Continous Loop Layout - Basic Operations Question

[gandydancer19]

There is an easy way and a hard way to switch a yard and make up trains.

The hard way is just to shove cars into whatever tracks will hold them. Then when making up a train, pick the cars by sorting through all the yard tracks for the cars you want next. This is called Cherry Picking and is not very efficient.

The better way is to have each yard track assigned to a train. When a train arrives, it's cars are sorted (classified) according where the cars are to go. Which means if the car is to go East, put them on the track for the Eastbound train. Then when the train is built, all of the cars on the Eastbound track are pulled for the Eastbound train.

This is the system that I use and it works very well.

[Doug from Michigan]

I want to thank you all for this discussion, as it has opend my eyes to how to really run our recently expanded layout.  One question remains for me, and is a point of debate with my 10yr old.  Can the engine running the locals (deisels, either an MP15 or GP9) do so in either direction without being turned cab forward, or should it make a trip to the turntable first to be pointing the right direction?  Are there situations where the loco can push a few cars on it's nose down the line for any distance?

Also, in regards to how the cars are oriented, does the end with the brake wheel run leading, trailing, or doesn't matter?

[dehusman]

The better way is to have each yard track assigned to a train. When a train arrives, it's cars are sorted (classified) according where the cars are to go. Which means if the car is to go East, put them on the track for the Eastbound train. Then when the train is built, all of the cars on the Eastbound track are pulled for the Eastbound train.

 

The prototype uses something similar but they don't necessarily switch by train.  They switch by "block".  A block is a group of cars that will be handled together between yards, junctions. interchanges or industries.  A train carries one or more blocks. 

 

If the train between Houston and Ft Worth, the HOFW train, carries just one block of cars the "FTWR" block, when Houston switches the cuts they won't see "HOFW" the train on the switch list, they will see "FTWR" the block.

  The train from Ft Worth to Chicago, FWCH,  carries 3 blocks, one for Chicago, one for Texarkana and one for Memphis.  When the yard at Ft Worth switches cars they won't see "FWCH" on the switch list, they will see CHGO (C), TEXA (T), MPHS (M) blocks and they will switch each block into its own track.

The cut to switch looks like:

XXYCMXTYCVTTXMCTMVTCCMTVMCCVTTMMMCMTT

 

After they switch it:

Trk 1 XXXX

Trk 2 YY

Trk 3 VVVV

Trk 4 CCCCCCCC

Trk 5 MMMMMMMMM

Trk 6 TTTTTTTTTTT

 

Then when they build the train they build it :

Caboose-CHGO-TEXA-MPHS -Eng

 

Trk 101 Cab-CCCCCCCC-TTTTTTTTTT-MMMMMMMMM-Eng

 

When it gets to Texarkana, they have switched out there cars into MPHS and CHGO blocks

 

P/u  cccccc-mmmmm

 

The train sets out the TEXA's and picks up the cut from Texarkana:

 

Cab-CCCCCCCCcccccccc-mmmmmMMMMMMMMM-Eng.

 

When the train gets to the junction with the line to Memphis, it sets out the Memphis cars and picks up any CHGO at the junction:

 

The pick up :

CCCCC

 

The train leaves the junction looking like :

 

Cab-CCCCCCCCCcccccccCCCCC-Eng

 

Its a solid Chicago train now.

 

On my layout the through freights out of Wilington, DE going to Reading, PA carry 3 blocks, Reading, Coatesville and Birdsboro.  The yard switches the cars by block and then fills out the trains to the car limit in block.  When the train gets to Coatesville, it sets out Coatesvilles and picks up Readings and Birdsboros, in block.  When it gets to Birdsboro, it sets out Birdsboros and picks up Readings.  The trains don't spot any cars they just set them out and the switcher at Coatesville or the Local at Birdsboro actually spots the cars or delivers them to interchange.

[cuyama]

Doug from Michigan

One question remains for me, and is a point of debate with my 10yr old.  Can the engine running the locals (deisels, either an MP15 or GP9) do so in either direction without being turned cab forward, or should it make a trip to the turntable first to be pointing the right direction?

Yes. That's one of the advantages of diesels. They can run in either direction.

Doug from Michigan

Are there situations where the loco can push a few cars on it's nose down the line for any distance?

Yes. There are very long "shoves" in the real world. For the ones that cover many miles, a caboose often led in the past and a rare few are still used today.

Doug from Michigan

Also, in regards to how the cars are oriented, does the end with the brake wheel run leading, trailing, or doesn't matter?

Doesn't matter. The real railroads don't turn individual freight cars to have brake wheels all pointing in the same direction.

[cuyama]

gandydancer19

This is called Cherry Picking and is not very efficient.

To add to this, here's a link to my somewhat extreme example of how real railroads (and efficient model railroads) avoid cherry-picking when switching a yard

[DigitalGriffin]

Rich,

You're running a class A.  So you had both really long main line haulers, and local road switchers/short lines  to do the industry work.  Sometimes they would share the same rail, but more then likely they would divide and counquer, depending on their load.

For example, the C&O's bread and butter was really cheap coal.  So they would take very long cuts of it out of West Virginia and Kentucky.  But not everyone of their customers would need long cuts of coal.  And using mainline steam for local delivers was NOT efficient.  So they would drop it off at a local yard and have locals/road switchers deliver it. 

In your example, it would be rare for a train to stop at one farm to pick up a LCL (Less than container load).  A small Connie,  Mike, RS or GP would be more then likely to  pick up a load at a farmers co-op or grain silo then drop the load off at either a bakery, or a yard to be delivered to customers.

So you can run it either way.  The best bet is to read about how your industry worked ("Industries by the trackside" is a good book) to find out how loads were swapped in and out.

As others have mentioned, yard work is key here is most cases.  Yard Switching is actually one of the more hectic (and enjoyable) operational aspects.  Not only must you avoid excess switching, but you must also build a train that is operationally efficient.  (Putting similar cuts of cars together)

[DSO17]

Doug from Michigan

I want to thank you all for this discussion, as it has opend my eyes to how to really run our recently expanded layout.  One question remains for me, and is a point of debate with my 10yr old.  Can the engine running the locals (deisels, either an MP15 or GP9) do so in either direction without being turned cab forward, or should it make a trip to the turntable first to be pointing the right direction?  Are there situations where the loco can push a few cars on it's nose down the line for any distance?

Also, in regards to how the cars are oriented, does the end with the brake wheel run leading, trailing, or doesn't matter?

     I've had the "opportunity" to see a lot of local freights over the years and I don't recall anybody caring which way a road-switcher (like MP15s or GP9s) were facing, unless they wanted the engineman on a certain side to work with handsignals. It made so little difference that in some cases the engine left the initial terminal running backwards (low-nose GP30) and in the course of shifting at a wye at the end point got turned and then came back in to the initial terminal still running backwards. Some road-switchers actually had control stands on both sides of the cab and some enginemen wouldn't bother to change sides, but would just turn the seat around and run in reverse.

     It doesn't matter where the brake wheel is, but some cars had to be facing a certain way for loading or unloading at the destination and it was up to the local freight conductor to make sure they were spotted properly.