The new Missouri Valley Western

[nscaler711]

looks good so far!
I live in MO so if you need random pics for scenery i am sure i can help, but i should warn you i live in mid MO so it may be too far south... even if all the trees and terrain is the same, the rocks wont be..... lol

[MVW]

Thanks! I'm heading to Colorado in September on business, and am planning to spend a day or so poking around southwest Iowa, taking photos for future reference.

I've lived nearly my entire life in southern Minnesota, and I know from previous trips that the land in the area I'm modeling is not remarkably different from where I've lived. But it will be good to get some photos.

Lots of fond memories of visiting Missouri. I had relatives in the Macon area, and before I got married I used to sneak down to your state every March and do a little backpacking while enjoying the comparative warmth. (Bell Mountain and the Irish Wilderness were two great spots.) Lots of friendly people. Had a little car trouble once, and the owner of a liquor store closed his shop for 20-30 minutes in the middle of the day so he could run home and get me the tools I needed. Can't beat that for hospitality!

Jim

[MVW]

No eye candy for you, but a welcome milestone in my layout build. Phase I of construction was completed a couple weeks ago, and I'm starting to indulge in some rudimentary ops.

It's been a little more than a year since I started, but I could have easily reached this point six months ago. Construction ground to a halt last summer, and it was mid-December before I got underway again. It only took an hour or two working on the railroad most nights for a couple weeks to reach this point.

Phase I provides a minimal amount of trackage necessary for ops. There's no real staging yet, so two "incoming" trains are parked on the main, and what will eventually be the A/D yard is being used for classification. At this point, an ops "day" consists of four freights arriving and departing, and four local switch jobs to serve nearby industries. That's a fraction of what I'll eventually have going on, but it's enough to put rolling stock and the layout to the test, and start developing the ops plan.

At this point, I have 50 freight cars on the layout. As several will move in blocks of two to five cars, all 50 can be represented by 36 car cards. I haven't made the cards yet, just listed each car/block with a sequence of four destinations.

I'm going to use this thread to record notes on ops, and post photos for future reference (for when I start actually adding scenery). So ... you're invited to join me on my first ops sessions, as limited as it is.

---

It’s 8 p.m., and Train #300 has arrived with livestock from Wyoming and Montana and mixed freight from points west. A 70-tonner has coupled on, and is ready to start breaking down the 14-car train. It’s a bit of a rush job, as that livestock needs to be delivered to the Armstrong packing plant ASAP to avoid breaking the 28-hour rule.



Here’s a bit more aerial view. Each of the three A/D tracks at the right will eventually accommodate trains of around 25 cars with double-headed power and caboose. One of the goals for this year is to complete the A/D tracks, and add at least three additional stub-ended class tracks.



A few more pics from different angles for future reference. The last is particularly important, because it shows the table along the adjoining wall that will eventually be home to the passenger station. That area will have to serve as the backdrop for shots in that direction.





Getting back to ops: It takes about 12.5 minutes real time (1 hour, 40 minutes by 8:1 fast clock) to switch out the five cars bound for Armstrong packing plant. The 70-tonner has backed out of the way with the remaining nine cars, which still need to be blocked. A GP7 decorated in the C&NW’s green and yellow has backed down on the cut of cars for Armstrong and is ready to head out. It’s now 10 p.m.



The 70-tonner performed very well, hesitating only once while making about 10 slow movements through the series of switches that make up the yard throat. Then I fired up the Atlas GP, and its performance made the 70-tonner look like a cheap toy. Silent, ultra-slow creep through the turnouts. To be fair, the Atlas was purchased used and presumably well broken-in. The Bachmann probably doesn’t have much more than two hours on it, and would probably benefit from a once-over and more run time. But it will probably never be more than the No. 2 yard engine, as there’s a C&NW Atlas S2 with sound in the offing. I also have a LifeLike SW9 in C&NW colors that’s awaiting conversion to DCC, which would likely knock the 70-tonner down to No. 3 in a two-engine yard. Then there’s that 0-8-0 I’d like to have someday …

Incidentally, the 70-tonner could only move a maximum of nine cars through turnouts at slow speed. It spun to a stop with loads of 11 and 10 cars.

More soon on the first West Cedricsburg switch job.

Jim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I like it. I also really like all that open space you've got there. Are you planning on keeping that open?

[keeper]

Hm, is it just me? I see no pics....

[MVW]

That's wacky. Photos were showing up last night.

EDIT: Was going to repost, and discovered Photobucket is down for maintenance.

Jim

[MVW]

I like it. I also really like all that open space you've got there. Are you planning on keeping that open?

Thanks, Ed. But it probably won't be all that wide open. There will eventually be 5-6 class tracks next to the A/D yard. That leaves enough room for a road between the yard and the buildings on the other side of the table, but that's about it.

