Dropping and gravity switch moves

Just to clarify a few terms from the point of view of a railroader 

Dropping cars is initiating the movement with the locomotive towards the same direction you want the car to roll. A lot of companies have prohibited dropping cars as it needs three people and is very hard to do safely. 

Gravity switch move is where you tie the car down on a grade and allow it to roll by releasing the handbrake after the locomotive and other cars are in the clear. 

Unless you have a pretty good grade and some way of stopping the cars in a specific spot it would be very hard to do in any scale. 

A few things you could do that would be prototype based without having to drop or kick cars. 

First they could shove into the park using a shoving platform. This could either be a repurposed flat car or caboose.  The other option would be a split power move. They would set more locomotive out in a spur and pull the rest of the train by. Then hop on the other unit and work the switches that were facing point and trailing point. The power is then put back together and the released cars and taken back to the yard. 

 "then here is another shot

It might be facing the other way but the cars behind it are still in the same orientation so it must have run around a wye?  Given the difficulties of making drops with toy trains I'd just look for another spot to model , there's plenty of laces with run around tracks to choose from.....DaveB 

Google and MR

Google would provide an overhead view of the track arrangement.

MR (and/or Trains) featured an article about Progressive Rail's industrial park.  It had no runarounds, so used 2 switchers in order to make all moves facing point.  Lots of varied industries, too, so it would make a pretty neat model switching layout.

Check out this Google Maps

Check out this Google Maps link.  This should show an industry park NS switches.  Lots of warehouses, a Purina feed mill and a plastics corporation.  Has runaround and facing/trailing points.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Brackbill+Blvd,+Mechanicsburg,+PA/@40.2281802,-77.0056939,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c8c2aecf3f9263:0x71acdce6427052

Start at the beginning

Dear MRHers,

FYI, the specific location in question can be found here

https://goo.gl/maps/iu6nZsw3qnT2
(Google Maps)

http://binged.it/1hx0x98
(BING maps)

In both cases, the wye coming off the geographically N/S main is at your right, 
and the relative spurs head towards the left, dead-ending on W Blackhawk, W Cherokee, and in the block between the 2 streets. 

The "mystery" spur which appears to be "the wrong way round" dead-ends on the corner of Cherokee St and D Ave. (The turnout is on Cherokee St).

Next, suggest checking the following BNSF document out,
(check page 13 "Canton Subdivision Branch Line")

and tracing the actual path (Page 2, cross-reference with GoogleMaps and Bing) of the "Sioux Falls Local" from it's home classification yard to the target switching location. (Hint: appears that it originates and terminates in a yard in/at Sioux Falls).

http://fobnr.org/timetables/bnsf/phase4/TwinCities/TWINCITIES-01-012002.pdf

Now, with target location and originating/terminating yard reasonably confirmed, a search of RRPictureArchive, RRPhotos, etc, shows a caboose as a regular member of the yard equipment, and references to it being used "in local service". 

Interesting detective work, I'm sure there'll be more to follow as more "on the ground" info comes to light...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to not put a runaround where the prototype clearly doesn't need one,
Prof Klyzlr

Just as a point of reference.

There is a branch in North Tonawanda, NY where CSX pushes the string of cars to the industry at the end of the branch CSX serves.  There is a caboose at the "front" of the train, and I am not sure how it works, but I would believe the conductor is in the caboose communicating with the engine crew.  The train proceeds at a snails pace (less then 10 MPH, close to 5 MPH (I tried to keep pace with it,  as it parallels Erie Avenue and I was holding up traffic trying to go the same speed as it so I had to speed up! LOL).  So this is what BNSF might do.

Ken L.

Prof Klyzlr, Thank you for

Prof Klyzlr,

Thank you for the research time and the information.  I hope to find out more information and it is just a few hours away making it easy to take a day off and go watch the local do it's work.  Now just to find out when the local goes on duty....

I can begin to picture how I can do this in 2-rail O scale including the wye but most of the layout would have to be portable....

