What's your point?

[csxengineer]

Ha.

Actually, what's the point of your layout? Which best describes the activity of your layout:

Mainline running-not much switching, more from a railfans point of view watching trains go by.

Locals & Interchanges-dispatching various locals to serve smaller industries and return

Yard jobs-big yards, engine facilities and more fun switching cars than long long runs

Passenger/commuter trains-

other?

 

[csxengineer]

Appalachian Northern

A few years back, MR did a n scale layout that was designed for modern csx/conrail power to run to various mines and return. it was small, but well designed. I'm thinking about incorporating alot of that concept into my layout, but insted of coal mines, the locals would run to various scrap yards, and return to the main yard which is in front of the steel mill. There will be a continious loop with hidden staging to bring in a twice daily amtrak, and occasional mainline train that the locals must "clear up" for. Most of the scrap dealers I see can only handle up to five cars at the most, making it a daily job.

Whatcha think?

 

[TinGoat]

Sounds good to me!

 

[eightyeightfan1]

All of the above.

 

[Ralph]

It seems that mine is more mainline run as I tend to watch trains roll by more then I switch them. When I'm in an ops mood I can set up local runs.
Ralph

 

[jbaakko]

Um, mine, modeling.

Future: mainline running, current: switching. Other: locals (Copper Range & E&LS)

 

[Roger Hensley]

Locals & Interchanges-dispatching various locals to serve smaller industries and return

Dispatching various locals to serve smaller industries and return just about describes it. From the yard to the elevator, work there and back. To the plastics plant, swap cars and back. To the oil distributor and back and just swap cars in the two yards and back.

 

[doctorwayne]

Point-to-point locals, both freight and passenger, with switching en route, all supported by interchange provided via staging yards at all end points.

Wayne

 

[riverotter]

My layout was planned mainly as point-to-point, from one interchange yard to another, with industries in between, with arrangements to permit continuous running when I want to display my passenger trains or run two trains at once for visitors who don't "get" operations.

 

[lester perry]

How about all of the above. I have one main yard, I call it Clifton Forge Va. Two hidden yards one for west bound one for east bound. I have several buisenesss to service each way. that gives me 2 locals. I have a mine run with 2 small mines and one medium size. the smal ones get 2-6 cars a day the medium gets usually 12 cars a day. I have 1 large mine off the main line that gets 34-36 cars going to a power plant. oh yeah I also have a timbering area on the mine run that gets 1-2 cars every once in a while. If that wont keep you buisy enough I also have a short line that only has 1 shay and very steep grades. it ties into the C&O on one end and dead ends at a small town I have yet to name. On this there is a small mine a very busy sawmill an oil well and a timbering area. I have operating sessions every 3rd sat of the month, come join us for some fun.
Les

 

[RobertInOntario]

Good question!

Mine is a combination of the first and last choices. My layout is basically a British one (although I do like to run North American trains occasionally), and British layouts seem to focus more on passenger trains than freight -- I think this is because of a combination of historical reasons.

Having said that, I do hope to get into switching and operating freight trains a little more -- especially now that I've been tinkering with a small second switching layout this past week & am learning a lot more about switching practices!

If I had to boil it down to one category, the last one would most accurately describe my main layout.

Rob

 

[CSXect]

:mrgreen: The point is to get the trains running as soon as can be(still in bench work phase)

My layout will be a simple 5 loop oval layout, The next layout I build will be more serious as soon as I pin down which scale I like the mostsign1 It will be an Appalachian/Ohio vally coal hauler with some passenger traffic. I kinda take insperation from the V&O (HO) and the Appalachain and Ohio(2 Rail O)

 

[csxengineer]

yeah

That V&O in MR mag this month was inspiring.

 

[shaygetz]

Railroad museum with special excursion runs working in cooperation with a small branchline road. No other way to justify the large number of near immaculate steam:thumb::thumb:

 

[brakie]

Here's what I have in mind for my 2x4 foot N Scale layout that I have planned.I hope to start construction after the county fair open house.

The crew will start their work day by firing up the locomotive and then making a light move to the interchange track to pick the cars and then return to the yard to make up their daily trains..The first train out will be to JKL steel doors with coil loads(4 laps-each lap equals 1 mile).After switching out JKL they will return the empty cars to the yard and pick up their second train and head out to switch the other industries.Upon returning to the yard they will pickup the empty coil cars and take all cars to the interchange and then will return to the yard light and proceed to shut the engine down and call it a day.

So,my guess this comes under prototypical short line operation?

 

[MadHatter]

All of the above!!!!

Everything and anything you can think of from waybills to hotbox detector cards, shunting to mainline running and even excursions and events cards!

 

[lester perry]

All of the above!!!!

Everything and anything you can think of from waybills to hotbox detector cards, shunting to mainline running and even excursions and events cards!

How do the hot box cards and event cards work?
Les

 

[MadHatter]

Hi Les

The event card is a pack of cards that one can make up to represent random (possibly everyday) events on a railway.

E.g.: Before you run trains/ an opperating session draw a card.

It can say anything like:

Derailment at XXX Curve, send a work crew, no traffic to pass here till work is complete.

or,

Nothing above normal today, go on as usual.
----------------------------------------------
HotBox Cards:

On a section of your layout you can add a small detailed scene of a hot box detector circuit. In the simplist form (for here in S.A. anyway) you can paint a few ties yellow add a tin shed and one or two relay boxes.

Everytime a train goes by pick a card:

Axel number XX has a hotbox, set the wagon out at next siding.

Or,

No hot box, train may carry on with journey.
----------------------------------------------
With the hot box cards be sure not to use a number higher than the amount of axels on your average longest train.
You can also make a rule that locos running light don't need to draw a card, of course drawing for the locos as well is prototipical.

This is just something that I find personally fun and have heard of many a case where people cringe when their train goes past a HB detector and then a huge sigh of relief when they don't get the card telling them WHOOWWW!!!!

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Mountain Man]

Capturing a certain "feel". I'm interested more in scenery and structures than in operations like switching or adhering to strict timetables, so I'm building a layout that allows for interesing operation as a compliment to the layout itself. Pretty prototypical for 1890's mountain railroading, in fact.

 

[CNWman]

Mostly mainline running, as there is only one industry on a passing siding style section. I do have a small two-track spur for car and engine servicing, though:mrgreen:, and I run the occasional fantrip with my three passenger cars