Tell us about your trains at work!

[Ralph]

Have a regularly scheduled freight or passenger train on your layout? Did you give it a name or maybe even follow your road's prototype practice for numbering trains? Do you send out a train to perform a job on a routine basis? Tell us about one of the trains you run on your layout to pick up or set out freight...or to help passengers get to their destinations.

I'll start with a small train on a short route...(see below)

"The Sawyer Job" on my layout serves the community of Sawyer where there is a sheet metal factory and the riverside Allied Bulk Commodaties Transfer that moves coal, sand and gravel from barge to rail. These industries are located on a switchback off the main. As it often turns out, both industries tend to need service at the same time (at least in my fictional world) so a small train is regularly assigned this purpose.

A train of three cars and a transfer caboose leaves the opposite side of the layout and arrives at Sawyer where it heads into the ABCT spur, pulls the filled hoppers out, sets them on the main, retakes the ABCT spur so it can back the three box cars onto the Sheet Metal spur, and then return to the main where it picks up the hoppers and returns (caboose first) to its origin point. This operation takes a good ten to fifteen minutes and is just one regularly scheduled trainson my layout to keep things interesting....

How about you?..
Ralph

 

[CalFlash]

My only question at this point is why a transfer caboose? Is the area within yard limit or ?? I would probably choose an older caboose marked or used as "local service" or whatever your RR called it (dodger, patrol etc). I modeled with a friend on a MP based layout and one of the favorite jobs was the TSE (Traveling Switch Engine) beweeen two towns on eigher side of an aisle. For our "modern era" (1980) we used an ex K&OG caboose remodeled and marked "local service"
http://home.comcast.net/~jerryglow/more/exKOG.htm

 

[Ralph]

Hi Jerry,

I was under the impression that transfer hacks might be used on short local runs since they are a no frills kind of caboose. I like the idea of dedicating an older caboose "local service only". Nice work on that K&OG caboose on the link!
Ralph

 

[jetrock]

My beltline is fairly close to the prototype--there are two day-shift trains, two swing-shift trains and one graveyard-shift train. Each train is a local switcher--despite the fact that the belt line is located in the middle of a shortline, there are no through freights--all trains are broken up at the north end of town and shuttled by switchers to the south end. All territory in the beltline is considered "yard limits."

A typical train originates at the yard and consists of 4-6 cars, pulled by a single switch engine, with or without a caboose (jobs near the yard normally don't need an assigned caboose.) Cars are set out and picked up as needed from industries and interchanges throughout the beltline, and the switcher returns to the yard with pickups. These cars become the next outbound train.

 

[CalFlash]

A typical train originates at the yard and consists of 4-6 cars, pulled by a single switch engine, with or without a caboose (jobs near the yard normally don't need an assigned caboose.)

I may be wrong, but I thought all jobs requiring spotting of cars within yard limits or not, required a caboose. Don't forget, the caboose is the conductor's office.

 

[jetrock]

True enough--but some of the industries are literally a block away from the yard. I suppose, though, that I'd better start bringing along a caboose before my conductors start complaining about worn shoe leather!

I suppose I'm too used to modern-era switching--all the switch jobs I see around town don't have cabeese, just a crew on the railings of whatever switch engine is assigned downtown.

 

[brakie]

The reason I deleted my message I could not get my drawing of my switching yard to upload..

 

[Ralph]

Nuts! Try again Brakie!
Ralph