A layout my wife can live with

[Ian MacMillan]

Ummmm some B23-7 action switching food warehouses!

[pwnj]

Oh man, that is perfect perfect perfect! I will swap the industry on the lower leg with the staging on the upper left. Removable staging can run behind my desk/workbench, and I can probably incorporate desk lighting into the staging tracks.

I'm digging how this is coming together.  Is this going to be DC or DCC?  If the latter, perhaps the removable staging track could double as programming/test track?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

It will be DCC. I have needed an excuse to convert my fleet of 165 engines over to digital. You can control switches from a DCC throttle right? I don't really want a control panel messing up the asthetics. It would be awsome if there was DCC software for tablets. Controling the switches, and building lights by tapping areas on the on screen map would be killer.

OK, so I have to pick up a few book cases from Ikea over the next week then start planning benchwork.

In the mean time, I have to plan on what electronics I need. I havn't done electrical work in years.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The corn syrup plant is a great call. Especially when you factor in the fact that corn syrup is not corn syrup is not corn syrup.

There was an article in a semi-recent mag about how one plant can accept multiple grades of the stuff, and it all must be spotted correctly.

A newspaper printing plant might be another good fit too.

[conrailthomas519]

corn syrup article was part of the MR bay junction series. Sorry dont remember exactly which issue tho.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Your right. I do have a ton of newsprint cars laying around....

So top left: Newsprint or Food warehouse along wall, something a bit more open in front, maybe a bulk transfer?
Top Center: Team track? Scrapper? I don't want to cover the place in tiny buildings. Not a whole lot of room for a large structure.
The Bend: This will be all corn syrup. Behind that will probably be some elevated scenery, a roadway and overpass.
Interchange: This may be a good spot for the Newsprint or furnature factory. Large space and I can use the interchange and industry spur to feed two sides of the building. The right-most track would then serve as the interchange and staging feeder.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's a really good point. What cars do you have a plethora of?

That's why there's gonna be a paper warehouse on the Canton layout. I too have a bunch of paper service cars (damn you Atlas for those pretty yellow door CR X71s).

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have well over 500 cars, so I could do pretty much anything really.

Boxcars: Tons of 50' standard and plug doors. I like Per-Diem roads, FGE plugs, Rbox and the Canadian newsprint cars best. The CR X71, X72, X73 are well represented, as will the forthcoming X58s by ESM. I have a few 60' boxes but these would probably be too large.

Covered hoppers: I have a ton of the plastics hoppers as well as Atlas and Walthers presseraid/PD hoppers. I have a ton of CSX 2 bay hoppers for cement service, and a smattering of grain cars.

Tanks: I love tank cars. I have over 30 Con Syrup cars. These WILL make it on the layout. They are just too nice. I also have assorted 20-25k general service tanks ranging from amonia to veggie oil cars.

Gons: I have a few 52' gons in Conrail and some other roads. I have maybe half a dozen 65' gons but I think these would be too long for such a small layout. I have a few Thrall high-side gons that would work for scrap service.

Autoracks: I have about 30, not interested in running them on a small layout.

Intermodel: See above

Refers: Well a few dozen 57' refers as well as a few Walthers Cryo-Trans bigguns'

Flats: I have one 60' flat and several 52' flats. Not much else to say about them

Centerbeam/bulkhead flats: I have a few dozen centerbeams and a few bulkheads. Might be neat to breakup the strings of boxcars?

Open hoppers: Not a single open hopper car! I have a few dedicated MofW cars but thats it.

Caboose: I have a few dozen conrail cabooses. It might be a good showcase for my scratchbuilt transfer cab, along with whatever I happen to want to run.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hmm. Sounds like you could use something to handle those covered hoppers. How about a packaging manufacturer? Pellets & boxcars in. You don't want to go anything too upscale here though, because those places would be in "cleaner" places, or so I'd think.

With your love to tank cars, why not some sort of chemical manufacturer in addition to the corn syrup? I personally love Inolex chemical in Philly. They make chemicals for cosmetics out of animal by products. Sean would be the guy to talk to about details. Check this out for some pics though (I had written this 2 years ago and wanted to do more, however, I just decided to make it live: http://conrail1285.com/news.asp?storyid=66).

[nscalemike]

There was an article in a semi-recent mag about how one plant can accept multiple grades of the stuff, and it all must be spotted correctly.

Model Railroad Planning 2010 had the original article with all the details of the industry.  This was what the Bay Junction version was based on.  Page 68 if you have it, if not let me know and I can scan you a copy. 

Mike

[conrail98]

corn syrup article was part of the MR bay junction series. Sorry dont remember exactly which issue tho.

Actually, that's incorrect. The original article was in Model Railroad Planning 2010 by Jim Lincoln. The staff liked it so much they decided to use it on Bay Junction and described their implementation there,

Edit: Nevermind, I should've read down to Mike's reply before replying.

Phil

[Ian MacMillan]

It will be DCC. I have needed an excuse to convert my fleet of 165 engines over to digital. You can control switches from a DCC throttle right? I don't really want a control panel messing up the asthetics. It would be awsome if there was DCC software for tablets. Controling the switches, and building lights by tapping areas on the on screen map would be killer.

Both iPad and Android Tablets have DCC apps, interfacing with wiThrottle.

The corn syrup article would be perfect for this location since the article was written about an actual facility just west of where Dan works. I plan on using the same article for the corn syrup transload on my layout.  For covered hoppers I am planning on a salt dealer, that way my BLMA cars are well used.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Can someone scan that article?

I wonder if its the Framingham or Westboro plant.  I shot the Cargill Framingham plant just before it was razed to the ground. Its a very easy job using Pike Stuff pre-fab metal buildings and some roll-up stair tracts. Hell even their red Mack R and yellow yard tractors are available. The only thing missing is that tank trailer. I was never able to get near the Westboro Staley plant, but it looked a little larger from a distance.

daniel_leavitt2004@yahoo.com

[nscalemike]

The article should be in your mailbox.

It is based off of the Westborough Tate & Lyle plant, but he speaks of the Framingham one as well.  All the pics are from Westborough though.

Good luck to you, looking forward to seeing your model!

Mike

[Blazeman]

Lots of lumber reloads in New England for the center beams.  That requires bundles of wrapped lumber to be grounded with flat bed trucks coming by for the lift truck to load 'em. Same industry site could do rail transfers of plastics from covered hopps to truck, although there isn't much in N I'm aware of for trailers doing dry bulk.

Gons could be for loading construction debris outbound. Straight dump trucks to move the debris to the rail head and a front end loader.