CSX Hanover Subdivision

[Blazeman]

I like Utz. My favorite potato chip.

[mu26aeh]

More revenue cars showed up today.  I think I now have enough plastics cars for Sunoco Products, vegetable oil tanks for Utz and a couple of reefers for a future expansion to include Hanover Foods.

20161229_140102 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

And another project added to the list, putting all these ballast cars back together, painting and decalling.  These are going to become solar paneled CSX ballast hoppers

20161229_140116 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Thanks @Denver Road Doug 

[mu26aeh]

I also made a run to the LHS and picked up a depressed center flat with a transformer/electrical cabinet load to recreate a recent scene at Ag Com.

20161229_161245 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

 " Ah, yes sir. We need bigger equipment to unload this unit. I think someone seriously underestimated the size of transformer, or overestimated the ability of these tiny cranes"

The caption was just added by me, that did not happen as far as I know when they offloaded the transformer.

[mu26aeh]

Fairly productive weekend.  I went ahead and built the Walther's Pella Depot as it was intended instead of bashing it into what is Glyndon.  In my world, it's close enough.  Especially after seeing what a couple others here have done, I can not match up to that    Here is a progress shot, and a future photo op location.

20170102_182733 by Adam Henry, on Flickr
20161231_195143 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

After having a transformer come in on the prototype last week, I had the itch to be able to recreate the scene on my layout.  So I was at the LHS and saw a release from Micro Trains that should fit the bill.  I used thin piano wire to simulate tie downs, drilled into the resin load and glued the wire.  I then bent them to fit behind the tiedown locks on the car, providing just enough tension to hold the load to the car, but be able to have the load be removable

20161231_153202 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

A friend was coming over today to do some ops, so I decided to work on job duty cards.  Here is what I came up with.  Already have to reprint some as I made mistakes or forgot something important 

20170102_162406 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[mu26aeh]

And some shots from aforementioned ops session.

A trio of CW40-8's led by 7300 had dropped their train on the A/D track and is heading to the power tracks to await their next run.

20170102_135944 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

15844711_10209184598625688_3263374536035730125_o by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Gettysburg & Northern's 105/107 had to go in for inspection and repair work, as seen in the previous photo waiting for their return to Gettysburg.  Things got tight power wise, so crews used them to switch out the cement plant at Security, MD.

20170102_133946 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

It was a very busy time when we got over to Gladfelter in Spring Grove.  YorkRail had two crews in town.  One was the local (using some CSX power) and the second was a Norfolk Southern coal train that YorkRail takes over when it arrives at Windsor St.  The coal train had already split their train, and backed the first cut into the pit when the local crew arrived in town.  Now they will have to wait until they clear the tracks before proceeding to unload their train.

20170102_144327 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Not wanting to hold up their coworkers, the local crew kept up a torrid pace with their switching duties.  It helped out having freshly shopped GP38-2's instead of their aging CF7's.  Here we caught them blowing thru Porters Sideling.

20170102_154429 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Everything seemed to go well, with only a few hiccups mainly due to some dirty track/wheels.  It is becoming evident that a second A/D track would be very helpful for what I would like to do.  This only adds to my want to rebuild the layout in the other side of the basement, where the garage currently is.  But, that will not happen until we build out the garage level with the house instead of having it subgrade.  So for now, it is what it is.  And that's ok.  For now.....

[mu26aeh]

Rethinking my YorkRail RJ-2 job originating and terminating out of Hagerstown.  I don't have York represented on my layout at this time, so I am starting it in Hagerstown.  Was looking at things tonight and I'm going to try out running it out of Hanover instead.  It is home to one real industry, and I had thought about making Schmuck Lumber a rail customer, though how I have it, it is impossible to unload lumber cars correctly. 

20150726_182854 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

20150726_182917 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

I could keep power on one of the sidings at second picture.  Will need to test things out.  One other suggestion is to run the paper mill job out of staging, and bring it up thru Emory Grove and Hampstead thru the south/east end of Porters.

CSX Hanover Subdivision Trackplan by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[mu26aeh]

I took the train that I pulled from the paper mill on Monday and took it over for a test fit.  The train, 10 cars, fit almost exactly into the area between the switch and the next grade crossing.  This is a dead end track, and the industry at the end would be switched by the same crew, so it's not block anything.  The track where the P42 and gondola is sitting, in real life is abandoned but is home to Lee's Westvaco Paper warehouse.

20170104_185105 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

The only issue I see is when the train comes back from paper mill is that the power won't be able to get back to the siding where it sits now without taking a turn thru the wye at Porters, which isn't all that bad.  Guess it's better than running back and forth all the way from Hagerstown. 

[davefoxx]

It's even better than you think: that's eleven cars!

DFF

[mu26aeh]

 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What about creating a narrow one track "shelf" in front of the layout that connects where it actually connects?

[Cajonpassfan]

Nice plan and wonderful graphics. And with the Job cards, it's beginning to feel like a real railroad. The only thing that bugs me are some of the obviously European prototype structures, but perhaps they are just placeholders?
Otto K.

[wazzou]

The only thing that bugs me are some of the obviously European prototype structures, but perhaps they are just placeholders?
Otto K.

I don't particularly care for them either, but in Adam's defense, you must remember that the East Coast of the US was settled and constructed largely by former Europeans and the architecture back there reflects this and is much different than here on the West Coast.

[wm3798]

Remember, the Hanover Sub was commonly referred to as "The Dutch Line" ... it runs through York, Hanover and Gettysburg, thoroughly Teutonic in its roots... One probably wouldn't have to look far to find suitable Euro-style architecture in the area.

Lee

[mu26aeh]

I didn't think I had European styled buildings .    Most of those that I'm guessing look European are variations of the Model Power/IHC building kits.  Some are stand-ins as the scenery work isn't really started yet, just using buildings I have on hand to give an idea of what things will look like.

As for a shelf, it's something I've thought of before but never really looked into.  Here is a picture of the end of paper mill area.

20170105_183125 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

My thoughts before were to lop off about 8-12" of the backdrop, and curve the 2 tracks off the back, maybe hiding the edge with buildings leading to a mobile shelf on casters or such.  If this link takes you correctly, you should be looking up the mainline of YorkRail at Spring Grove, PA

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8704352,-76.8648259,3a,75y,259.61h,85.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQB8v4HuFuMY4Y1qPG2oVvw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Of course, if I'm going to do this, it will be more than one track    .  The NS coal train comes from York as well as the YorkRail RJ-2 local.  I measured the coal train at roughly 56" with 2 engines and 12 90 ton hoppers.  I don't think I want a 56" shelf but maybe make it shorter and have the coal train take up 2 sidings and maybe have 2 sidings for locals.  This will need to be researched. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound critical...I did compliment the layout and its progress. It's fabulous.
But if this isn't a German depot, I don't know what is....
(Having come from that part of the world, generally speaking
Otto K.