How do you guys handle your loads in/empties out when it comes to actually being empty? Boxcars excluded, who’s to know… 
Things like log trains, coal hoppers etc where you have unconcealed loads. I guess you could lift out the ‘load’ of coal easily enough, but then you have to replace it each time. Or is this where ‘imagination’ comes into the picture?
Jarrell
Let’s see…
All of my hopper loads are removeable (one piece, hand carved foam).
What gon loads I have (for now) have loose loads in them (scrap or minerals), which can be dumped out. Now that I’m sans layout due to a move, I’m planning on making removeable pipe, steel and lumber loads, attached to cribbing and banding. The entire unit will lift out. I’ve got three auto frame gondolas; the frame racks are permanent (making the cars captive service) but the frames themselves are removeable.
I’ve neglected my flat cars, but the “plan” is to have removeable cribbed loads which will key into the pole pockets on the sides of the flats (so they don’t shift). I fiddled around with the idea of having replaceable floors so I could more correctly replicate blocking and tie-downs, but it was more work than it was really worth.
Jarrell,
Another method is to use 2 complimentary industries on opposite sides of a layout. (Example: coal mine and power plant) Use 2 hidden tracks that connect the industries. Move the loaded hoppers from the mine, and back them into the power plant. On the other power plant track, hook up to an identical unit load of empty hoppers. Take those to the mine, put them in the empty track, and pull the loaded ones back out for another trip to the power plant, etc., etc., etc.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a place to do that, so I’m looking for a different option. One thought (if I’m only pulling one load per operating session) would be to use a similar method with 2 hidden tracks at each industry. Pull the empties from the power plant, take them to the mine, leave them and haul loads back to the power plant. This has to be reset between sessions, so I don’t like it as well, but it would be workable. There may be other ideas I haven’t thought of yet. (I hope!)
Of course, the down-side is you have to have double the number of cars to make this work. If you’re a rivet-counter, they need to be identical numbers, roads, etc. I’m not, so I’ll just try to make sure that it’s the same quantity of cars!
Like I said, there are probably a lot of other methods, and I hope someone posts some of them.
Good luck!
David
This is a big problem on my upcoming layout.
Logs come down off the mountain and are supposed to be dumped in the log pond. In fact there are 3 steps in each direction.
Logs are loaded onto empties at the loading site.
Log cars are brought down to Logging Camp by the Shay.
Logs are taken in a larger train to the log pond and dumped.
Empties are taken from the Lumber yard to the Logging Camp.
Empties are taken to the Loading site.
Ideally, I could pull and place loads (even the sky hook of God has bee considered.) But what I think will end up happening is that I will have only one cycle per day (operatiing session) and restage after. This is less thatn satisfactory in that the logging cylces are continuous.
Why exclude boxcars? I simply open the doors for a empty.Now tank cars and covered hoppers not much can be done about those cars showing they are empty.All of my gons and flats has removable loads.When my gons and flats are empty they are empty…When they are a empty for load the load is always in place before I pick the car up.IMHO theres no use in wasting your time doing car cards and waybills if you don’t go the extra step and “load” or “unload” your open cars as per the waybill…No amount of imagination will fool your eyes if the waybill says a car is loaded when its not or empty when its still loaded.
As far as loads in/empties out that can only apply to certain industries.
For logging, I use small car load-sized bundles of sticks glued together. I paint an X on the bottom so I know which side is the flat, bottom side. I spot the empties on the spur and go on my merry way. During a break in running the train, I go around and put loads in my outbound cars, including the logging cars.
Thanks, that’s what I meant when I said, “Skyhook from God.” I’ll reconsider.
Hey Brakie,
Aren’t boxcars supposed to be closed and locked after unloading to prevent their use by non paying passengers?
Bob DeWoody
I still see the occasional box car (though never a plug door) sitting open on a moving train.
Bob,Yes,rail customers are SUPPOSE to close the doors after unloading the car however,that doesn’t always happen.Now the longer auto part boxcars doors is closed after being unloaded.However,the general service 50’ boxcars the doors is at the mercy of the forklift driver to close 'em…Before I had my heart attack my job was unloading boxcars at the warehouse where I worked.I did not always close the doors due to not having time before quiting time or due to the weather.
probably airing out the car after a particularly stinky load
Iron ore carried not in ore cars but two-bay hoppers. Slight amount of (real!) iron ore in bottom of cars over weight. Real iron ore is so heavy that regular hoppers only filled about 1/3 full by volume to reach weight limit. You can hardly see ore in car unless you get on top and look down. Same car represents loaded or empty without physical change.
Some flatcar loads (like the tractor load on the 60’ kitbashed equipment flatcar in the foreground on the team track) affixed with very slight dab of rubber cement. Enough to hold in place during train operation, easily removed. Once in a while, car deck requires cleanup with an eraser. So what? That’s weathering.
Hint: clicking on photo will display flatcar large enough to see (if your computer works like mine when viewing trains.com forum.)
For Sulphur gondolas, real sulphur would be corrosive (reason for special design on the prototype whicch required me to scratchbuild the cars) and loose yellow tempera, right appearance, would be too messy. I use blocks of florist’s styrofoam painted yellow with “zip textured” with powdered tempera. That is, yellow-painted block sprayed with “wetted water” (water w drop of detergent to break surface tension), then sprinkled with dry powdered tempera. Not quite as loose as it looks. I built a hopefully inconspicuous wire loop to the sulphur loads to allow them to be grabbed with a hook for removal for car at the island seaport where cars offloaded to ships.
Logs set on logging cars by hand at reload site BEFORE operating session. Removed by hand at log dump AFTER operating session.
Pulpwood loads glued together for easy handling, placed on car at pulpwood spur BEFORE operating session, unloaded when car goes to staging representing paper
We’re planning for emptyies to be staged in yards behind the backdrop. Trains departing our powerplant will be empties going to the mines and staged trains in the mine district will be loaded and bound for points north and south such as the powerplant. Southbound loaded trains will end up off scene in staging as if they passed thru bound for a distant destination.
Same concern that the 12 inch to the foot roads had, getting paid for every move that their cars made. A ton of tonnage was moved to get empties to the place they needed to be filled. We can address some of this by having related industiries on line. Acme Mfging shipping widgets to Wiley Cyote Road Runner Catching plant, and Wiley shipping the fused what’sit to Road Runner industies that is misrouted back to Wiley’s as the fuse burns down, and level’s Wiley’s for an urban renewal project. Having related industries on line to originate traffic and to receive raw materials via rail from other online industries. The repositioning of the empties at the right place and the loads at the right place has to be done like the circus’s high wire act/ trapeeze up high while the three rings on the ground level are cleaned up after the elephant act, and the cages put in place for the lion and tiger act to be up next. It is theatre and we have to figure out how to distract the casual observer while we slight of hand the empties out of the mine and the loaded cars in, to be picked up by the next “turn”. Use our brains long enough and we will stumble on to a solution to make it seamless!
Will