At some point in my thirty plus years reading MR, I recall an issue containing a very fun switching problem of the sort that was to be solved in the fewest moves. I am fairly certain it was from mid-to-late 1990’s, but may have been 1980’s.
Does anyone recall the issue?
It was small diagram/schematic at the bottom of a page and I believe it may have included a “wye” in the problem. My somewhat photographic memory recalls the diagram to have been blue background with black lines and on right hand page of open magazine and at the bottom of that page.
I’m working on insuring my planned layout will include endless switching puzzle possibilities, but would love to include that problem if I could only remember what issue. By the way, I fully intend “Time Saver” to be along my route and probably Inglenook will be there, too.
I recall several articles in MR that were switching issues. You were presented with a train, a switchlist and a small diagram along with a list of dos and donts.
Very good stuff. Too bad that there were only a few of them and Kalmbach never made a book just with these puzzles.
and search by keyword for puzzles and select only MR you’ll find something like 174 articles . looking through those will probably lead to the one you’re looking for
I think some of the '80s and ‘90s Bob Hayden puzzles may have been based on a wye (you can find some of those using the magazine index search mentioned above). You could also be thinking of a switching puzzle based on a wye in the modeled town of Equinox that was part of Robert Silas’ article on a track plan for the Sagatuckett River RR from the March 1972 MR. This was reprinted in the book Track Planning Ideas from Model Railroader (Kalmbach 1981).
This was one of those (in my humble opinion) annoying puzzles that requires a lot of repetitive movements of single cars. Many folks I know find this type of puzzle switching fairly tedious … and there are lots of other ways to increase ops interest without puzzles, even on a small layout.
In the 48 “Top notch” track plans book by Kalmbach the Port Layout titled “By the Beautiful Sea” is a powerful statement towards trackage and switches arranged to advance the work of a Port without needless waste due to puzzles.
Cars flow in via transfer to yard and is sorted according to destination and goes out smoothly.
Thanks for all the input, but I am trying to find that particular “switching problem” mentioned in my first post.
Let me try to respond to all of you, here, because you each seem concerned in various ways—and took the trouble to say so.
loather – That is a good site, and I was hoping to have found it there, but the one I want was no “classic.” In fact, I did email the site owner asking if my “switching problem” rung a bell with him. You’ll note the last paragraph—I mentioned Inglenook (as well as Time Saver”) which I really like, and which I first encountered on that site. Also, what I am looking for is not a time saver—it is a “fewest moves” problem—hence the thread’s title.
ironrooster – Yes, and the Great Model Railroads issues are probably my favorites for that reason. Barrow’s Cat Mountain, when discussed in one of those years ago, was the one that hooked me on operations (that and an operating session at a club-member’s home layout at about the same tine). Come to think of it, I am now wondering if perhaps the switching problem I am after could have been in one of the annual MR publications.
ereimer – thanks, I did not know about that index. I tried it, and went through all of the matches on “switching” and did not find the one I had in mind. I am not surprised as it was just a little box at the bottom of an unrelated article. Perhaps it was a mere space-filler taken from an MR Bulletin? Some of those titles sounded familiar even thou
I am in agreement with you. In my very limited space - 89" x 119", with a must-remain- accessible 60" wide window on one 89" side, the ability to generate other than chase-your-tail continuous runs or a great variety of switching operations for both the HO and HOn3 portion jsut isn’t there. Furthermore, I don’t anticipate regular operators besides myself, althouth I could easily accommodate at least one more. So I am deliberately embedding the ability to have “switching puzzles” when I so choose.
Like you, I am setting up the HOn3 dockside terminal so that it not only serves as a terminal and a pier, but has an embedded Inglenook. My Gum Stump & Snowshoe variant will have a run-around at the lower terminal, but it will be completed by a turntable. If I want the “puzzle” feature of having to operate without a runaround, I can rule the turntable is for turning and servicing locomoitves only. A similar situation will likely exist for the upper level logging and logging service spurs - a run-around will be available further down the line, but I can rule it out of bounds to produce the switching puzzle if/when routine operations become boring.
MR should run a puzzle in every issue. It is something that would interest all gauges and all ages! They might also inspire some track planning at industrial sidings![:P]
semper vaporo - Thanks for the sentiment. By-the-way, my Latin is limited, but I’m going to take a stab at it, could that be “always nebulous?” If it isn’t, it ought to be, because I’m laughing!
fwright – The port layout was from Falls Valley’s post. Mine is more likely to be mesquite, and cotton covered rural stretches outside of Fort Worth (home, and I’m homesick).
As for wall problems, I feel your pain. I have a twelve foot wall—all window-- adjacent to a twelve foot wall with windows every 30”! The other two have doors, closets, windows, etc. I would love a standing height shelf-style, but since going high is problematic with the windows, I am thinking in terms of taking advantage of a personal peculiarity: I like to sit on the floor—so I am going low, against that wall, but under the windows. I may include window seat extensions on each end that hide, beneath, return loops to feed the yard(s).
Walter Clot- I like the puzzles— they help many of us, I think, in seeing why yards and sidings look like they do, and force us to think through our designs. For that reason, what I find most helpful in a featured layout article is at least a bit (and sometimes a whole lot) about how each layout operates.
by chance was it in the december 1996 MR issue, called “two loads for the company wharf” a salty-but simple switching problem on the HOn2 1/2 carrabasset & dead river Ry?? well i dont see a “wye” on it… but its in Kennebecport harbor, theres a coal carrier (ship) a mainline on the trestle… hope this is it, if not, i’ll keep lookin for ya!! my MR collection is one of my prized posessions!!!
I wrote the following some time ago to explain it…
The derivation of the phrase: “Semper Vaporo”:
Many years ago, I wanted a Latin phrase that meant a particular thing… I was told about “Dictionary.com” on the internet and found on there several Latin to English conversion web sites. I found NO English to Latin dictionaries (there are many now), thus I had to “guess” what Latin word might be the one I wanted and rely on the various web sites to maybe list few synonyms that might get me where I wanted.
I was familiar with the mottos of both the U. S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard; “Semper Fidelis” and “Semper Paratus”, respectively. In English, “Semper” translates to; “Forever”, “Always”, or “Eternally”. The second word of the Marine Corps motto translates to “Faithful”, or “True (to)”. It is a root of the English word “Fidelity”. The Coast Guard motto’s second word translates to “Prepared”, “Ready” or “Equipped”.
Anyway, being the “Steam Locomotive NUT” that I am, I wanted a Latin word or phrase that would represent “Steam” locomotives and how “I” feel about them.
But…, obviously, when Latin was the language in vogue there were no Steam Locomotives around to have a word coined to identify them, so I needed some other word that would be well suited to express what a Steam Locomotive was all about (in “my” mind).
Mammay76 – I don’t know if that is it. I don’t recall it being any layout in particular. Also, I’m not the one doing the harbor layout, and I do not recall a port being a part of the puzzle. Thanks.
The neat thing is that there are, apparently, many such switching problems that can be built to make a small layout special.
Daboneman – You know? That sounds right! Brakeman on the Quincy Local. I’ll see if a friend may have that issue.
I did try the index, but could not identify the item I was looking for from it. I believe you may have done so for me. Thank you.
Semper Vaporo – Ha! I wasn’t too far off. Just this week, I was looking for my sweatshirt with alma mater’s unofficial logo printed, in Latin, around the seal, Nollite illegitimus contarere vos Of course, I was only wanting to wear it because I had the feeling “they” had succeeded in doing just that.