with lack of space or money, and would do what was necessary to get by. I don't see any problem in using one common supply track. Heck, I don't even have space for a separate supply track and have to assume that diesel and fuel oil get supplied by tanker using the track to the engine house.

QUOTE: The other question that comes to mind: Was the diesel fuel storage tank situated along side some sort of service track?

Could be, if there was space. If not, it could be located a short distance away and the diesel piped from the tank to the fueling area (underground or aboveground). Similarly, diesel supply from the tank car would be pumped to the remote located tank. Diesel tanks can be different configurations, such as elevated ( the classic old tank car body up on timber/steel/concrete supports) or normal round vertical storage tank.

In a similar manner, it isn't necessary for the water tank to be alongside the track. Although we're used to seeing the elevated tank with the drop down spout, if space was tight the water storage tank could be located a short distance away and the water piped underground to a water standpipe/spout alongside the track.


Hope that helps,

Ed

[tstage]

Ed & csmith,

Thanks for your comments. They are helpful. I am interested in making my layout prototypical without trying to get neurotic about it.

One other issue I ran into last night rearranging the "facilities" is how far away the ash pit should be from either the coaling tower pit or diesel fueling platform/storage container? I would imagine that on a real RR line - as there would be in any industrial setting - there would be a legitimate concern over the possibllity of a fire hazard. Any idea about minimum distances around fueling facilities or where I might be able to find out that kind of information?

Again, I hope I'm not being neurotic about all this. I'm just trying to make things believable and as accurate as possible, within reason. Thanks again for your help. [:)]

Tom

[coalminer3]

As egmurphy mentioned, in this part of the world, the C&O often had water tanks off to the side and used water columns to fill tenders. It's a good way to maximize the use of the space you have available. In fact, you can have the water columns trackside and not even bother with the tank (i.e. the tank is where you are standing when you view the scene). BTW, if you can find a copy of the book Vanishing Markers; it has a good section on the "care and feeding" of steam locomotives both in terminal areas and on the road. Also, as the post suggested, real space saver is the fuel truck used to deliver diesel to the locomotives - gets away from the whole problem of tanks, fueling facilities, etc. This was/is a lot more common than you think, even on big railroads. Around here, diesels are cycled through to larger facilities (such as Clifton Forge) for refueling. Sure ain't like it was "back in the day."

Hope this helps.

work safe

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: One other issue I ran into last night rearranging the "facilities" is how far away the ash pit should be from either the coaling tower pit or diesel fueling platform/storage container? I would imagine that on a real RR line - as there would be in any industrial setting - there would be a legitimate concern over the possibllity of a fire hazard. Any idea about minimum distances around fueling facilities or where I might be able to find out that kind of information?

I tried checking in Kalmbach's book "Locomotive Servicing Terminals" but they don't offer anything concrete regarding location. In a couple of schematic diagrams they show it as the first item in line on the locomotive service track (coming from the main or yard towards the turntable). There's also an overhead photo of a nicely modeled service area, and the guy has it halfway between the coaling tower and the turntable. I'd just guess that any reasonable distance is probably okay, depends on how much space you have to play with.

The book does have a nice article on scratch building a pit, and some nice shots of prototype pits and ash/cinder handling equipment.

I avoided the problem by having oil burning steam locos. No ash. And my fuel oil tank takes up less space than a coaling tower (although it's not as interesting).


Regards

Ed

[tstage]

Ed,

Thanks. I really appreciate your feedback.

I also have the Locomotive Servicing Terminals by Kalmbach - a good resource and lots of good pictues. My coaling tower is the small concrete Fairbank-Morse (that's pictured in the coaling chapter) and doesn't take up much space. It's just arranging everything so that it's logical and "workable".

Tom

P.S. Hey, I saw on your Railimages link that you took the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic RR. How'd you like it? My brother-in-law lives in Albuquerque and it's only a 3 hour drive up to Chama from there. I've just HAVE to go sometime. I guess they just started it up for the season, too.

[egmurphy]

How did I like it???? I loved it!!! We did both the C&T and the D&S in the same trip last summer. If you're going to travel that far it's worth doing both. Here's a link to the trip report I wrote up on the C&T. Mine is about the 6th or 7th post down in the thread:

http://www.trainboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/ubb/get_topic/f/17/t/000333.html?


Chama is great. They let you walk around the yard area (or at least they still did last year). The Antonito terminal doesn't have much. We stayed there just because the trip worked out better for us. btw, we flew into Albuquerque to start the trip.

Regards

Ed

[johncolley]

As far as distance apart for your steam facilities, ideally they would be far enough apart that your longest loco and tender could be dumping ashes in the pit at the same time as an equally long one was taking on coal or oil, so there would be minimal waiting. But when was the real world ever ideal, eh? Or reverse them so that the ashpit is just far enough beyond the coal chute so it could do both at the same time.