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+--- Thread: Port Able Railway 2021 (/showthread.php?tid=9348)
Port Able Railway 2021 - Mike Kieran - 05-12-2021
PORT ABLE RAILWAY
Reporting Marks: PA
The railroad is about a mile long and handles 650 cars per year.
Customers Maximum Weekly Carloads In/Out
Wattsup Dock & Transloading 4/4
Ed Ibble Foods Inc. 4/1
Hertz Uranus Chair Corp. 2/0Total 10/5
Back in 1970, with the collapse of the Paddle Creek Bridge due to fire and thus severing the branch to the Port Able Navy Yard, The Atlantic Lines decided to abandon the Navy Yard Branch. The last 3 customers on the line, Wattsup Dock & Transloading, Ed Ibble Foods, and the Hertz Uranus Chair Company did not wish to end rail service. Enter recently retired Port Able Division Supervisor, Artie Fischel decided to supplement his retirement income as well as relieve his boredom by purchasing the 1 mile industrial track and creating the Port Able Railway. He started operations with a GE 45 tonner purchased from government surplus and an old caboose, since there were no longer any runarounds, the train would travel up the branch line caboose first. In it's first year of operations, the railroad handled a modest 250 cars. by the end of his tenure at the helm, it increased to 650 cars per year.In 1979, Artie decided that he no longer had the energy to run the railroad. It was time for his full retirement and he wished to sell the short line for a modest profit while doubling the traffic that he started with. Two of his railroad employees, Andy Scores along with Pat Onnabach, purchase the railroad and resumed operations.
While I've been off the grid for a little while, a new abode will allow me to pursue my model railroading endeavors. I still don't have access to permanent wall space, but I will still make use of my dining table which measures out to a standard 5 feet by 3 feet. The layout will measure 60x40 inches and fold in half. As many of you know, I love short lines, switchers, no runaround caboose shoves, industries that receive AND ship freight, and portability. It will fit in the tailgate of most cars in case I want to transport it and it will have storage for the locomotives, cars, and DC/DCC power pack (in case I run older engines).
The track is Atlas Code 83 with an 18 inch minimum radius and 4 Snap Track 18 inch radius turnouts. I know that this roundy round layout isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I hope to share that there are possible options out there. As usual, I put out a car loadings chart. The purpose of this is so that I can plan out the traffic with car cards and to decide on the inventory that I wish to have with regards to rolling stock purchases. I will use a variety of rolling stock. With the transload/team track, I can literally have any freight car on the Port Able Railway's tracks.
The operation is simple. I will shuffle my car cards (each piece of rolling stock will have it's own card), then roll a dice. if it rolls an even number, there are 2 cars at the interchange. When cars are ready go back to the interchange, the same will happen in reverse. I downloaded a dice rolling app to my phone and I will use 2 colored 6 sided die, green for incoming and red for outgoing traffic. I figure that setup, operation, and putting away the layout will take approximately 1 hour. I will use a 4:1 fast clock (1 hour is 15 minutes) and only operate 2-3 hours of a crew's work day. Hertz Uranus does have outgoing shipments of chair kits in box cars every other week.
A friend on my Tonawanda Island Railroad page in Facebook was the railroad's General Manager. From discussions with him, I learned that he had many varied daily duties. He would run the train; handle billing & paperwork; the railroad's own bills; make phone calls to Conrail the Delaware & Hudson regarding routing and charges; talk to customers and local politicians; maintenance; fueling; filing and typing; and cleaning the toilet (his words). I then came to the realization that the train operations didn't happen for 8 hours each day.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - nachoman - 05-12-2021
This is inspiring me. A simple track plan that allows for some fun and doesn't require permanent space. I'm kinda in the same boat. I doubt I will have any permanent layout space of any appreciable size anytime soon, so I am thinking of things that can be moved easily, be taken down quickly, put into storage, etc.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - tompm - 05-12-2021
Cool looking plan and I love the backstory.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - BR60103 - 05-12-2021
Mike:
In the history, was the Navy Yard on the far side of the creek, so that the rest of the branch is still connected to the big railways?
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - Mike Kieran - 05-13-2021
Hey Kevin,
I also have another plan with the engine service track removed and replaced the furniture company with an engine house.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - Tyson Rayles - 05-13-2021
It could use a interchange track.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - Mike Kieran - 05-14-2021
(05-13-2021, 04:58 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: It could use a interchange track.
I hear ya. I'm using the left side of the oval for that purpose. I'm hoping that the buildings act as a view lock to separate the scenes.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - Mike Kieran - 05-14-2021
(05-12-2021, 08:12 PM)BR60103 Wrote: Mike:
In the history, was the Navy Yard on the far side of the creek, so that the rest of the branch is still connected to the big railways?
Zactly! The Navy Yard was on the part of the branch line that was cut off from the rest of the rail network.
RE: Port Able Railway 2021 - Mike Kieran - 05-14-2021
(05-12-2021, 07:56 PM)tompm Wrote: Cool looking plan and I love the backstory.
Thank you. You're too kind.