Glad I came across this, I've always wondered why most model trains layouts don't account for function and instead value form over function and I hope people start following your advice. Would anyone happen to know where I can find working industries that actually load cargo to/from the cars themselves? That would be really awesome.
Trying to Find The Right Buildings is Hard enough that’s Why I Love Model Railroading.Scratch Build or Kit Style Another Factor. Got Enough Bn Rolling stock?
One that is not modeled for a 1940-1960s era railroad in Southeast US is a tobacco auction warehouse. Another is a food distribution facility with inbound boxcars, & Refrigerator cars. Outbound would be mostly by trucks.
Two ideas that work together... 1). A coal mine... Load a unit trainl of 3-bay, 4-bay hopper cars, or bath tub cars. 2). On the other side of the layout, a power plant to burn that coal. Now for the fun... Both industries are Loads-in/Empties-out-Empties-in/Loads-out pairings... Orbit "two" identical trains (one loaded, the other empty) in opposite directions between them. At the coal mine you see the empties arrive and enter the loading area, at the other side of the loader you see the loaded train come out... {There have been several articles over the years in several magazines as to how to do this with "live" loads.} The real fun will happen (IMHO) at the power plant. Where as the train is constantly moving thru the flood coal loader, at the power plant the train(s)will move slowly thru the unloading area and stop completely to allow the 3 or 4-bay cars to be bottom dumped or have the solid bottom bath-tub cars rolled over and dumped. At both industries you will need to have two identical trains so any sharp-eyed observer can "see" that the locomotives and all rolling stock have the same "numbers" at the proper point in the train. Small layouts, one set of loads/empties. Larger layouts could use five or six different sets of cars/locomotives.
You can try a logging based railroad? I know in California that the logging Industry started using them relatively early although that does not meet "industrial revolution" criteria perhaps? Here in Nevada Mining was used pretty early for silver shipments out of the mountains around Virginia City. there is a video of the present day area filmed along the old track line path you can watch with John Tyson a local historian driving the engine through part of the run. you can find it at: ua-cam.com/video/KqjQTxZIG78/v-deo.html&list=PLVTa_UW5JMXBoFsOdcNAUR_dQg6c2h9Q-&index=6 and a history of railroad transportation also by John on youtube. The mining of silver and gold brought the railroads to many parts of the country that may be useful in planning something, including coal mining, which was an integral part of the industrial revolution and even for producing energy today in many places, until oil!
Some folks are entertained as much by the trains as they are by the world they create around the trains and the purposes and missions they've given the train so it can fit in their world. To each their own! There's nothing wrong with just having a track running around your house just for the joy of watching it go around.
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Nice video. Very informative, and great ideas.
Glad I came across this, I've always wondered why most model trains layouts don't account for function and instead value form over function and I hope people start following your advice. Would anyone happen to know where I can find working industries that actually load cargo to/from the cars themselves? That would be really awesome.
Thank you. I'm glad it helped. 👍
Nice video thanks for sharing
Thank you !!!
Trying to Find The Right Buildings is Hard enough that’s Why I Love Model Railroading.Scratch Build or Kit Style Another Factor. Got Enough Bn Rolling stock?
One that is not modeled for a 1940-1960s era railroad in Southeast US is a tobacco auction warehouse. Another is a food distribution facility with inbound boxcars, & Refrigerator cars. Outbound would be mostly by trucks.
That’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Colin i noticed that built or rolling stock is QR. Are they scratch built or did you buy from somewhere.
i am making a track based around the industrial revolution
.... any ideas for an industry?
Tanning...candle making(tallow)....bell casting (brass)...
Two ideas that work together...
1). A coal mine... Load a unit trainl of 3-bay, 4-bay hopper cars, or bath tub cars.
2). On the other side of the layout, a power plant to burn that coal.
Now for the fun...
Both industries are Loads-in/Empties-out-Empties-in/Loads-out pairings...
Orbit "two" identical trains (one loaded, the other empty) in opposite directions between them.
At the coal mine you see the empties arrive and enter the loading area, at the other side of the loader you see the loaded train come out... {There have been several articles over the years in several magazines as to how to do this with "live" loads.}
The real fun will happen (IMHO) at the power plant. Where as the train is constantly moving thru the flood coal loader, at the power plant the train(s)will move slowly thru the unloading area and stop completely to allow the 3 or 4-bay cars to be bottom dumped or have the solid bottom bath-tub cars rolled over and dumped.
At both industries you will need to have two identical trains so any sharp-eyed observer can "see" that the locomotives and all rolling stock have the same "numbers" at the proper point in the train.
Small layouts, one set of loads/empties.
Larger layouts could use five or six different sets of cars/locomotives.
You can try a logging based railroad? I know in California that the logging Industry started using them relatively early although that does not meet "industrial revolution" criteria perhaps? Here in Nevada Mining was used pretty early for silver shipments out of the mountains around Virginia City. there is a video of the present day area filmed along the old track line path you can watch with John Tyson a local historian driving the engine through part of the run. you can find it at: ua-cam.com/video/KqjQTxZIG78/v-deo.html&list=PLVTa_UW5JMXBoFsOdcNAUR_dQg6c2h9Q-&index=6
and a history of railroad transportation also by John on youtube. The mining of silver and gold brought the railroads to many parts of the country that may be useful in planning something, including coal mining, which was an integral part of the industrial revolution and even for producing energy today in many places, until oil!
My model railroads purpose is to entertain me
Me too.......
Some folks are entertained as much by the trains as they are by the world they create around the trains and the purposes and missions they've given the train so it can fit in their world. To each their own! There's nothing wrong with just having a track running around your house just for the joy of watching it go around.