how to operated layout assistance

[Anonymous]

Re interchanges -
I have two interchange tracks on my layout one with CP other with CN. I am now ready to give operation a try but I cant figure out how to handle traffic flow to and from these interchanges.
I have filled out 3x5 cards for each industry listing daily scenario (think of each card as representing a phone conversation with a plant manger) then mix up the cards for each industry and put them in a file box. To make up a train I pull the front card for an industry, place the car or cars required on the track, write them down on switch list then the card pulled goes to the back of the pack for that particular industry.
No problem when dealing with industries on the layout put how do I handle the interchange tracks. How do I feed them (which cars are designated for interchange service) cards have been made for industries on layout but do I make cards for the interchanges also ? How to I handle the cars that are already spotted at industries that I am delivering cars to ? I know that not all of them are empty - some are full and to be delivered somewhere - Bringing all cars back to the yard defeats the purpose of having interchange tracks right ? Would a customer contact me (railroad) requesting that their filled boxcar be shipped to off-line destination via either CN or CP. As you can see no problem with making up train for local industries (set-out and pick-up) problem is what to do after these moves made - Any and all information -suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Rudy Montreal Canada

[thirdrail1]

Rudy, these days it wouldn't be a 'phone conversation, it would be an e-mail! A shipper would send a Bill of Lading to the local railroad for a shipment from his plant to anyhwere in North America, so you need to make up cards from each industry that ships as well as receives that say "Load via CN" or "Load via CP". In addition, cars with CN marks should go back to CN empty and CP the same. Does this help?

[Anonymous]

I can think of a couple ways to deal with this.
A) Think of the interchange track as a "industry" in-and-of itself. Cars are routed there, and once there become empties, able to be returned or routed elsewhere.

B) Truly "think beyond the layout" For every industry, create a "shipper" and "Consignee". Let's say, a coal mine in Colorado (shipper), and a electric co-op in Kansas (consignee). Each day, the shipper (modeled on your layout) loads and sends 10-cars of coal (loads) to the interchange track, to be delivered to the co-op (consignee) that is not modeled on your layout. The cars are routed to the interchange track, where they are placed in a sliding drawer (picked-up by the interchange road). In the next session, the empties are pulled from the drawer, and replaced on the interchange track (dropped off by the interchange road), ready to be picked-up and delivered to the coal mine as empties.

For every product you ship on your road, make-up a shipper and consignee. Be creative, as sometimes a industry can be both. A grain milling industry can receive hopper cars of grain (wheat or corn), and ship out pressure hoppers of ground flour.

Hope this helps...

MOPAC 1

[Anonymous]

Gregg and Robert,
Thanks guys - your input re interchange tracks greatly appreciated. Off to make up cards and give operation a try.
Keep on trackin
Rudy Montreal Canada