I'm still working on scenery on a few parts of the layout, so when it's a scenery day, I usually pull most of the locomotives and rolling stock off of the layout so they don't get dust in the moving parts.
Modeling the B&M Railroad during the transition era in Lowell, MA
Layout is 10x20 around the walls, with room for six 12 or more car trains in staging.
For the most part, being mid-late 60s era, the diesels and the freight cars stay on the layout. Steam can take turns being in the roundhouse or in boxes, I run them when I just wanna watch them. Dan
My prior layout, some cars and loco's rotated, while others remained. I only emptied the layout to dismantle it for the remodel.
My new layout (Almost half the benchwork is up!) will be similar. Some will rotate, but the main operation is local freights, and the same set of power and cars will always handle that operation.
Some rotate in and out simply because my smallish sized layout can't store many "through trains" without clogging the main line. So, for variety of run-throughs, those may change on occasion, but most trains will remain on layout.
Dust I have always used the make up brush removal method, with a small vaccuum hose and a dedicated make up brush.
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.
I generally bring back the same cars but will occaisonally swap out a few cars.
Prototypically, cars that are delivered to the other railroad as loads have a better chance of coming back empty. Cars delivered to interchange as empties are less likely to come back.
There is also the mix of cars. An interchange will tend to have more of the home road cars passing over it. A PRR interchange will handle more PRR cars than B&O cars.
I have about 250 cars on the layout, and most of my cars are multiples of a type. I might have a B&O hopper, but I have 5 of those B&O hoppers, so seeing a B&O hopper, it's less likely to be recognized as "that" hopper. It's just JAFH, just another friendly hopper.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
SeeYou190 Doughless The way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars. I would love to hear how other modelers deal with interchange tracks between operations. I have always just brought back the same cars, but never really cared for that. -Kevin
Doughless The way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars.
I would love to hear how other modelers deal with interchange tracks between operations.
I have always just brought back the same cars, but never really cared for that.
-Kevin
Take them off layout and put them back in their boxes.
Edit: Rewrote this to hopefully be more clear.
As it stands now, I have a yard track for each train that I run. Acts like staging. Train A occupies track 1, etc. The loco takes the train and swaps out cars at the various industries and returns the used cars back to its dedicated track. Pretty simple. I have 3 trains now with track capacity for 4 or 5. These trains, cuts of cars really, get swapped out at the end of each session with similar cars (A 3281 CF Cement Hopper with maybe a 2970 CF Cement Hopper, etc.). But I don't swap cars out religiously if I'm lazy.
What I want to do is to have "yard ops" where I move trains from the yard track to interchange and back based upon intervals of when the Class I RR would pick up and drop off. In between those moves I would build trains in the yard....instead of just starting with dedicated yard/staging tracks for each train. Because of the amount of industries/cars I have, and the desire to have train length as long as possible (I don't want a bunch of 3 car trains for example) incorporating that that "yard ops" part into a train build and operating schedule is being a more complicated puzzle than I thought.
When solved, the cars will only get swapped out via the interchange track, simulating the class I picking up and dropping off cars. That entire cycle of taking cars from interchange to yard, building and operating trains, then breaking down and taking some cars to interchange would technically be one operating session. It would take several sessions to cycle through all 30 cars, with some cars remaining on the layout through a few sessions
- Douglas
Track fiddler ATLANTIC CENTRAL Mine disappear too, they just don't have to leave the rails to do it. All of my staging is hidden from the normal viewing of the scenic part of the layout. 10 of the 30 yard tracks are visible staging in my workshop area. Most of the rest are hidden below and behind scenery. These tracks are easy to manage because they are simply sidings along the mainline, easily controlled with some detection. I may even add some cameras. That sounds way cool Sheldon. Would love to see that. My downsizing as a step towards retirement certainly has had its disadvantages. Would have loved to have done something like that. Only had that kinda space before the house was sold in Prior Lake. Can you post some pictures as my interest and curiosity is killing me. That set up sounds like the Cat's Meow Man. TF
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Mine disappear too, they just don't have to leave the rails to do it. All of my staging is hidden from the normal viewing of the scenic part of the layout. 10 of the 30 yard tracks are visible staging in my workshop area. Most of the rest are hidden below and behind scenery. These tracks are easy to manage because they are simply sidings along the mainline, easily controlled with some detection. I may even add some cameras.
