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Loads-in empties-out on a peninsula Dream and design
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Frequent poster 648 posts DougL Frequent poster 648 posts
DougL

I really wanted to recreate a local landmark, a gravel crusher, and I wanted it to function in a loads-in empties-out scene.  My railroad space is tiny, point-to-point, and does not allow a long double-track design. So I headed over to the Micro Layouts site at  carendt.com for creative small-space ideas.

The final design uses a sector plate, a section of track that pivots like a turntable  On the left is the gravel pit.  On the right is the gravel supply company unloading dock. 

On the gravel pit side, three empty cars roll past the loader onto the sector plate. I swivel it to the right side, and three empty cars roll off the Gravel Supply dock.  The switcher pushes three full cars onto the supply dock, I pivot it to the left, and three full cars pull away from the gravel pit. This can manage six cars per trip because each side has a holding spur,  each long enough for 3 cars.

The sector plate is hidden by scenery.  The yardstick in the picture represents a view block, a tall, thin wall between the two scenes.  On the gravel pit side in the country, the sector is hidden by trees and a hill.  The cars roll into a hidden tunnel.  On the gravel supply side in town is a covered unloading dock  - there are prototypes - and other buildings.

It works very nicely.  Now we will see how well I can conceal it with scenery.

 

 

 

--  Doug -- Modeling the Norwottuck Railroad, returning trails to rails.
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David Husman dave1905 MRH Author 9,849 posts
David Husman dave1905

Two tracks

If the sector plate had two tracks then you could do loads and empties at the same time. 

Dave Husman

Visit my website :  https://wnbranch.com/

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Bill Brillinger Moderator 4,904 posts
Bill Brillinger

Neat

Interesting idea.

How will you operate the sector plate reliably once it's hidden under scenery?

Bill Brillinger

Modeling the BNML in HO Scale, Admin for the RailPro User Group, and owner of Precision Design Co.
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DougL Frequent poster 648 posts
DougL

A few more details on loads and empties

"If the sector plate had two tracks then you could do loads and empties at the same time"

True.  I do not see enough space for the desired scenery and a second track.  The delivery loading dock prototype is one track. Six cars and one engine per side have to work in cooperation. It begs for two operators, model trains are much more fun when shared with friends.

"How will you operate the sector plate reliably once it's hidden under scenery?"

The real question is, "how will you recover the cars from the inevitable accident?" 

I expected and planned for derailments. Some of it will be visible at the end of the peninsula for 5-fingered crane recovery.  Note the cards halfway up the side of the track.  It copies the design of the NY subway system to prevent the cars falling over.  It works in NY and here. We drag them out by hand just like any tunnel derailment.

 

--  Doug -- Modeling the Norwottuck Railroad, returning trails to rails.
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Neil Erickson NeilEr Moderator 5,788 posts
Neil Erickson NeilEr

Clever

I've been think about how to do something similar with sugar can cars but have a change in elevation. This may allow a way to do this with a hidden lead. John Armstrong once described a vertical sector so ... Hm. Good idea!

 

Neil

Neil Erickson, Hawai’i 

My Blogs
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TrentUK86 Regular poster 116 posts
TrentUK86

Getting the track level

How have you found getting the sector plate track level with the normal track? I'm thinking of doing something similar-ish and wonder if there's any magic secrets ... 
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Virginian and Lake Erie Super User 9,238 posts
Virginian and Lake Erie

Neil, if I remember it

Neil, if I remember it correctly one of his versions was called the dehydrated canal lock and on his own railroad he had a reverted loop with a device like that that was used in operation!

Rob in Texas

MRH Blog / Prep for an Operating Session / Delving Into the Past / The Club Blog / Youtube / etmrc.org
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DougL Frequent poster 648 posts
DougL

Level with the approaching rails

Lucky for me the choice of materials caused the rails to exactly line up.  If they had been off I would have used shim stock to bring up the sector plate to the approach tracks.  Shims could be anything - cardboard, toothpicks, brass, anything to hand.

I am reconsidering a 2-track plate.  It could be narrower at the approach track if it functioned as turnout - or was a sharp turnout. 

--  Doug -- Modeling the Norwottuck Railroad, returning trails to rails.
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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,956 posts
Prof_Klyzlr

Getting sectorplate<>track level

Dear ???

A quick search should give plenty of "how tos" both here,
on the UK-based "RMWeb" forum  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/
and on http://www.carendt.com

Short answer is:
- Plan the thickness of the sectorplate VS the thickness of the "landward side" roadbed
- Avoid  "cross-calculating" and assembly tolerance issues caused by mis-matching height calculations,
simply use a _common_ stack-up of roadbed on both sectorplate and landward side,
and ensure that the stack of roadbed materials matches against a known "base level",
- if possible, a "tongue in slot" arrangement can be helpful in capturing the sectorplate end, ensuring that vertical alignment is bulletproof...

Examples:
"Chicago Fork" HO : https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776
​(See Page 107)

"ChicagO Fork" O2R :  http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-97a-may-2010/#chicago

​"Toorong" On30 : Pay particular attention from 0:55 onwards

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr
 
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