Operating Plans
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Just out of curiosity, since you've posted so many images of the wharf, car float and intermodal all in one area, so to speak, here's my question. Do you have an operating plan on how all of this will flow? Based on all of your research that you're putting in to your railroad, are you building this for operations? Would love to know more...
Neal M
Per your question about the wharf, car float and intermodal all in one area, that central peninsula area of mine is what I am working on planning at this time. I am trying to cover this in 2 subject threads:
1) Industrial & Port Facilities on my Peninsula
2) Center Peninsula Track Planning, …..Container Terminal
As some have said I am trying to put 10 lbs of stuff into a 5 lb bag. Granted its true. Basically I like trains running thru a variety of industrial scenes. I don't care to model streets, and cities, and automobiles, etc. I like as wide a selection of industries as I can put on my rr,...and sometimes this can get crowded on a relatively small layout,....and even more so on my relatively narrow peninsula area.
I must confess to NOT being very interested in 'operations' in the past. For one thing I've not been back in the hobby for that long that I ever got involved in how it worked, and secondly I never took the time to study it so I could become knowledgeable about train switching operations. So I am relatively ignorant about the subject, (this is one of the reasons I am asking for help in track planning in several areas on my layout).
I am interested in how I might go about switching engines and cars on different areas of my layout. Perhaps if I do a half-way decent track planning effort, I will learn more about it in the future,..as I try to do some operations. I believe I have provided for ways to bring freight trains into my peninsula area, and a way for the big mainline engines to escape back to their 'facilities'. I would like to do some switching operations to get cars onto the carfloat, and to get cars out to the dockside crane, and to get cars over to the 'allied car repair' facility, etc. I am imaging that I could use that little steam 0-4-4T loco I have, a new B&O docksider, a BLI trackmobile, and several diesel switchers I have to accomplish these operations.
I am still NOT interested in waybills, tracking individual cars, etc, etc.
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You keep posting images of what you're trying to do and justify it to us. In your mind, it's right.
We know it's your railroad, but I have to tell you based on what you've been posting, I think the 10lbs going into the 5lbs isn't going to make you happy down the road when it comes to operating your railroad. It's still congested and based on all of your other postings, you're mixing old with new, which again, it's your railroad. I asked you on on another post what is your operating scenario going to be? Right now, I can't see what you're trying to do!
Please take this in the spirit that it's intended. Take a step back, think of what you really want to do, write down how you intend to run your layout, whether it's operations, seeing trains run while you do other things, or more of a static display in some areas.
Neal M
I think you touched on one of my primary interest,...RUNNING a VARIETY of trains thru a VARIETY of industrial landscapes. And yes I can set that in motion with perhaps 2 or 3 trains running while I do some other projects like kitbashing, decoder/sound installations, loco and car tune-up & weathering, etc. And I have a lot to learn about scenery,..which I have always appreciated, but have little knowledge/experience with.
That variety of industrial scenes I like results in my somewhat 'congested scenery. Perhaps I would liken it to a whole bunch of modules set up next to each other,...scene after different scene, butted up next to one another. And these scenes don't always compliment one another, particularly when you are trying to fit as many as possible in a condensed area. My peninsula area is a prime example,...a pier terminal building right next to a container yard ! Even the era considerations are suspect. But I manage to get both on the layout as a whole. I really could think of NO OTHER spot to put that pier terminal,...and carfloat, so it ends up next to the container terminal,...like you might see at a module layout at a train show.
The trains I will be running are also significantly different in types and variety. In this case I am certainly NOT paying attention to a specific era. I have steam of different roads. I have diesels of different roads. I have freight cars of many different types, and eras. I have passenger sets from at least 4 different roads. I have an several different Acela sets. I have an Orient Express set. I even have a Disney type monorail set.
Obviously I am not married to any era. I like to run different trains.