Mine disappear too, they just don't have to leave the rails to do it. All of my staging is hidden from the normal viewing of the scenic part of the layout.
10 of the 30 yard tracks are visible staging in my workshop area. Most of the rest are hidden below and behind scenery. These tracks are easy to manage because they are simply sidings along the mainline, easily controlled with some detection. I may even add some cameras.
That sounds way cool Sheldon. Would love to see that.
My downsizing as a step towards retirement certainly has had its disadvantages. Would have loved to have done something like that. Only had that kinda space before the house was sold in Prior Lake.
Can you post some pictures as my interest and curiosity is killing me. That set up sounds like the Cat's Meow Man.
TF
Construction of this latest version is just beginning. But the track plan is already posted on here in a separate thread.
I have just started bench work and will update with some pictures soon. Took a while to get ceiling and lighting in the first section.
Also been busy getting my model shop area setup.
I can post the track plan again latter, hard for me to do from this tablet.
Sheldon
Dust can be a proublem at times over a long period of time but I can clean it off the cars with a makeup brush or if extreme WS dust dabber but the dust dabber is only needed if there is a real buildup, like a year or more like the few cars I have sitting open and not on the layout per say.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless Follow up: I swap out trains in staging/interchange to see different cars. While one train may consist of 7 woodchip hoppers, I will often change out to different roadnames, so those cars have to be stored somewhere other than staging. Since I frequently handle the cars, its just sort of habit to put them all away if I think I'm not going to be running for a while. And then when I put the 30 or so cars back on the layout, its usually a different combo of cars than what was removed. Locomotives do tend to stay on the layout longer but are placed in a protected area. I am happy to say that I've never damaged a car by handling it normally. All of may damage comes at the workbench when I am fiddling with it for other reasons...repair or weathering. This is also why I'm quick to return flawed items back to the dealer. I have damaged something further when I try to repair a car that I received damaged. If you store cars on the layout, I can see where you'd want to safeguard against them rolling off the end of the layout...LOL. Build properly, modern models are very free rolling. In my world dead end tracks have bumpers of some sort..... As a few others have commented, I avoid handling the models. Not that it is a problem, it is just easier. As someone interested in both mainline and switching operations, trains come out of staging, go to the main (only visible) yard, and are broken up for switching to the industries. Pickups from the industries are made up into trains that then traverse the mainline and return to staging. So I see different cars all the time, to the tune of over 1000 of them. Sheldon I have a couple of tracks that represent yard tracks and and interchange track that would be longer than what I have room for...beyond the layout so to speak...so having bumpers in the "middle" of these tracks would not be appropriate. As one solution for those who might choose to have the same look, I shim the last few inches and take extra care to build the benchwork level. Of course, I don't want cars consantly rolling towards the throat of the tracks and prefer them to roll to the end if they roll at all, hence the potential problem solved by the shimming. For me its never been about seeing different cars per se, its about the same train not having the exact same cars to pull, so there has to be some manipulation of individual cars to place them in different trains. And since I have short trains and fewer individual trains for a session, it makes more sense for me to just swap them by hand than to use a locomotive to move cars around. The way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars. Mine disappear too, they just don't have to leave the rails to do it. All of my staging is hidden from the normal viewing of the scenic part of the layout. 10 of the 30 yard tracks are visible staging in my workshop area. Most of the rest are hidden below and behind scenery. These tracks are easy to manage because they are simply sidings along the mainline, easily controlled with some detection. I may even add some cameras. And few are visible sidings where you might logical see a train parked for a while. One group of staging will be partly visible thru some trees in the background, simulating a small yard of a different railroad. Sheldon
