how many people have interchanges on thier layouts ? I plan to have interchanges with a trolley line and the MKT on my layout that will be built in the transition era ( someday ) but my layout that should begin constuction soon ( will be more orinted to modern, but I will operate other stuff on it until the second on is built ) will have at least three.
I plan on having 2 active interchanges with the CPR.
One of them is going to be with the MEC & B&M while the other is for the eastern railroads locomotives I have.
The MEC will have actual industries online, most likely a paper mill while the other will be either a one or 2 track staging track.
Both will interchange pretty much anything I want/need per session.
Gordon
That depends whether or not I get control over the MT through hostile takeover or have to settle for trackage rights, that’s one interchange. The other will be with CN, formerly the Inter Colonial RR.[;)]
As Director of Preventing Horribly Oversized Traffic on the Maritime Trunk, I can say that Fergie is very welcome to visit, but any takeover is out of the question. Sincerely, DER5997[:-^]
BTW Fergie, when you come a few bits of the bark would be nice, but 50lbs…[:O]
Now, to the topic, the MT has an interchange with the CN at a location to be named later[:D]
I tried to show you a pic, but railimages seems to be having a funny five minutes.
http://www.railimages.com/gallery/johnwood will get you there. Look in the subalbum , there should be a shot or two of how the interchange looks from its fiddle yard.
It’s based on an idea published by Gordon Odegard in MR some many years ago under The New Lisbon Module. I toyed with his “shared” station idea, but have decided to go with one for each road.
I will definitely have interchanges with several railroads on my layout!
BC
The primary focus of my layout is interchange. I’m modeling the NKP line between Peoria and Bloomington, IL (about 1/3 of the way to the NKP’s Frankfort division point). The NKP didn’t have any facilities nor a yard in Peoria, instead using the local belt line (P&PU). The NKP in Peoria uses P&PU trackage and engine facility, and trains are called by the P&PU yardmaster when they’re ready for departure. The P&PU represents traffic from 14 railroads. I’ve currently got two interchange yards and one “live” yard that represent all the traffic in town, and have space for two more small staging yards.
From Peoria, the NKP runs 35 miles East to Bloomington. Along the way, the mainline interchanges with the TP&W (live interchange, two track staging), the PRR (live staging, two tracks), the ATSF (simulated interchange), the GM&O (live interchange), the P&E (live interchange, 4 tracks and active mainline), and the IC (live interchange, 2 tracks). Even one of my interchange roads interchanges with a live interchange line, with the P&E interchanging with the IT at Mackinaw! I can live route freight cars to five different roads: IT to P&E to NKP to P&PU to M&StL, for example)
Interchange traffic is key to my layout. I model a number of online industries and three yards (one of size), but most of the traffic to/from those industries come from three live interchanges (I am modeling BNSF Wichita Falls [TX] sub) with UP at Fort Worth, with the Fort Worth and Western at Saginaw, and with the Wichita, Tillman and Jackson at Wichita Falls. I think these interchanges make operations much more interesting and the variety of loco’s and rolling stock they allow make the layout visually more interesting.
Ron
My layout too is based heavily on interchange traffic. My 6-foot shelf layout has two interchanges, one with WP and one with SP, and will actually feature two more WP interchanges (it was owned by WP and had multiple interchange points) as well as an interchange with Central California Traction, which shared switching chores on part of the belt line but had its own line south out of town.
Oklahoma Train Nut: You mention an interchange with a trolley line–I assume your electric line handles freight, which will be interchanged? If your trolley line is passengers-only, typically such interchanges were not physical connections, but they did “interchange” passengers–a local trolley line would almost always stop at the passenger depot to carry regional passengers to their final destination. But electric lines that carried freight would have a physical connection–typically these lines were electrified so the electric motors could work the interchange.
Cool that you’re interested in trolleys–I found a link for an OK City heritage trolley line that is running now:
http://www.subways.net/usa/ok.htm
Here’s a couple of links to Salupa, OK related trolley sites:
One for sure that’s fully operational and used during operating sessions; I’m also planning on modeling another one in Dalhart that will probably be mostly for show.
