The trains are getting longer! And the Staging is getting BIGGGGGER!
In regards to making my crews happy, after the last session when my West Staging Yardmaster said he was forced to put 10 pounds of train into a 5 pound track (so to speak), I took time to extend staging another 3+ feet. Now the maximum train length (12 cars on the Main Line to Oak Island, 10 to East Claremont on the NDR) can be run, and trains do not need to double onto a staging track. And yes, this is a active staging yard, not only by the nature of busy terminal railroading, but lack of room for a dozen or so tracks! This weekend, my father helped me drop 18 track feeders to provide the staging tracks with ample power conductivity the length of the tracks, which was also a problem before, and would be even worse now that everything has been extended.
Here's another track addition since last session, the new trackage between West Yard and Grand Street in the back end of the layout. The tracks leading up to the top and to the right along the backdrop is the Edgewater Branch, a approx. 9 ft long industrial branch serving 7 industries. I simplified the track leads to the LCL freight transfer and team tracks, and also installed a runaround/escape track for the yard, even though one didn't actually exist. However, sometimes ya just gotta bow to what makes operating a model better, as opposed to what the real thing was like or operated. I mean, it COULD have been like this, it just WASN'T!
Here's the real yard, almost same orientation as the photo above. Edgewater Branch curves off to the right at top, the Grand Street freight station towards the number "43", and the National Docks Branch straight up, towards the NYC at NJ Tower and Weehawken. taken from a Sanborn Map.
The last major track addition is an extra runaround track on the Jersey Central's Henderson Street Branch. I though the flexibility of another siding would come in VERY handy, as I plan to have a lot of cars being constantly switched on this 8 ft long branch with 9 industries. I figure the guys would run out of room real quick, so it was easy enough to put in, and it just LOOKS right.....Again, it was never there, as seen in the Sanborn Map below......
There were plenty of tracks here at one time, just not the one I chose to put in! The extra sidings would be alongside the one that curves down to the bottom of the map.So now, all I have to do it spend my next two evenings soldering......YAY!.......Among other things, like cleaning and staging the layout.......But as long as I don't get distracted by episodes of NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, and other such nonsense, I think I'll be OK...Besides, I have Friday off!
Wish me luck.........
Wish me luck.........
5 comments:
Odd, I left a comment and it did not show up. I guess it's just a Google quirk. Will rewrite and post again.
And don't call me Shirley...
- Eric
Please use caution when planning track design from details on a Sanborn map. They are not necessarily accurate. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Company documented structures for claim purposes in case of calamity. Nearby rails are often noted, but the rails were not a part of the documentation mission. Only railroad engineering drawings or Valuation maps should be considered as accurate sources to use in planning from the prototype. Even these officlai railroad documents may not reflect later changes or improvements. Sanborn maps are very good to help us understand the relationships of buildings and rights-of-ways. They are an excellent supplement in the planning process.
Your efforts are impressive, Ralph. You are capturing the feel for the prototype. This is the best we can do as modelers as we often need to hack away tracks and track length in order to fit prototype scenes into our limited spaces. If you need to add a run around or other elements in order to facilitate more efficient operations, it should be added. Possibly the maps may not reflect a similar element that was in place, or an aspect is overlooked as we compress the prototype down to our limited spaces.
- Eric
Weird. Now both sets of comments have posted.
"I guess I picked a bad day to start commenting on blogs...."
- Eric
Eric - Thanks for the thoughts on this post! Oh, and thank you for playing along ; ^ )
I am lucky enough to have Valuation maps for the main yard, but not for the rest of the layout. I was able to supplement my Sanborn info with some aerials and also Platt maps of jersey City that while detailed, aren't accurate RR documents. But like you said, I've been able to capture the essence if not the exact arrangements.
Luckily for me, not many people left worked or roamed this area, so I can fool the masses in to what I say is right, LOL! Seriously, just kidding, I took a lot of care in trying to make things "right", my only issue was spanning the years (1947-1957) in regards to certain trains run/operated and equipment used.
In regards to your other comment though, I'm with Dave Ramos in the mindset that, "if it improves operation, and as long as it's prototypically reasonable, then go with it". His situation is even greater than mine (he's modelling the NYC's 30th St yard in Manhattan, so he's REALLY trying to model 20 lbs of track in a 2 lb bag!), and he has added/retrofitted tracks over the course of the yards' "life" as it has required doing so. In fact, he just shoehorned a caboose track to hold 3 hacks this past weekend, as the last operating session showed it was sorely needed. Was there ever one, and if so, was it located where Dave put it? Maybe not, but like we've been saying here, that's not the point.
Anywho, if you'd like to come down sometime and visit, let me know!
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