Posts: 99
Threads: 10
Joined: Sep 2009
Any thoughts and photos?
I model the PC, but spent a lot of time as a teenager in Jersey City and Hoboken NJ. My family owned 2 large buisnesses both rail served at one time. Jersey City Forge & Majoda Tool & Machine. But anyway I remeber and still have pics of tracks running everywhere turning all directions and in the industrial areas track in the streets with switches everywhere.
The big question here is how do you recreate that realizime and operations? Can never seem to get it.
Posts: 3,262
Threads: 115
Joined: Dec 2008
A layout that comes to mind is Bill Denton's N-Scale Milwaukee Road Kingsbury Branch..
That has a lot of urban switching in a 21" x 12' area.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://home.comcast.net/~skytop35/Kingsbury/index.html">http://home.comcast.net/~skytop35/Kingsbury/index.html</a><!-- m -->
IMHO Bill's layout is a fine example of urban railroading in tight industrial area.
We can see there is a lot of headroom complete with 2 holding tracks and 2 runarounds.
Judging by the track plan I suspect it can take 30-45 minutes to switch the industries-it would take me a hour simply because I allow for the brakeman to set and release brakes,time spent waiting for a dock plate to be moved,maybe a dumpster,a stack of pallets to close to the track etc.
Larry
Engineman
Summerset Ry
Make Safety your first thought, Not your last! Safety First!
Posts: 4,553
Threads: 100
Joined: Dec 2008
The photos in the posted link, and those in the quoted issues of MR, are an excellent start. The articles in the '97, and '98 issues of MR might be available from Kalmbach Publishing, if you don't have copies of those issues.
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
Posts: 1,049
Threads: 45
Joined: Dec 2008
pennman Wrote:But anyway I remeber and still have pics of tracks running everywhere turning all directions and in the industrial areas track in the streets with switches everywhere. The big question here is how do you recreate that realizime and operations? Can never seem to get it.
Btw - not really an answer to the question about urban switching
operations, but in another forum I had a thread about realistic
looking urban scenes, which gathered a lot of nice links and references.
Here:
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/135841/1523468.aspx
As for realistic urban
operations, how about using scenario cards to determine how many cars to pick up and set out (and just picking a random scenario for that industry at the start of the session), combined with special instructions for how the various industries should be switched ?
Some examples on Linda and Dave Sand's Model Railroad web page:
Some spot diagrams and train briefs:
http://www.sandsys.org/modelrr/modelbuilt/crt/
A discussion of some types of spotting arrangements for industries:
http://www.sandsys.org/modelrr/modelbuilt/pi/
Smile,
Stein
Posts: 3,262
Threads: 115
Joined: Dec 2008
Sumpter250 Wrote:The photos in the posted link, and those in the quoted issues of MR, are an excellent start. The articles in the '97, and '98 issues of MR might be available from Kalmbach Publishing, if you don't have copies of those issues.
Another good source is the Mar/Apr 2003 issue of N Scale Railroading.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nscalerailroadn.com/016/NSR016.html">http://www.nscalerailroadn.com/016/NSR016.html</a><!-- m -->
Larry
Engineman
Summerset Ry
Make Safety your first thought, Not your last! Safety First!
Posts: 99
Threads: 10
Joined: Sep 2009
Been reading through all these links theres some great info in there.
Brakie, I know what you by taking an hour to runthat layout, everyone always forgets the caboose. I,ve been looking at all those layouts and been considering ripping some track up and redoing some areas. Darn..... Thought all my planning and research was done.hmmmm Really thought #6 was it!!
Posts: 36
Threads: 2
Joined: Oct 2009
Try this layout by my friemnd Dave Ramos - <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nyhrr.com">www.nyhrr.com</a><!-- w -->
He models the west side of Manhattan in 1947, and the Erie, NYC and LV railroads.
RAH
Posts: 931
Threads: 68
Joined: Dec 2008
Eye Candy - look at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56394">http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56394</a><!-- m --> and then follow the link to
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://teamtrack.xooit.com/t267-City-Limits.htm">http://teamtrack.xooit.com/t267-City-Limits.htm</a><!-- m -->
The site is in French, but you will find that the photos don't need translation! There is a link near the bottom of the page that will take you to a video, which is well worth seeing
Edited due to having fat, dyslexic fingers that don't spell-check!
Posts: 3,262
Threads: 115
Joined: Dec 2008
shortliner Wrote:Eye Candy - look at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56394">http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56394</a><!-- m --> and then follow the link to
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://teamtrack.xooit.com/t267-City-Limits.htm">http://teamtrack.xooit.com/t267-City-Limits.htm</a><!-- m -->
The site is in French, but you will find that the photos donn't need translation! There is a link near tye bottom 0of the page that will take you to a video, which is well worth seeing
I agree that is a great looking switching layout but,I feel Bill Denton's layout captures the very essence of urban industrial switching in a city industrial area.
Back to the "teamtrack"..I love the way he uses big industries-especially that gorgeous GE plant.WOW! That even looks like a urban GE plant.
Larry
Engineman
Summerset Ry
Make Safety your first thought, Not your last! Safety First!
Posts: 1
Threads: 0
Joined: Nov 2009
Anyone notice the video on the teamtrack site? I would love to do that in my basement.... hmmmmm will have to see if I can buy some real estate!
We are right on time, but this is yesterdays train!
Posts: 774
Threads: 24
Joined: Dec 2008
A great source for getting ideas for an urban switching layout is Chcago’s north side switching: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v5/">http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v5/</a><!-- m --> . Tons of prototype pics of urban branches and spurs, among them the Kingsbury Branch.
Some nice urban layouts can be found here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.trainsarefun.com/urbanmodeling/urban.htm">http://www.trainsarefun.com/urbanmodeling/urban.htm</a><!-- m -->
Kurt
Posts: 2,724
Threads: 160
Joined: Dec 2008
Penman. Can you please post the pics you were talking about. I'd love to see them, as growing up in the same aria it would be cool.
My other car is a locomotive, ARHS restoration crew
Posts: 4,687
Threads: 342
Joined: Jan 2009
In Great Models Railroads 2010 there is an article by Vic Smith on his HO City Edge layout. He also had articles in several other model railroading magazines on different aspects of the layout.
Bruce