I have four. The space restrictions of a 2 1/2’ x 5’ layout means that I have to use one track (and it’s staging extension) to represent all four interchanges. But interchanges play a large part in my operations.
—jps
Absolutely.My N scale industrial switching layout has a interchange since I had the space to add one.
Welllllllllll, I use the one track of my Yard as an interchange. After an operating session, “The Hand” Decents on those cars and they are taken off, and new ones tha twill be used two op sessions from now are placed there instead. Then during the op session, they are moved to other yard tracks, and when the train returning with emties gets to the yard it parks them on that track, and the process repeats.
Noah
I model a fictional railroad, the Zephyr Creek Belt Line, a small switching layout. I currently have 1 interchange with the SP, WP, and San Francisco Belt Line ( cars from the WP and S.F.B.L come to us through the SP trackage via tracxkage writes or incoming SP trains ) All cars enter and exit on my 6 inch long interchange track. Having a cut of cars blocking the runaround track. I rely on the interchange as my railroad switches around 9 cars a day, 7 days a week[xx(]. I have a large “shelf” layout planned that will provide an operating interchang, a personal yard for the Z.C.B.L, and passengers to the city of Zepher Creek [:D] to much work to do. Sorry to bore Ya’ll, Talk to you later
My plan is based on actual trackage at Fort Collins, CO (my home). Here, the C&S interchanges with the UP coming over from Greeley, CO. There are two separate branch lines: Rex and a C&S branch to Greeley. Also, a friend of mine’s fictional railroad will share the Rex branch and use it to interchange in town. Switching and interchange, as opposed to mainline operations, will be the focus of my line.
Good luck with your plans.
Dave
The C&S lives!
I model the ATSF in the s team to diesel transition era (early 1950s) in Colorado. Most of the layout focuses on the ATSF, but a major feature isan interchange with the D&RGW. Beyond the interchange yard there is a short joint D&RGW/ATSF mainline and a reverse loop for the D&RGW. This feature generates a lot of traffic and makes the visitor better understand how a railroad works.
I also interchange with a branch line serving coal and oil producers. All of this creates a lot of trains movements in a confined space.
Having interchange traffic allows foreign road cars to come and go as they do on the prototype. Even without a track set aside as an interchange track, this operation can be a part of an operating session. Have a tain powered by a connecting railway bring the interchange cars into a yard, drop these cars and pick up a block of cars that have been marshalled by the yard crew(s) and leave. This trian can simply come from a staging yard track and return to that track after using running rights for access.
Gentlemen,
My around-the-room wide shelf layout is basicly std gauge HO,
with some HOn3 interchange on dual gauge track for a mineral
hauling line (the Amargossa Valley Line) neaqr Death Valley.
The necessity of loading and unloading cars, and using common
material handling facilities makes for a busy section of the layout,
with interesting moves bo diverse equipment.
I had a lot of fun with the dual gauge trackage crossing the SP main line
(with ATSF trackage rights)
Phil
It’s April, 1976 in Whitefield, New Hampshire. At the ball signal, which protects the crossing, Maine Central train RY-2 (Portland, ME-St. Johnsbury, VT) is dropping cars on the interchange track. Boston and Maine train G-1 (Wells River-Groveton,VT) will later lift these loads on the way north to the paper mill in Groveton, VT and will drop mtys on the return trip. Meanwhile, over in St. Johnsbury, MEC RY-2 has arrived with a large cut of westbound traffic for CP Rail and a string of cars for exchange with the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County RR. All this activity in the “North Kingdom” originates and terminates in an 11-track staging yard. Yes, definitely include an interchange/s on your railroad for additional operational interest. Let the FUN begin.
Although I am doing Free-mo modules, I may consider doing a set of Beiber, CA, which was a busy interchange between my Great Northern (1948) and the Western Pacific highline up north from Keddie. Problem is that was 99% freight and my 14 car Empire Builder would be way detoured!
My proposed N - Scale , Erie and Huron Railway, will see the Pere Marquette Railway interchange with the New York Central , the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway just as it actually did in the fall of 1949 in South - Western Ontario , between Erieau on the North shore of Lake Erie and Chatham , Ontario .