So, I think it's been a while since anyone posted something about car cards. I need to know do I need a box for each yard track? Thank you.
In my world the answer is yes, because every track has a spec function. That is, two tracks for arrival, on for BN departure, one for Santa Fe departure, one for local departure, one for storage after arrival befor classification. Then you know exactly which cars are where.
Regards, Chris
Yes. But two industries sharing a branch could justify two boxes if the track is long enough. We have that situation at our club.
Simon
At my club, we're been using 3x5 cards for 40+ years. We use typical larger 3x5 index card boxes (around 3" deep) for yards with tab dividers labeled for each track. As long as the yard is of reasonable size, the cards should all fit. If there was a very large yard, I would use a drawer-type index card unit with dividers for each track. This makes it quite easy to move car cards from track to track when switching rather than looking for a different box.However, when making up a train, each train gets its own cheap 3x5 card box you can find at Staples. They're made of thin plastic and are maybe an inch thick with a snap lid. This box is always labeled with the train ID on it and travels with the engineer. We used to have open folders made of cardstock to hold the cards, but after playing 52 pick up too many times, we went with the closable boxes instead. These train boxes go to the Arrival/Depature yard for the engineers to grab on the way out.I would not use a box for each classification yard track. Stacking them is an issue as they are slick; if grabbing more than one, they want to squirt out of your grip like watermelon seeds. Getting the cards into and out of boxes is not as easy as a larger, rigid box or drawer. Just make sure to label the tabs.For industry spotting of cars, we have card card pockets that hang on the lexan protecting the layout (they are easily lifted off for train shows, etc.). These have three pockets: Set-Out, Hold, and Pick-Up. When you drop off a cart, put the card in the Set-Out pocket. If the car at industry is to be grabbed, the card is in the Pick-Up pocket. If it's not to be moved, the car's card is in the Hold pocket.