Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Want to run your railway a little more like the real thing? Read on...
Post Reply
tunnelmotor
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm

Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by tunnelmotor »

I am building a a five board module for a location known as Dillon, a fictitious location in Texas. I have designed it to have as many industry car spots as possible. Trackplan here:

Image
trackplan by mikearnold, on Flickr

The car spots are by siding:

A - three car spots at a fruit packing warehouse plus a fourth for a loading dock, including end loading;
B - yard lead with a team track and scrap yard at the end - one spot for team gtrackj and two spots in scrap yard;
C - paint manufacturing or vegetable oils canning warehouse - two spots;
D - warehouse witnh flour spots - industry/industries to be determined;
E - lumber yard with two roads each taking minimum two cars each, one for woodcip loading, the other for loading lumber loads - all sit in front of a low relief lumber mill shed that hides a lead for siding D but alos doubles as off scene location for log loads in and other industries on an industrial park.

All the Kalmbach Lineside Industries books seem to concentrate on older eras so suggestions for modern era that I model are scarce. What freight cars would you match to the above industries and what suggestions do you have for siding D in a modern time frame?

Many thanks

Mike Arnold
Last edited by tunnelmotor on Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:10 am, edited 6 times in total.
User avatar
BrianMoore
Posts: 384
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm
Location: Plymouth, UK

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by BrianMoore »

Quite frankly, Mike, I'd leave it free, without any industry at all, and use it to store cars that need to be switched but can't be placed immediately, or for loads that have been swapped for empties. Make it look a bit overgrown, but still useable.

It looks as if you've got more than enough to keep your hands full with the other stuff anyway. If we've learned anything at all (lesson again yesterday at the Broadclyst meet), it's how long it really takes to switch even a few cars. And even in modern times, you still see empty tracks dotted about - adds to the realism.
Brian Moore
tunnelmotor
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by tunnelmotor »

Nice idea, Brian. Thanks. It's also code 70 track and a bit bumpy too so should look quite out of sorts!
User avatar
Gloriousnse
Posts: 529
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:32 pm
Location: Exeter, UK
Contact:

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by Gloriousnse »

A - three car spots at a fruit packing warehouse plus a fourth for a loading dock, including end loading;
For the packing warehouse, possibly a modernised reefer (Intermountain or upcoming Genesis modernised older cars with the exposed reefer unit, a bit of modellers licence might also get you one of the nice modern ones from BLMA/Exactrail too) - but more likely RBLs (insulated boxcars) - examples might be the Atlas Evans 52' DPD boxcar, the Exactrail 'Beer car' or the PC&F cars that Athearn/Genesis have done would all be suitable - ignore the colourful 60s/70s schemes (mostly) and look for the plainer ones for modern use.

For the loading dock i'd call that a team track and use it for any other traffic. Boxcars, flats, whatever.
B - yard lead with a team track and scrap yard at the end - one spot for team gtrackj and two spots in scrap yard;
I have a suggestion along Brian's lines but slightly different, i'd take these two industries off this lead and leave this one as a nice long combined switch lead / storage track - that way if you worked it with a local switcher you can drop the outgoing cars off a through freight easily on that kind of track.

The 'team' function is already taken by the end of track A anyhow...
C - paint manufacturing or vegetable oils canning warehouse - two spots;
Is the industry big enough? If it is you might want a second spur there? No need for it to be next to the building.
For paint, inbound would be a range of chemicals, styrenes, resins - tanks and possibly some covered hoppers? Lots of nice conflicting Hazmat codes to give your switch crews a headache. :) They might ship finished product by rail (plain boxcars) but my suggestion would be to not bother in the modern era (they can use trucks) and you can then use the real estate to handle a bigger range of cooler tanks and covered hoppers!

Tank cars are a real minefield as they are highly specialised, might be worth an ask on something like the MFCL for some more specific suggestions once you tie down what you want to be being shipped? (Or the other way to look at it is what cars are available and model the flows you can get the cars to handle and ignore the ones you can't!)