I could have run a backdrop/divider down the middle of the tables, but I wanted to keep it open so you could see what's happening on the other side. When you're working the yard, you tend to concentrate on that. But it's nice to be able to catch a glimpse of what's going on in the industrial area. And vice versa.

Jim

[keeper]

Ah, pics...! 

I really like your plan.

Thomas

[MVW]

Thanks, Thomas. 

At 10 p.m., C&NW GP7 #1525 climbed out of the Cedricsburg yard and headed down the main toward the West Cedricsburg industrial area with five cars in tow – three stock cars, an old C&NW box car relegated to hide service, and a CB&Q hopper of (invisible) coal for the power plant.

It’s only about 5.6 feet from the yard entrance and around the 15”-radius turnback curve to the siding by the Armstrong plant. But using a fast clock expands that distance to about 1.7 miles. #1525 takes the siding, crawls past the plant, pauses while a switch is thrown, then carefully backs the stock cars into position next to the (still-unbuilt) unloading ramps. It’s 10:32 p.m., just over 2.5 hours since the stock cars pulled into the yard.

There’s not much activity at the plant at this time of night, but there’s a bit more switching to be completed . The photo below shows the situation.



The hopper and box car behind #1525 have to be spotted on the track occupied by the tanker. The box car goes to the same spot as the tanker (which is loaded and ready for pick up). The hopper will be spotted a bit further out, next to the boilerhouse. Since the incoming cars have been blocked accordingly, it’s a simple matter of picking up the tanker and moving it to the adjoining track, coupling it to the plug-door box car. Those two cars will sit while the engine spots the box car and hopper on the other track. It will then return to pick up the two outgoing cars, and pull them out of the plant and onto the siding.

Here are a few looks at the work in progress.







From the siding, I could have had #1525 simply run in reverse all the way back to the yard, pushing the two cars before it. But since this will be a very busy stretch of track, I assumed that for safety’s sake a railroad would prefer the engine perform a runaround and pull its cargo. Any input on prototypical practices?

By the time the engine has completed the runaround and returned to the yard with the two cars in tow, a total of 20 (real) minutes have elapsed since it first left the yard. That’s 2 hours, 40 minutes by an 8:1 fast clock. It’s now 12:40 a.m.

Next we’ll see what the 70-tonner has been up to in the yard while the GP was working the Armstrong plant.

(Incidentally, there are still problems with Photobucket. It froze up on me once while putting this post together, has run ridiculously slow, and none of my crops are evident in the posted photos.)

Jim

[MVW]

An updated track plan for you:



The construction goals for this year are pretty simple:

1) Install three double-ended tracks in the passenger station area (the table along the bottom wall). These will be used for eastern freight train staging for now. No passenger ops in the near future.

2) Complete the A/D yard, and add at least three stub-ended tracks in the class yard.

3) Extend the mainline to the bay at the top of the plan. This will eventually be a small city. In addition to the passing track, there will be a passing track/interchange with another railroad. These will be used for western freight staging for now; because of that there will be no industries added here yet.

Modest goals, but probably realistic when considering availability of time and money. When completed, I'll be able to stage three trains at each end, so that's 12 trains in and out of the yard. That's getting fairly close to the desired level of freight traffic. The final blend will be based on what I learn from these early ops sessions.

Jim

[C855B]

I dunno, Jim. That turntable in the middle of the lower aisle is going to play havoc with operator "butt space".

 

Heh. I do that all the time, forgetting to delete working items from the diagram before exporting the image. What I try to do is put these items on a "Scratch" layer, and - most of the time - just turn it off before exporting.

[MVW]

I keep forgetting to take advantage of layers, Mike. And for that, all of you must suffer. 

Someday I'll learn. Maybe.

Jim

[MVW]

The 70-tonner had a pretty easy time of it in the yard. There were nine cars remaining unclassified from Train #300. Three were loads of grain from the west, bound for the elevator. The rest were destined for the Clinton Cereal Co.

Clinton Cereal is served by two facing-point spurs with a total of five spots. The yard needs to block them in the following order (from front of train to rear). Cars bound for:
1) The bakehouse
2) Syrup
3) Grain track #2
4) Warehouse
5) Grain track #1

Ten engine movements are required to sort the cars, consuming 10 minutes real time. That's 1 hour, 20 minutes by fast clock. If the work started at 10 p.m., when the Armstrong switch job left the yard, it is now 11:20 p.m.

Below, the 70-tonner is positioning the cut of cars bound for Clinton Cereal. The three box cars on the next track will eventually be routed to the elevator.



