The last several days have quite productive. Benchwork is up on the wall, I've started setting up OperationsPro, and I was able to get to Dallas a day of prototype research.

Benchwork

The hollow core doors have a 3/4" layer of foam on top, and a few tweaks to the front shelf. I picked up some shelf brackets for the office wall and got them mounted.

One tweak was to cut the shelf ends at 45 degree angles. It makes the pieces fit together much better and the joint almost disappears.  At the connection, I've got lots of interlocking pieces to keep everything lined up.  I also laid the foam out so I could use the interlocking edges at the joint.

Now here's a slight problem...

Because of an existing bookshelf, the rail height is at 64.5".  That's right around eye level for me.  My wife hits the bottom of the benchwork with the middle of her forehead!  At least having a duck-under won't be an issue!

I can use shorter shelf brackets which will lower the layout by an inch.  I could set half the layout directly on the bookshelf, but I prefer to have the whole layout secured to the same surface.  On the bookshelf, half the layout would be vulnerable to shaking if the bookshelf or attached desk is bumped. 

OperationsPro

Now that my track plan is pretty much nailed down, I can start tinkering with JMRI's OperationsPro. I've been reading the online documentation as well as the worked example from this site a few years ago ( http://rcairgallery.com/stuff/Using-JMRI-Operations-A-Worked-Example.pdf). Enough reading, let's jump in with both feet!

I already have my rolling stock in a home-grown database, so it was simply a matter of exporting it to a .csv file and importing into OperationsPro. I have developed my own car types loosely based on the UMLER specification.  I wanted something that was more descriptive than the AAR car types  (XM - a boxcar), but didn't need a secret decoder ring like UMLER (B433 - unequipped boxcar, Inside length at least 49’ and less than 59’, cushioned, Mech. desig. XM, plug door, inside width at least 9’6”, Door opening at least 9’ and less than 10’ wide, ...). The specification I developed provides similar details as UMLER but in a way that should be easy to pick up by visiting crews.  Below is a sampling of car types that can appear on the Office Park.

Locations are next. I figure I'll need to setup 3 locations for the layout: the Office Park zone, the staging tracks, and off-layout storage. Cars will be hand-picked from storage and placed on the staging tracks to make the train. Afterward, they will be moved back to storage by hand.

Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the CN Winnipeg Terminal Car Control manual.  Unfortunately, it's packed away in a moving box and I don't know which one.  Fortunately, Bill Brillinger scanned a copy and made it available on this site ( https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/an-incredible-resource-april-1990-cn-winnipeg-terminal-car-control-manual-12200926). Car control manuals are an invaluable resource as they show how the real railroads setup their switching areas, assigned customer/spur/spot numbers, etc.  I'm doing something similar for my spurs.

Looking at 3502, that customer spur has 2 spots plus an off-spot. I use an X.Y notation to specify the individual spot locations on that spur.

I'm still working on the routes and spurs.  I'm not sure yet if the staging tracks should be a 'staging' 'interchange', or 'yard' location.  I'll need to play around with building trains to see which one works best.

Road Trip!

I finally had some time to take a day trip to Dallas for some prototype research.  Google Earth and Maps are great, but nothing beats actually being there.

It can be challenging to shoot through a chain link fence! On the prototype, the latex distribution facility and lumber distributor are side-by-side. The lumber building is at ground level so the spur is about 3 feet below ground.

The Latex distribution facility is an excellent candidate for a simple industry. There's a concrete surface on both sides of the track.  On the backside is a portable ladder for access to the tank tops. On the front there's a run of 5 pipes.  When unloading, crews bring in a portable pump and connect between the tank and appropriate pipe.  The storage tanks are located a short ways away, so this little piece would make a great little industry along the front edge of the layout.

Here's the backside of Rudy's Tortillas.  It has spots for unloading two Pressure-Differential cars at one time.  There are a couple of doors further down but they don't appear to be used anymore.

Here we see what's found in those silos.  All connections are well labeled and the area is well maintained.  When unloading a car, workers place a sign with each hose to indicate what product is being unloaded.

Rhino Linings, the company that makes spray-on protective coverings has a facility in a generic warehouse.  Here's an example of a warehouse spot taking tank cars. During business hours, workers open the loading door and drag out a hose to connect to the tank car being unloaded. At the end of the day, the hose is brought back in. The placard shows the contents of the closest tank belongs to group 3082, a catch-all for hazardous liquid materials. There is a wheel chock found on each tank car, not just one at the end of the whole cut of cars.

I also stopped in at the local hobby shop.  While there, I met a fellow who happened to be a Cotton Belt modeler and also had done drawings of all the spurs and customer spots in 1989. Just like the CN Car Control manual, these are an incredible wealth of information.  I'll be reviewing the drawings over the next few days to get a better idea of the types of industries that existed back then. From my initial perusal, plastics industries were not common yet like they are today.

Craig