I agree, but that’s another reason to avoid modeling modern railroading so as to maximize operational opportunities. A “proper” locomotive servicing area is also an “industry” since railroad-carloads of fuel and sand can be delivered and ash, if applicable, can be shipped. Such an industry has a small footprint but justifes being railroad-served. The loco service yard represents the busiest industry along my layout plan’s mainline (representing a single town with four other small-footprint industries, now rare/defunct: stock pen, team track, house track, and sand/gravel facility).
By having that helper engine service area you will need a hostler,a hostler’s helper and 1 or 2 laborers 24/7…See why railroads dump the smaller engine service areas?
Even in the steam era servicing areas for helpers was limited and most helpers returned to their pocket tender first.
As far as team tracks they are still in wide use-modern term “Distribution Track”.Even the old freight house is back as a “distribution center”…
Dan;
A helper pocket can prove to be quite an asset, as well as adding operation to the layout. I model the B&O, and chose to model the smallest of the three major helper stations for the railroad over the Allegheney mountains at Hyndman, Pa.
To specifically answer your question, the prototype could use such a siding if their was room and especially if it wouldn’t inconvience revenue traffic from the industry. If the railroad deamed main line traffic sufficient to keep a locomotive there on an on going basis, then they would eventually have their own siding clear of the industry traffic. If all that you plan to have is just a siding big enough for the locomotive itself, or if you are going to use the industrial spur for the helper, you won’t really need any supporting facilities. This will especially work well with diesels.Locomotives can be rotated back to the yards for servicing with a through train.
If you are using steam, your idea won’t work without the support of water, coal and sand, as these items could virtually be gobbled up in less than an hour, especially water. A pair of helpers going from Hyndman to Sand patch wouldn’t be able to make much more than a round trip, and they would be quite low on water. Their was a water tank at Southhampton WB, and a tank at Keystone EB if the crews felt the need to fill up. Coal volume could be reduced by at least 30% for a round trip, and would be topped off with a clam shell crane from a gondola car. In steam days Hyndman had a ready track, a service track, a track for gondola’s with coal & boxcars with sand for the sand house and a track for the new diesels that were being tested out on the hill. Their w
Dan, if your proposal makes sense, then it is "prototypical. Let me give you an example of a rather complex operation dictated by specific operational conditions in difficult terrain and weather.
The Moffat Road ran west from Denver over the top of the front range of the Rockies at Corona Pass. Elevation was about 11,600 feet. Grades were 4% and curvatures were about 20 degrees. It was winter about nine or ten months of the year. The railroad operated this Corona line for more than 30 years before the Moffat tunnel was built, making operations much easier.
It was soon found that the Moffat’s fleet of 2-8-0 hogs and 2-6-6-0 Mallets (then the largest locomotives in the country) were no match for the snows of Corona, and the largest rotary plow soon followed. One wasn’t enough and the Moffat eventually ended up with three. Two were on the hill all the time with the third in the shop having its blades rebuilt from chewing trees and rocks. When it was snowing (most of the time during winter) the line would be snowed shut if a plow train wasn’t able to get over the line every six or eight hours.
In order to permit the operation of these plow trains, wyes were built at several locations on both sides of the summit. Each wye was equipped with a water tank (there was nothing more useless than a plow train out of water) and there was coal at the summit inside the snowshed at Corona.
A revenue train stood very little chance of getting over the line unless it followed immediately behind a plow train. For this reason, it was quite typical for passenger and freights to be coupled directly behind the plow train. Imagine what a nightmare a water stop turned out to be. The rotary, two or three engines in the plow train, and two or three additional engines in the passenger and freight trains. Average speed in deep snow was only two or three miles an hour and perhaps ten miles an hour if the snow was light.
SP used to park a “deck” (2-10-2) in the Sagus Ca, siding for helper duty, with the exception of a water tank the nearest facaities were located at Taylor Yard, depending on tonnage and routing , helpers were also added at Burbank Junction, equally devoid of servicing facalities, so there is precedence for those modeling the steam era.
Dave
Dan;
You may want to check out BNSF’s Crawford Hill NE helper district…
http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/crawfordhill/index.php
Reading Company use to have a helper pocket in Wyomissing, PA, on the Lebanon Valley Branch about 2 miles west of Reading’s main yard. (If needed, helpers could be serviced at the engine terminal and servicing facilities in the Reading yard between helper assignments.) EB trains heading toward Allentown, PA, would stop at Valley Tower midway between Wyomissing and Reading where there was a water spout for the lead locomotive to take on water before attacking the Hill Line grade on the East Penn Branch between Reading to Topton on their way to Allentown. (Thru trains from Rutherford and points west to Allentown bypassed the main Reading Yard.) While the train was stopped for water, the helper would be cleared out of the pocket at Wyomissing and couple onto the end of the train. When the head end and helper were ready, they would signal each other to proceed through Reading, cross the main line from Philly to Pottsville, and then diverge onto the East Penn Branch and work the Hill Line grade. Helpers would usually cut off at Blandon and return back to Reading for servicing and/or another helper assignment. Occassionally, the helpers would stay on to Topton if needed. In the mid 1950’s, the Reading built the Blandon Low-Grade Line to bypass the Hill Line grade up to Blandon, reducing the need for helpers. Diesels also reduced the need for helpers. The helper pocket at Wyomissing was later abandoned due to lack of use and eventually removed when Wyomissing Jct. was rebuilt by Conrail. The Hill Line grade likewise was removed by Conrail and all service to Allentown now is via the Low-Grade line.
Another helper district on the Reading was the 2.6% Locust Summit grade west of Gordon, PA, up to Locust Summit, PA. Reading had a small locomotive servicing facility at Gordon to service the locomotives between helper assignments. This line continues to
Brakie I know sometimes having worked on the RR gets in the way of our responses. As for helper and pushers the N&W/NS in the early 80’s had assigned helper jobs in the eastern coal hauling areas… It was made clear that’s all you did was set in the assigned pocket in the boonies for your 8 - 12 hr shift. The job was treated just like working a local with over time pay and all. Some other helper jobs were called as needed and you were paid to be available or could be worked like an extra board but for a few helpers in the area. These were head end and rear end jobs. 12hrs paid 5 or 6 days a week made for some pretty good pay. One requirement was being willing to carry a firearm for the snakes at the switch stands.