Michael

When working as a conductor

When working as a conductor on many railroads,If I didn't have a runaround track I looked for a caboose to ride the shove as hanging onto the end of a freight car for a long time becomes very uncomfortable and dangerous especially in cold, rotten, weather or at night. Because crew members are not allowed by safety/operating rules to ride the end of a freight car (unless it has a continous handrail to prevent falling onto the the track like a big mechanical reefer) a caboose which has basic air brake controls so the conductor can safely control  the speed and movement  and a shrill backup whistle for crossing protection is invaluable.

BTW, when in most industrial parks were built (20-30 years ago) they included a run around track or wye to allow the engine to get to either end of the cars to spot them and they had a yard caboose for shelter and an office for the switch foreman. Through the years many roads have eliminated them trying to save money on maintaining "un-necessary" track and caused crews to have to ride shoves on the end of freight cars. I doubt very much that those officials in high places ever had to ride a shove on a cold, snowy night.

On my model railroad, wyes and runaround tracks are provided to help crews do their work safely and effeciently. Without these tools railroading is a frustrating business.

Barry 

re Check out this Google Maps

This is just west of the Navy's supply depot in Mechanicsburg, which is still quite active and has freight movements very frequently.  This location could give you plenty of license for oddball or one-off cars and movements.

Shoving cars

I also was in the same position as Barry, a conductor shoving into sidings and down the main. Use of the caboose with a brake hose and whistle was required. If none was available riding inside a gon was acceptable in yard and radio communication with the engine a must or the movement would come to a stop if radio contact was disrupted. Hanging off the side of a car may look "cool" to the rail fan but is difficult and dangerous especially at night in a poorly lit yard. Shrub and tree growth rub against cars and guess who else. Now as to flying switching moves as we called them, strictly forbidden as the brakeman must make the the cut while moving along with the movement. You cut the car...no air in the car or air is bottled also not permitted, engine accelerates, switch is throw as engine clears just before the free wheeling car reaches points and car rolls into siding. Do do see how much can go wrong? That is why it is prohibited... only did it once as a new brakeman in a flat yard. Guess what? The car rolled and stalled on the frog....uhoh! engine passed switch, car fouls switch big problem,,, way back when use a pole... not done in forever,,,no poling pockets any more. Solution... go to yard master borrow another engine come all the way around yard through refueling track and come up behind car stalled on frog,,, That is why you can see many set out trains with an engine on each end...Just my experience...first rule in the book, SAFETY.. nothing for speed or cool moves...do it the right way on your railroad and have the real experience of railroading. Be Safe!

"how much can go

Back in the glory days of the SP they always had at least 2 brakemen and the conductor to do  drops. They were very experienced and did them all the time. The only time I ever heard of any trouble was once at Moss Landing they planned to cut off the loco and run down to the plant while the cut of cars rolled down after them but when they got down to the plant they found the plant had re-arranged the cars at their spur not leaving any where for the loco to pull in. As the cut came rolling down to the end of the tracks the brakeman couldn't stop it soon enough so it ran into the engine doing some damage to the equipment.I don't recall hearing of any injury so the brakeman must have bailed off .....DaveB

a caboose which has basic air

And yet most of the Shoving Platforms I have seen from repurposed cabeese have the doors welded shut . . . . . of course it does give caboose freaks like me a decent excuse to keep lots of cabeese around . . . .

You are exactly right, Phil

You are exactly right, Phil in that many Class 1 roads have welded the doors and windows closed to prevent vandalism on many cabooses.

But as Joe pointed out when used as a shoving platform the end platforms (with roof overhang still provide a measure of protection from the weather (try switching in a hail storm) and a safer, more comfortable,standing, position for the conductor while providing protection for the shove. This gives him a great position to observe vehicles at crossings, switches lined improperly, derails in the derailing position,etc. and to control the movement by using the whistle and air valves located on the end handrails. Using these two devices he can warn vehicles in crossings to stop and can bring the movement to a halt by setting the air brakes if necessary.

I like cabooses whether on the prototype (my family and I, one time owned three of them now since sold) or model.

Barry