Consists for a show - need your input

[Puddington]

Sam and I are getting ready to debut the Kanto Sub at the Lindsay, Ontario show on April 2-3. I am working to figure out how best to feature the rolling stock and power I want to bring. Our plan is to have a temp yard attached - five tracks that hold eight 50's plus two power units. We would have to manually turn consists but that's ok; we will have six consists (one will be a RDC and on the same yard track a four car passenger train.) We want to have fulls and empties coming in and out of both Kanto's industries and the mill, switch them during the show and see trains arrive and depart.

My question/problem; all the rolling stock I would like to use doesn't necessarily "go with" the industry base of the Kanto sub. Some does; some doesn't (that is to say there isn't an industry that would receive Canadian 8 hatch reefers, although I want to run them because they are unique) Do you think this matters? Can I just say it's run through traffic? Sam and I plan to switch through out the show; plus run mainline wayfreights and passenger trains. I'm actually going to develop a schedule and run  more or less to it. The question is; is it "kosher" to add run through traffic on a small sub that isn't on the mains? I knwo the "its my railway" rule is in effect but I'm trying to raise the bar on op's for Sam and I so....

Your input is sought and requested.

[Kentuckian]

I think it was Garrison Keillor who said "Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story." Go for it!

[C855B]

Things to consider:

Who is the show's audience? If it is primarily model railroaders (versus the train-interested general public), then you'll want to show some manner of operational logic.

Are you wanting to capture and show the ambiance of the subdivision? If through cars didn't happen on the proto, then they're not going to make sense on the layout. However, like you said, special cars like that reefer can be forced to make sense if declared to have an "off-stage" shipper.

You want to teach Sam the art of railroading and make the connection between the layout and the real thing? Then go for broke with operations accuracy.

It comes down to the ol' "model railroading, or railroad modeling?" dilemma.

[craigolio1]

I say go for it as well, unless the added cars will clog the layout and create congestion. In which case even though they look cool they may reduce your enjoyment running it, and make it more confusing for onlookers. If you do have room for them then the cool factor of that unique rolling stock will entertain people who maybe aren't so much following your opperations as much as they are looking for something nice to watch.

Is there an interchange track you can drop them on? A sort of universal industry?

Craig

[thomasjmdavis]

You could always have a "through freight" come through, with things in it for far away places, pick up a string of cars while in town, and head off for the next division point.  And given that an N scale mile is 33 feet, most of us have cities that are only a few blocks long, at best, so it is also perfectly reasonable that a local would have cars for unmodeled industries.

From the photos you've posted of the layout, you could run Thomas the Tank Engine with the 8 hatch reefer and a Bachmann big dome, and I won't complain.  None of the 4 layouts I've built in my adult life has come anywhere close to that level of completion and detail.  It's a great piece of work, and I only hope, now that I am retiring, that I will be able to achieve something remotely close- and it will probably take me a decade.  So I would probably spend my time trying to figure out how you built everything, and maybe examine the details you added to the reefer (I have a 3 pack from GHQ I am working on).

Tom D

[basementcalling]

The NTRAK operations bible says keep trains moving. People at shows like to see trains going places,  and I have found that to be true. If the layout looks empty from a lack of trains in motion, people will walk away. I have not found that switching turns people off, however, as some of those watching the trains move will zero in on what you are doing and pay attention, but you need that hook of something looping.

Most show goers won't know a Centerflow from a Trinity, so I wouldn't worry too much about car types. Pick your most reliable cars and engines so what you do get running will stay running without derailments or unwanted uncouplings. That said, don't necessarily choose your most expensive engines or cars with delicate details. Strange things happen at shows.

Don't get tunnel vision when you start switching and lose track of the train you have looping. That's when the gremlins will strike.    Also, hate to say it, but you do need to keep a constant eye out for wandering hands. Parents are not always good at policing kids who have a natural tendency to want to reach out and touch. They also don't read signs stating the obvious, but most attendees are fine. It just takes one to imitate Godzilla to mess up your show.