I'll take a guess at resins moving in covered hoppers, might be an excuse for one of those colourful Sclair ACF4650s (Intermountain or Atlas) - or plastic pellet designs ACF5700/5800 from Atlas or NSC car from Walthers

Reference: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Paint.html
D - warehouse witnh flour spots - industry/industries to be determined;
Will come back to this...
E - lumber yard with two roads each taking minimum two cars each, one for woodcip loading, the other for loading lumber loads - all sit in front of a low relief lumber mill shed that hides a lead for siding D but alos doubles as off scene location for log loads in and other industries on an industrial park.
I think there's a problem here - much cut lumber these days is in centerbeams (Walthers, Exactrail or Atlas do models) - but you don't have a suitable space to load a centerbeam as you need access to both sides of the car at once or they fall over.

For Texas I would suggest a building supply co receiving lumber from more tree-infested Northern states rather than a sawmill, I would suggest putting your lumber yard at D - where you can leave lots of space one side (and assumed space off-board the other) where you can unload centerbeams properly. You might also get some lumber or building supplies (like wallboard) moving on bulkhead flats (Trainman, Exactrail, Walthers, Athearn RTR) - or maybe even in high cube boxcars.

You can still receive woodchips (for landscaping) - Walthers does both a woodchip gondola and a high capacity hopper

That leaves E empty - I would remove one track and put your relocated scrapyard here. Use any 50' gon, plus maybe some 60's. Athearn RTR, Walthers, Atlas, Trainman, Exactrail all have suitable cars. lots of variety in the marketplace for these and they can be nice and battered - get a whole range and mix em up. Without the switch and with the yard extending into the vee you'll probably still get 4 cars on the single track.
Martyn Read
User avatar
warbonnetuk
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm
Location: Horley, Surrey

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by warbonnetuk »

Mike

Following on from Martyn's post the below location could be some inspiration for a timber / building supply merchant.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Arling ... s&t=h&z=17

From the satellite view it looks like there are two short spurs taking centrebeams and if the follow the tracks down the side of the building there are a number of separate loadind docs for boxcars

Not sure is your have already scouted DFW for inspiration but the Arlington area has a large network of industrial spurs (UP switched) that are of interest (NW of the location linked)

Cheers

Dan
Dan Spalding

Galatia KS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Galatia- ... 5487154282
tunnelmotor
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by tunnelmotor »

After some thought on what industries I could encompass, I have finalised the list. I admit to unashamed admiration for Lance Mindheim and the choice has been inspired by his work. I describe them starting at the right hand end of the plan above:

The scrap yard is now complete and can accommodate three 52 ft gons or two longer gons (bottom right).
The team track can take two cars or can double as an off-spot for cars awaiting set out or pick up (or as a yard lead) (B).
The paint manufacturer is at C and can take a tank car for inbound chemicals and a box car for inbound tins and packing and outbound product in tins.
The 4 spot warehouse at D will now be a waste paper collector and distributor and a Coors distribution warehouse.
The 4 spot fruit warehouse and loading dock will handle reefers and whatever needs a loading dock.
The lumber mill is for two centrebeams and two woodchip gons.
The track in behind the lumber mill is a lead for the warehouse at D and as inblound logs and empty cars plus as an off-scene staging for a very short local serving unseen, unmodelled industries.

I shall post some photos soon as it is getting closer to finish. I have also modelled a passenger depot on the outside curve opposite warehouse B, using the Walthers mission style depot.

Dan Spalding, Aidan and I had a session playing with at New Year. 17 spots for operatioons!
User avatar
warbonnetuk
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:05 pm
Location: Horley, Surrey

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by warbonnetuk »

Aidan being my 4.5 year old son

(The indoctrination continues!!)

Dan
Dan Spalding

Galatia KS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Galatia- ... 5487154282
User avatar
torikoos
Posts: 876
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:46 pm
Location: Newton Abbot, Devon, UK .
Contact:

Re: Matching Freight Cars to Industries

Post by torikoos »

tunnelmotor wrote:
I shall post some photos soon as it is getting closer to finish. ........
Why not post 'in progress' photo's too. That would greatly enhance the value of the region, as photo's and short descriptions with each show how a particular scene is coming together, perhaps spurring on others in thinking 'that looks good, I can do that too/use that method too'.

Often beautiful modelling has people stand and watch 'in awe', but thinking 'I could never do that'. We need to show that it isn't all that difficult in many cases, it might take time, but it's a hobby, nothing needs to be finished at a certain time.

Koos
Koos Fockens -Devon UK. North American Model Railroading
Age is just a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, then it doesn't matter.
Post Reply