Model Railroading on the Cheap

Most trains originate or terminate at Yardley. Mainline trains must have a caboose on the end.

Freight Trains usually consist of between 3 and 8 cars.

Destinations are: Yardley industries, the industries of the mainline towns of Middleburg and Hillton Junction, Interchange Eastbound or Westbound, and Hillton many industries.

When the cars in Yardley destined to a given location accumulate to 3 or more we must run a train to that end and return with the shipping out bounds if any.

Yardley job is to sort incoming cars as to destination specified on car cards.

Spot cars to and from Yardley and Holden City local industries.

Turn and ready locomotives and cabooses.

Attach engine and caboose to correct ends of train and send to Holden stage or mainline.

Mainline job is to deliver and spot cars at specified industries in the towns of Middleburg and Hillton Junction and pick up leaving traffic, and return to Yardley.

Interchange run deliver cars to designated interchange track east or westbound and return with like number of cars from the far end of that IC track to Yardley for recycling, change waybills.

Hillton job is to prepare for the Hillton Turn by vacating industries for incoming train cars as designated by arriving car cards. Place outgoing cars on outer pass clear of “Y” connectors so incoming train (Hillton Turn) can leave his cars on inner pass, turn his engine around on the Y track, take the outbound cars and leave with his own caboose.  After mainline train has left, spot today’s arriving traffic.

Hillton Turn takes a train from either Yardley or Holden Stage over the mainline to Hillton, leaving these cars on the inner pass. Turn the engine around on the “Y” and take out bounds and return to Yardley or Holden stage.  This is the operational jewel of the layout.

Car capacities are as follows:

I like mostly 40-foot cars because they are easy to work in tight places.

Yardley yard holds about 25 cars. Yardley industries hold about 7 cars. Mainline towns will take 10 or 11 cars. Interchange tracks hold about 12 cars each. Hillton can use about 18. Holden staging yard can hold about 30 cars with engines and cabooses on 4 tracks.

Yardley and Hillton Operating sequence:

Because the mainline is an endless loop, the operating assumption is that when you are standing in the operation pit, you are always facing north. Thusly – at the Yardley entrance off the mainline, trains traveling from right to left pass you the viewer moving in a westward direction. This assumes that Hillton is west of Yardley. The railroad generally has four destinations, Yardley, Hillton, Mainline industries, and Interchange.        

The Yardley classification yard switcher sorts the cars as to ultimate destination indicated by the card system and services the towns local industries, namely: Yardley Freight Station and Team track, Engine terminal supplies, Caboose stores track, Underhill Fabrications Co. and the Holden Freight Agent. The yardman must also turn road locomotives on the turntable and attach caboose to correct end of leaving trains.

When there are approximately 3 to 8 cars in Yardley for the same destination we must run a train to that end, be it either interchange, or Hillton, or the mainline towns of Middleburg and Hillton Junction. Most trains run out andreturn from the mainline loop track. A train leaves Yardley, or stage, services its chores and returns.

Trains to interchange tracks leave Yardley heading west carrying either east or westbound cars and return with a like amount of cars from the far end of that IC track. The interchange tracks are worked as a trailing point spur. The road locomotive spots east or west bound interchange cars on the correct IC track and pulls a like number of cars from the far end.  Trains to service the mainline towns of Hillton Junction and Middleburg usually leave eastbound, and return with its gatherings from those towns and industries.

Because Hillton is at the end of a branch that has a ‘Y’ to turn locomotives, trains return from Hillton heading east. The Hillton local switcher tends to Hillton’s switching and spotting requirements. Just prior to the mainline train’s arrival, the Hillton switcher picks today’s leaving cars, as documented by the card system, and leaves them on the outer pass (clear of the crossovers and  spurs) in Hillton. These cars are to be replaced by those arriving via the mainline locomotive, which does not do local switching.

 I am learning that it probably takes two operators to run this railroad properly. Hillton is big enough to need two people at times and it seems there is always be work to be done at Yardley. When working the mainline peddler there is work both inside and outside the pit. I have found that Holden stage works well as a temporary stop for trains either to or from the Yard or mainline just till things clear up.

With the card system I hope to achieve perpetual motion, where there will always be a train to move any time I want to go the basement and run a train. Nearly every train that leaves the yard will return with traffic for classification. Hopefully we will never ship more cars to an industry than it can hold.  By keeping the interchange tracks full, it serves as a rotation mechanism, if we put 3 cars in; we take 3 off the back end, return to the yard and re-schedule the way bills.  Or we can stuff cars into each interchange track till it is full, then pull the ones already there (maybe as many as 12 cars) and return them to the yard for working them back into sequence. This train may even require double heading over the hill, which really complicates the yard man’s chores when the train arrives with two engines to handle, it will too long for staging. While building the layout I thought I would run 10 car trains but the Hillton passing track should only take 8 cars. Originally I had thought that I would use an interchange track to store a passenger train ready to go if a visitor wanted to see the railroad. Now that I have the card system working those interchange tracks are more valuable as a car sync to delay the return and variety of cars for operation. Holden has a track that can hold a dedicated train ready to go and serve that purpose.