When I did a TTRAK layout with students at my middle school that we displayed at a Greenberg show, our best luck was one train just looping, and then the kids could use the inside track to shuttle cars between the various industries they built on modules.  We did have a staging yard set up so we could alternate trains, but once we got one or two that ran well together we put two in motion on that outer loop and worked the industries as kids stayed interested.

One thing you can also do is when you see THAT kid who is totally Nto (pun intentional) what you've put on display, give em the throttle of a train. A few minutes explanation, a caution that it's not a race, and they are usually good to go. Kids love it and the parents are usually appreciative. Course it's a bit of a heart in mouth experience if the junior engineer has your brass steamer come to a complete stop when the cowcatcher hits a joint, or takes off at top speed when the DCC sends mixed signals.    Had both happen, which is why I quit running the good stuff at shows.

Finally, if you have the cars, design a through train (No problem there, BTW.) with cars that are interesting to the kids. We have one club member who used to run a NASCAR train, complete with miniature race cars on flats. He decorated 60 foot boxcars and some passenger cars in various NASCAR driver colors to mix in and its always one of the most popular trains run on the layout. I've seen similar things done with the MT Christmas cars, candy cars, beer reefers for the big boys, and even cartoon character cars from TV shows the kids like.

Bottom line, have fun.

[JMaurer1]

If it is a public show, then the only goal is to have trains running...usually the public doesn't care (or is that know) what is correct and what isn't. When we do a public train show, while we keep the train consists correct (no steam pulling intermodal or SD-70's pulling 40' freight cars), we just try to keep as many trains as we can running. The public (and kids especially) want to see stuff go by (oh, and scale speeds are usually overlooked as well...75smph is much more the norm).

If it is for model railroaders, that's different, but just about anything (as long as it's era correct) is allowed since it can always be 'just pass'n thru' or the railroad made a 'mistake' (I've read stories of prototype railroads just dumping cars and shipping them anywhere just to get them out of the yard). Don't worry too much about consists...just have a good time.

[nkalanaga]

Do you have a team track?  If so, the reefer could go there, and many roads used to use iced reefers as insulated boxcars during the off-season, so it could have almost anything in it.  If you have a reefer truck, so much the better.  Have it unloading the car, to go offstage.

[PGE_Modeller]

Mike,

You are modelling the town of Kanto on the Kanto Subdivision.  Many subdivisions are named for the town at one end of the Sub, so traffic to other points on the Sub is entirely prototypical.  To use a PGE/BCR example, trains on the Lillooet Sub would include traffic for Pavilion, Clinton, 100 Mile House (Exeter), Lac La Hache, and Williams Lake (the next Division point) as well as several smaller communities along the way.  So, unless Kanto is the only town on the subdivision, then other traffic would be expected.  And, if Kanto is the only town on the subdivision, then why does the track continue on beyond it?

Cheers,

[Puddington]

Mike,

You are modelling the town of Kanto on the Kanto Subdivision.  Many subdivisions are named for the town at one end of the Sub, so traffic to other points on the Sub is entirely prototypical.  To use a PGE/BCR example, trains on the Lillooet Sub would include traffic for Pavilion, Clinton, 100 Mile House (Exeter), Lac La Hache, and Williams Lake (the next Division point) as well as several smaller communities along the way.  So, unless Kanto is the only town on the subdivision, then other traffic would be expected.  And, if Kanto is the only town on the subdivision, then why does the track continue on beyond it?

Cheers,

Oh sure Greg; bring basic logic into an otherwise nice discussion......

Great point... thanks!

[djconway]

People at shows want to see trains rolling! Most (nearly all) at shows don't care if they are 100% prototypical.   

[Angus Shops]

Well, I'm not sure about the 8 hatch reefer, but I'm pretty sure a slab side hopper would be appropriate...

Geoff

[mmyers]

On NTRAK layouts I like to run 2-3 10 to 20 car trains or one with 80 -100 cars. Depends on how much time I have available to put them away afterwards. Public just like to see trains running. At one show, POVC was running a 120+ car train and had the kids' attention. I put Thomas, annie, and Clarabel on and every kid there was chasing Thomas. Sorry tim.

Martin Myers