Doughless ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless Follow up: I swap out trains in staging/interchange to see different cars. While one train may consist of 7 woodchip hoppers, I will often change out to different roadnames, so those cars have to be stored somewhere other than staging. Since I frequently handle the cars, its just sort of habit to put them all away if I think I'm not going to be running for a while. And then when I put the 30 or so cars back on the layout, its usually a different combo of cars than what was removed. Locomotives do tend to stay on the layout longer but are placed in a protected area. I am happy to say that I've never damaged a car by handling it normally. All of may damage comes at the workbench when I am fiddling with it for other reasons...repair or weathering. This is also why I'm quick to return flawed items back to the dealer. I have damaged something further when I try to repair a car that I received damaged. If you store cars on the layout, I can see where you'd want to safeguard against them rolling off the end of the layout...LOL. Build properly, modern models are very free rolling. In my world dead end tracks have bumpers of some sort..... As a few others have commented, I avoid handling the models. Not that it is a problem, it is just easier. As someone interested in both mainline and switching operations, trains come out of staging, go to the main (only visible) yard, and are broken up for switching to the industries. Pickups from the industries are made up into trains that then traverse the mainline and return to staging. So I see different cars all the time, to the tune of over 1000 of them. Sheldon I have a couple of tracks that represent yard tracks and and interchange track that would be longer than what I have room for...beyond the layout so to speak...so having bumpers in the "middle" of these tracks would not be appropriate. As one solution for those who might choose to have the same look, I shim the last few inches and take extra care to build the benchwork level. Of course, I don't want cars consantly rolling towards the throat of the tracks and prefer them to roll to the end if they roll at all, hence the potential problem solved by the shimming. For me its never been about seeing different cars per se, its about the same train not having the exact same cars to pull, so there has to be some manipulation of individual cars to place them in different trains. And since I have short trains and fewer individual trains for a session, it makes more sense for me to just swap them by hand than to use a locomotive to move cars around. The way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Doughless Follow up: I swap out trains in staging/interchange to see different cars. While one train may consist of 7 woodchip hoppers, I will often change out to different roadnames, so those cars have to be stored somewhere other than staging. Since I frequently handle the cars, its just sort of habit to put them all away if I think I'm not going to be running for a while. And then when I put the 30 or so cars back on the layout, its usually a different combo of cars than what was removed. Locomotives do tend to stay on the layout longer but are placed in a protected area. I am happy to say that I've never damaged a car by handling it normally. All of may damage comes at the workbench when I am fiddling with it for other reasons...repair or weathering. This is also why I'm quick to return flawed items back to the dealer. I have damaged something further when I try to repair a car that I received damaged. If you store cars on the layout, I can see where you'd want to safeguard against them rolling off the end of the layout...LOL. Build properly, modern models are very free rolling. In my world dead end tracks have bumpers of some sort..... As a few others have commented, I avoid handling the models. Not that it is a problem, it is just easier. As someone interested in both mainline and switching operations, trains come out of staging, go to the main (only visible) yard, and are broken up for switching to the industries. Pickups from the industries are made up into trains that then traverse the mainline and return to staging. So I see different cars all the time, to the tune of over 1000 of them. Sheldon
Doughless Follow up: I swap out trains in staging/interchange to see different cars. While one train may consist of 7 woodchip hoppers, I will often change out to different roadnames, so those cars have to be stored somewhere other than staging. Since I frequently handle the cars, its just sort of habit to put them all away if I think I'm not going to be running for a while. And then when I put the 30 or so cars back on the layout, its usually a different combo of cars than what was removed. Locomotives do tend to stay on the layout longer but are placed in a protected area. I am happy to say that I've never damaged a car by handling it normally. All of may damage comes at the workbench when I am fiddling with it for other reasons...repair or weathering. This is also why I'm quick to return flawed items back to the dealer. I have damaged something further when I try to repair a car that I received damaged. If you store cars on the layout, I can see where you'd want to safeguard against them rolling off the end of the layout...LOL. Build properly, modern models are very free rolling.
Follow up:
I swap out trains in staging/interchange to see different cars. While one train may consist of 7 woodchip hoppers, I will often change out to different roadnames, so those cars have to be stored somewhere other than staging.
