03-25-2014, 08:58 AM
Regarding the idea of using a main line curve as an industry track in one session and a main line track in another, a couple other things occurred to me. One is that the LAJ is doing essentially just that here: The Grayn Company is on a lead that used to run all the way around the curve to serve warehouses to the west. With those out of use, they put the industry right there. Should, on the off chance, those industries go back to rail service, the LAJ would presumably work something out with the Grayn Company. (I wouldn't be surprised if this were in a contract.)
But then this goes to one of the peculiar ideas I keep running into in Lance Mindheim's blog. He says that an operating session should only last about 45 minutes. I think he says this partly because he thinks that's as long as it takes to switch a simple ISL, and if you go back tomorrow night, you're just going to run the same plan, maybe with different cars. But what if, in one 45 minute session, you switch some industries, and then the next night you run a transfer out of staging and pull a cut and take it back into staging? That means you can use the curved main line track as an industry one night and as main the next. (For that matter, run two transfers, one BNSF and one UP. Just be sure you have 3 or more yard tracks.)
I think not enough people think about the variety possible in any but the very smallest layouts. Yours is enough larger that there's lots of conceptual room to do more.
But then this goes to one of the peculiar ideas I keep running into in Lance Mindheim's blog. He says that an operating session should only last about 45 minutes. I think he says this partly because he thinks that's as long as it takes to switch a simple ISL, and if you go back tomorrow night, you're just going to run the same plan, maybe with different cars. But what if, in one 45 minute session, you switch some industries, and then the next night you run a transfer out of staging and pull a cut and take it back into staging? That means you can use the curved main line track as an industry one night and as main the next. (For that matter, run two transfers, one BNSF and one UP. Just be sure you have 3 or more yard tracks.)
I think not enough people think about the variety possible in any but the very smallest layouts. Yours is enough larger that there's lots of conceptual room to do more.