I am thinking about incorporating lumber yard operations whenever I build my layout. I have a few Walthers center beam flatcars. I also have the lumber loads that fit into them. I bought the cars and loads real cheap at a train show a few years ago. Anyway, I know that a lumber yard only receives loads by rail.
My question is how would I make more detailed, yet removable loads? I want to operate as the loaded car comes in and then the empty car goes out.
Thanks in advance.
I have flat cars with removable loads that are held down to the car deck using those strong little magnets purchased from Radio Shack. Can do this magnet method with center beam flat cars or any car that has a steel weight below the car floor.
No, plenty of lumber yards are not served by rail at all. And the one local one that I know of that does feature the occasional centerbeam car would certainly accept supplies brought in by truck.
Ed
I think the OP meant that retail lumber yards only receive rail freight loads if they have sidings, and they do not generate loads - lumber loads are delivered by the lumber yard’s road vehicle (i.e. trucks, nowadays usually flatbeds w/ a lifttruck attached to the rear), or taken away by customers in their road vehicles (cars or trucks), or some other combination - but not usually by rail.
Anyway, are the loads the plastic Walthers 2 shells representing wrapped lumber loads? I was going to replace the pin/tube connectors between the shell halves on mine w/ magnets/metal rod, but didn’t get around to it - should work, at least if you use strong enough magnets and epoxy them in tightly so they don’t flip apart while in transit)
An efficient lumber yard would have direct access to both sides of railroad cars because some loads would need to be unloaded from a particular side or both sides.
Mark
There was an operation near my office that was essentially a big paved parking lot with tracks in it. It was several acres in size but not huge. As Mark suggested the centre beam cars could easily be unloaded from both sides by fork lifts. Trucks of all sizes, right down to pickups would come in and load up. I am assuming the lumber went right to the retailers from there. I only ever saw empties leaving.
Brent
I’ve only ever seen wrapped lumber on centrebeam flats, but for bulkhead flats, regular flats, gondolas, and boxcars, you can easily build your own loads using scale lumber or painted styrene.
To keep the cost down, the loads are hollow:
Mine are all held in place by blocking and stakes, and are completely removeable. While they’ll fit the same manufacturer’s similar cars, they’re not interchangeable with most other manufacturers’ cars of the same types, due either to the stake spacing or to the width of the car. I mark my loads on their interior as to the particular car(s) which they’ll fit.
You can add weight to the loads, as I did for the modified Athearn car with the bulkheads, or glue magnets inside to help keep them in place, although I think that the stakes and blocking enhance the appearance.
As Mark notes, some cars, especially centrebeams, need to be unloaded (and loaded) from both sides and this needs to be done in steps to prevent tipping.
Wayne
Correct. I was just talking about the retail lumber yards that only receive freight loads. I drive by one everytime I go to class. It receives all of its lumber by rail. I am thinking using their facility as a modeling reference.
Yes, the Walthers loads that I have are the 2 shells and represent wrapped loads. I am thinking about making my own and give them a little more detail.
So your the guy that put the washers in the middle of my roll of Loonies.[swg]
Brent
Naw, 'tweren’t me - I usually don’t have enough money to buy the package of washers, never mind the loonies on the ends. [(-D]
Wayne
Take a look at this old thread, and especially my response post (the third post in the thread) which may be useful and informative (of course, all my posts are useful and informative, but that goes without saying [:P] ).
Anyway, although some of the images in that post are dead, the link to that model lumber wrapper company works, and perhaps the whole thread may give you some info…
Unless a forklift operator has a death wish he will unload each side equally or the car will tip over.
Yep. This isn’t a railroad story, but trucks. About a year and a half ago we shipped out some serious hazmat containing electrical equipment. The truck tipped during unloading which drove a major safety investigation. They tried to blame it on the way it was loaded, but during the investigation, it was found they parked the truck on a grade and unloaded one side all the way without unloading the other. Fortunately no one was hurt and only one unit was damaged, but the receiver had to do a spill clean up.
“Modeling Logging Railroads Vol. 1 and 2” the PDFs from Kalmbach, have information on how Sawmills work, 3 has ideas for building one.
As a Merchant Mariner, trust me not all lumber is moved by rail. There are still several operations in the northwest and Maine that float timber down rivers in rafts. Lambert’s Pt terminals in Norfolk Va, not only moves coal but it ships pretty much everything else including lumber. The coal is handled at Pier 6 and the freight is handled at Piers N and P. Lumber (and all freight) come into the warehouses by rail usually on flat cars, but not always and is offloaded by forklift. The cars roll into the building with the tracks built below grade to make the floor of the warehouses level with the cars. Then they move the product through very large overhead doors to the dock. From there, packaged loads are lifted onto the ships for overseas shipment. Obviously, I’m fascinated by marine operations, so this is just another idea to move product from point A to point B. My personal layout has a harbor which brings in oil and ships out lumber as well as steel and furniture. The finished lumber product magically shows up at the mill everytime. (at least for now)
Would some lumber (and perhaps other loads) be wrapped in paper or plastic to protect it in transit? If so, this could be modeled by printing up the bundles on card stock and folding them into boxes, much as some do to create a lot of containers.
Yes,the majority of the lumber loads I seen has been wrap in plastic that bares the name of the lumber company such as CanFor,Georgia Pacific etc