03-24-2014, 01:05 PM
Another change I would make is simply conceptual. The reality of the LAJ and other rail activity in the area is that there are lots of transfers. It's also worth pointing out that BNSF's LACBAR-BARLAC trains run right onto the LAJ, and the power often seems to go from C Yard to A Yard to the UP connection west of A Yard. By the same token, the 204 Job that runs between Commerce and Malabar also runs onto the LAJ. UP transfers run directly onto A Yard, too. So I would be looking at each staging track as, conceptually, a different transfer operation, and I'd be sure the power I used reflected that. While you might want to concentrate on gensets, small GPs, etc, there's no question that UP runs SD60Ms on heavier transfers in the area, and BNSF runs 4 or more big GEs on the LACBAR-BARLAC. The big point is that a transfer is a separate kind of train, it comes out of staging, drops one cut, picks up another, and goes back into staging. Different locos, maybe different railroad.
I also wonder what kind of scenic treatment, or even potential industrial spurs, you can do in the other corners of the room. It might be worth considering adding scenery to conceal your computer stand. Not far north of Vernon is the Redondo Flyover (a post-2000 feature). This could be a pure scenery feature that would certainly add atmosphere:
I've added a dotted line on the lower right as just a query about whether it's possible to fit another industry in there. Even an industry on a spur that leads to something else isn't a total impssibility:
One trick I've investigated is having tracks that are dual use. You could put an industry like this right on one of your main line curves, treat it as an Industry track in one session and spot a car there; treat it as a main line track in another session and run the transfer over it.
In addition to the possibility of larger power running in on transfers, I would not rule out the possible extra scope of some dealing wth Amtrak. Again, its loco facility and 8th St Yard are only about a mile away, and there are interesting operations there other than just intercity trains and Surfliners:
I found PHL 20 working Amtrak 8th St one day, no explanation. Charles Freericks says the PHL has "dock jobs", where a PHL loco and crew are simply sent to work for UP or BNSF. Whether this is related to that, I don't know, but it's an indication of the actual scope you find in this small area.
Amtrak has its own switch jobs, either with a genset or with P32BHWs:
There's no reason to completely rule out an Amtrak job moving a private car through your area.
I also wonder what kind of scenic treatment, or even potential industrial spurs, you can do in the other corners of the room. It might be worth considering adding scenery to conceal your computer stand. Not far north of Vernon is the Redondo Flyover (a post-2000 feature). This could be a pure scenery feature that would certainly add atmosphere:
I've added a dotted line on the lower right as just a query about whether it's possible to fit another industry in there. Even an industry on a spur that leads to something else isn't a total impssibility:
One trick I've investigated is having tracks that are dual use. You could put an industry like this right on one of your main line curves, treat it as an Industry track in one session and spot a car there; treat it as a main line track in another session and run the transfer over it.
In addition to the possibility of larger power running in on transfers, I would not rule out the possible extra scope of some dealing wth Amtrak. Again, its loco facility and 8th St Yard are only about a mile away, and there are interesting operations there other than just intercity trains and Surfliners:
I found PHL 20 working Amtrak 8th St one day, no explanation. Charles Freericks says the PHL has "dock jobs", where a PHL loco and crew are simply sent to work for UP or BNSF. Whether this is related to that, I don't know, but it's an indication of the actual scope you find in this small area.
Amtrak has its own switch jobs, either with a genset or with P32BHWs:
There's no reason to completely rule out an Amtrak job moving a private car through your area.