Hey All,
I have a bare space on my layout that is about 12’ long by 2’ or 3’ wide. I would like to put an modern intermodal yard in that space. Does anyone have a simple yet effect track plan/design for that space? Right now I would have a single lead coming off of a double track mainline into the intermodal yard which would be stub ended at the other end. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
when you say modern do we assume the lifts will be done with an overhead crane? how long a train do you intend to run? no cabooses, right? will arriving trains head into the yard? does the road power go to the engine house at some other nearby location?
i think two tracks side by side under the crane (cranes) with a switch or crossover at the stub end so the road power can escape. perhaps one other track off to one side for extra cars that are to be loaded or unloaded under the crane on the other two tracks.
yard engine can get behind a long inbound train, make a cut and then double it into the yard after road power gets away. outbound trains can hold the main when they double out for departure while getting an air test.
if you don’t run all the inbound cars back out then make a cut and leave the emptys behind. (don’t forget the fred) this is assuming the cars are loaded in station order.
pave everything.
grizlump
Basically what Grizlump said. Two tracks on 15-20 ft centers (narrower if you are using an overhead crane) with the rest of the area paved. The tracks should be double ended and tied into the main or siding on both ends Have two or three lane widths of open space on either side of the tracks and the rest of the area is a parking lot or stacking area. Have a modern office building with gate, an empty storage area for chassis and a small two bay truck garage for maintaining the hostlers and drayage tractors. You need at lead one more packer/crane than you want to load.
Bing is your friend for modern stuff. Some real world examples I know of are CN’s Moterm in Ferndale, MI, and NS’s terminal in Delray. The NS terminal is smaller and may be a better prototype for a compressed model. Both are double-ended.
These are three photos of Norfolk Southern’s Huntsville, Alabama Intermodal Facility from several years ago. It was difficult to get really good photos because of securtiy but if memory serves me right there is one track coming off the main which splits into one loading/off-loading track serviced by the two overhead cranes, one engine track and one storage track which ends in a ramp for circus loading/unloading. Also check out Kalmbach’s, The Model Railroader’s Guide to Intermodal Equipment and Operations, by Jeff Wilson. It has the plans for a stub end N Scale Intermodal Yard which could be adapted to your needs. Hope this helps.
This view shows on end of the yard with the other crane barely visible on the far end. To the left is the engine track then the one loading-off/loading track and the stacks of containers on the right.
This is a view of the stub end of the yard with the other crane and the unloading ramp.
This view shows the engine track and the storage track. There actually may be two storage tracks
Ray