Since I frequently handle the cars, its just sort of habit to put them all away if I think I'm not going to be running for a while. And then when I put the 30 or so cars back on the layout, its usually a different combo of cars than what was removed.
Locomotives do tend to stay on the layout longer but are placed in a protected area.
I am happy to say that I've never damaged a car by handling it normally. All of may damage comes at the workbench when I am fiddling with it for other reasons...repair or weathering. This is also why I'm quick to return flawed items back to the dealer. I have damaged something further when I try to repair a car that I received damaged.
If you store cars on the layout, I can see where you'd want to safeguard against them rolling off the end of the layout...LOL. Build properly, modern models are very free rolling.
In my world dead end tracks have bumpers of some sort.....
As a few others have commented, I avoid handling the models. Not that it is a problem, it is just easier.
As someone interested in both mainline and switching operations, trains come out of staging, go to the main (only visible) yard, and are broken up for switching to the industries.
Pickups from the industries are made up into trains that then traverse the mainline and return to staging.
So I see different cars all the time, to the tune of over 1000 of them.
I have a couple of tracks that represent yard tracks and and interchange track that would be longer than what I have room for...beyond the layout so to speak...so having bumpers in the "middle" of these tracks would not be appropriate.
As one solution for those who might choose to have the same look, I shim the last few inches and take extra care to build the benchwork level. Of course, I don't want cars consantly rolling towards the throat of the tracks and prefer them to roll to the end if they roll at all, hence the potential problem solved by the shimming.
For me its never been about seeing different cars per se, its about the same train not having the exact same cars to pull, so there has to be some manipulation of individual cars to place them in different trains. And since I have short trains and fewer individual trains for a session, it makes more sense for me to just swap them by hand than to use a locomotive to move cars around.
The way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars.
And few are visible sidings where you might logical see a train parked for a while.
One group of staging will be partly visible thru some trees in the background, simulating a small yard of a different railroad.
Oh I get it. Club style/sized layouts often have space strictly devoted to storage....or for trains that don't appear for a long time. Usually under mountain scenery...which then mates with/drives the desire to have some deep scenes.
For me to have storage for the cars that disappear off layout, it would require what I consider valuable layout space. And I would still probably want to have different cars from time to time.
So, in a way, I NEED more cars than what my layout can hold.
DoughlessThe way I think of it, cars that are destined for interchange disappear off the layout. Later, the next batch of cars deposited on to interchange to repeat the same train wouldn't be the exact same cars.
Living the dream.
For me its never been about seeing different cars per se, its about the same train not having the exact same cars to pull, so there has to be some manipulation of individual cars to place them in different trains. This typically happens as they rotate onto the interchange track for off layout destinations
The way I think of it, cars that arrived onto the layout wouldn't necessarily be the exact same cars that departed.
Good morning
Well, ...Dont know.
Had to think of something to make the chore easier. Perhaps becoming a bit old school from the harsh lessons of my youth
My Mom, (Bless Her Heart) used to come up to my room and drop off the vacuum cleaner saying, "JOHN! , Put Your Toys Away, Or I Will Find A Place For Them!" Found out early, that usually meant the circular file...
Just like the vacuum cleaner back in the day, the Tracks will need a good cleaning frequently to keep smooth locomotive operations in-check. How does one clean Track quickly and efficiently with rolling stock and loco's all over the place?
Since there's not far to go, they can be put away quickly in those harbor freight totes underneath.
Still room for plenty more slide-outs. Just need to re-visit the fabrication department
PS Was quite disappointed five years ago when there wasn't enough room for a bigger layout. Now, with the limited amount of free-time, sometimes the smaller 51"x 87" feels like biting off more than can be chewed.
SeeYou190 I have never de-trained a layout except to work on it. -Kevin
I have never de-trained a layout except to work on it.
Mike
richhotrain If I own it, it is on the layout. If you don't see it on the layout, I don't own it. Rich
If I own it, it is on the layout. If you don't see it on the layout, I don't own it.
Rich
i put all my articulted steam in a china cabinet in the dining area & swap out locomotives when i want .