The yard operator now has a couple "hours" (about 15 real minutes) to cool his heels. Eventually, as operations increase, this time will likely be occupied by other tasks. For now, it's the calm before the storm. Train #251, The Roundup, is due in at 2 a.m. with empty reefers and stock cars, along with other freight from Chicago. The reefers need to be expedited to Armstrong packing for loading. The stock cars won't get out of town until late afternoon, when Train #307 heads west for its daily run down the Cowboy Line.

In-between those two events, the yard operator is going to have to classify the 11 cars that will be returned on the next swtich job to West Cedricsburg, block two more switch jobs, and prepare a cut of reefers and high-priority freight to be picked up by Train #254, the Aksarben, on its race from Omaha to Chicago.

Jim

[MVW]

GP7 #1523 returned to the yard at 12:40 a.m., dropped the two cars from Armstrong packing plant, and coupled up to the cut of cars readied by the 70-tonner for Clinton Cereal. By 1 a.m., it is starting to roll out of the yard and back to West Cedricsburg.

Switching the Clinton plant is a relatively straightforward process. #1523 takes the siding near the Armstrong packing plant and stops as soon as it’s cleared the main. It uncouples from its six-car train and proceeds down the siding.



Here’s what awaits at Clinton Cereal.



There are 11 cars sitting at the plant, and they’ll need to be cleared out before the new setouts can be made. #1523 simply crawls down track #2 (the furthest from the main) and picks up the four box cars. The train reverses, then eases its way down track #1, picking up those seven cars. The train reverses again, clearing the plant and pulling back onto the siding. After the switch is thrown, it pushes the cars just past the second of three crossovers that connect the West Cedricsburg siding with the main. #1523 uncouples, slips over to the main, and heads east, back toward the Armstrong plant.





Once there, it crosses back to the siding, and is in position to couple onto the cut it dragged over from the yard. Those six cars are soon positioned at four different spots within the Clinton Cereal plant.

All that’s left is to couple onto the 11 cars it pulled from the plant earlier, and drag them back to Cedricsburg yard for classification.

It took 25 minutes real time to complete Switch Job #2 to West Cedricsburg. That’s a whopping 3 hours, 20 minutes fast time. It left the yard at 1 a.m., so it is now 4:20 a.m.

A lot has been happening in the yard. Fortunately, it sounds like reinforcements are on the way in the form of some reassigned motive power.

(Incidentally, Photobucket seems to be ignoring crops again.)

Jim

[MVW]

The yard crew was pleased when this loco was added to the roster.



The Atlas S2 ran (and sounded) great right out of the box, and got even better after I gave the track a quick wipedown. And after I cleaned its wheels, the S2 ran nearly flawlessly.

Nearly. The hoses on the couplers have been hanging up on turnouts. I haven’t taken time to find out exactly what the problem is. Other than that, it’s been the perfect little switcher. Exactly what the layout needed right now.

The S2 went to work at 2 a.m., when The Roundup dropped off a cut of 18 cars from Chicago. At the end of the cut was a block of eight empty reefers slated to be spotted at the Armstrong ice platform shortly after sunup. Those reefers are going to be the first cars dropped by West Cedricsburg Switch Job #3, so I left them in place and picked off the other 10 cars for classification. And that’s when things went downhill. I ended up needing something like 18 engine movements and 24 minutes to sort the cars, on top of four minutes to shuffle paper and “think.”

Two things: The job could have been handled more efficiently, and the long duration of each engine movement can somewhat be attributed to the S2’s ability to creep along, even when under load. Incidentally, it easily backed the string of 10 cars through a series of turnouts in the yard, showing it can outwork the 70-tonner.

Anyway, 28 real minutes to break down the cut of cars. That’s 3 hours, 44 minutes by fast clock. If the work got underway promptly at 2 a.m., it is now 5:44 a.m. Meanwhile, West Cedricsburg Switch Job #2 returned to the yard more than an hour earlier, and has been waiting for the S2 to finish up so it can get back to work.

Here’s the situation in the yard.



There’s a 12-car train waiting for GP #1525 on the track at far left. The tanker and plug-door box car on the next track (that we picked up from Armstrong packing earlier) are waiting to be routed eastward. The S2 has just uncoupled from a cut of five cars on the third track that will be sent west this afternoon on #307. On the fourth track, GP #1525 is waiting with the 11 cars from West Cedricsburg. The S2 will have to couple onto those cars and drag them down to the drill track, freeing up #1525 so it can get over to the A/D track and pick up its train and get out of town.

And just for kicks, here’s the view from the other end of the yard. Or from about where the middle of the yard will eventually be, looking westward.



We’re going to call it 6:30 a.m. when West Cedricsburg Switch Job #3 heads out.

So far, our session has simulated about 10.5 hours of railroading in about 1 hour, 20 minutes real time. Having fun yet?

Jim