I purposely designed my last layout, and my new layout, with plenty of staging so that all the equipment can be on the layout.
I can't really imagine having much more equipment than the layout can hold. The new layout is designed to stage between 30 to 35 trains, depending on length/type.
Most of the staging tracks will handle trains of about 40 typical 40' cars, or 50 two bay 34' hoppers. Nearly every train will have between 2 and 4 powered units for motive power.
I can't even imagine taking any number of these cars/locos on and off the layout on any regular basis.
My smallish layout does not allow me to leave my 30+ locos on it. Many are stored in drawers. I also have some O scale rolling stock that I only use during the holidays, under tree.
Simon
Alton Junction
Everything stays on the layout except for the rare instance when I take something to the club, which is not often.
I don't like to handle the rolling stock more than necessary because of the chance of breakage.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Yes! Rolling stock stays on the track ready for the next running session. They are taken off only to change from steam to diesel running (or vice-versa) or if the grandchildren 'take control'.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
For me, locomotives stay on the layout, unless they require repairs or upgrades.
Some rolling stock stays on-layout, too, but I often swap it out for other examples, just for a change of scene.
If a friend comes over to test-run a new locomotive, I don't mind providing some rolling stock to test its' pulling capabilities.
If I'm adding new track or scenery, anything nearby is either moved out of the way, or put back in its' box.
Wayne
For me, the cars in industry tracks or yards stay put. I have a couple of yards with a track or two I use as kind of a visible staging / fiddle trackage. I just run the layout by myself, so the last thing I do is set up the next train for the next "session" in one of the yards so it's ready to go. I have way too many engines to keep more than a fraction on the layout, so they do get moved off and on as needed.
I rarely take a loco off the layout once it has been put on. Dust is not a huge issue for me and a quick clean of a loco parked along the edge of the layout is done with a can of dust off, a Q-Tip, or for more troublesome spots I cut a bit off one of those Swifters and slide it under grabs and other areas. I also have rolled a bit of swifter around a skewer making a large Q-Tip type tool. Those bits of swifter really grab the grimy dust. I will take rolling stock off for a clean every ten years or so. I'll grab a bunch of cars and go at them while watching hockey.
The only time I ever cover the layout is when we do renovations. Nowhere in the house is safe from reno dust. I use brand-new drop sheets from the dollar store, never used drop sheets.
I have about 20 locos and just over a 100 rolling stock but things are starting to get a bit crowded and I have been looking at adding under-layout staging. Just not sure how to get them down there. I can have two 40 to 50-car trains parked on sidings leaving it clear for other trains to traverse the layout.
There is not much more I want to acquire so layout population growth will be slow. I will deal with the problem when the time comes.
I always park everything where it will not end up on the floor if we have an Earthquake as we do get a shake once in a while.
I enjoy these questions, maybe next week's should be, how large is a small layout how large is a medium layout, how large is a large layout? Haven't had that one for a while and I find those are good discussions.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
All of my cars are either on the layout or on the workbench being built or repaired. Eventually I will have to cassettes that I will use to hold staged cars on racks near the staging yard, I will use them to swap out cars on the layout. I will take 15-30 cars off the layout and put 15-30 cars on the layout so there will always be a little turnover (about 5-10%) of the cars moving on the layout each operating session. But everything will be on the rails, nothing in boxes.
A major factor for layout storage will be the presence of larger yards and hidden staging. These invite on-layout storage. Some may be inclined because particular cars significantly enhance the appearance of certain scenes (like hoppers rounding out the look of coaling facilities, tank cars at fuel farms, etc.). And some folks perhaps store off-layout because they're not inclined for their goodies to gather dust - though I think of that as just another form of poor-man's weathering.
We can dispense with the issue of roaming housecats, pet racoons and skunks.
John, the Attuvian
Although my layout is not up and running yet, that question sure pulled a lot of weight last Winter.
Tunnel to the left...
with a descending 2% grade and two radius turnouts, can eventually go under the layout giving me three long lines of staging. A bit of disassembly will be required without disrupting the layout, so it's doable.