I will be modeling in HO, and am in the process of designing a small module-sized layout - probably 2.5ft x 12ft long, with a removable unscenicked loop for continuous running.
I’m thinking it will probably be set in 1999, 2000, or so.
The problem I’m having is this: Do present day railroads really do any switching at small industries? I plan on modeling Santa Barbara, CA. All of the industries are actually gone, and now frieghts simply buzz through town, or sit on a siding while another frieght or passenger train buzzes past.
I figure I’ll “pretend” some industry still exists.
But do small industries where 1 or 2 (or 5 or 6) cars are getting switched on a daily basis really exist anywhere these days?
Seems to me, if you’re only filling a few cars, most industries would probably just use trucks to take the stuff to the train.
Could I realistically represent modern railroading with industrial spurs that just hold a few (3 or 4) cars? Even using “modelers license”, if those 3 or 4 cars were supposed to represent 10 or 15 cars, is 10 or 15 actually a stretch too?
What do you modern modelers think?
Is this type of railroading simply extinct?
I may throw in the towel and become a transition era guy, when these small industries still existed, and a switcher would actually pick up a few cars full of lemons for example.
This type of railroading definitely does exist. The factory I worked at until a couple of weeks ago (I retired) ship out one to two boxcars per day of pet food.
Here is a list of industries I have seen that ship or receive from one to six cars at a time.
Packing houses
Cold storage warehouses
Frozen food plants
Citrus processing plants
Tomato processing plants
Wineries
Ag chemical distributors
Chemical distributors
Racing fuel distributor
Factories that make plastic products
Plastic recycling plants
Lumber yards
Truss plants
Box plants
Recycling centers
Rebar fabricators
Steel service centers
Scrap yards
Oil field service companies
NGL plants
Oil refineries
Team tracks
Also, it appears the Kidron (formerly Grumman Olson) plant in Tulare, CA. will occasionally unload an autocarrier or two on the San Joaquin Valley Railroad at Exeter, CA. This is strange considering that the plant is right next to the UP mainline.
In regards to your comment about lemons, there are citrus packing houses in Exeter, CA. and Lindsay, CA. that still ship by rail.
Well I know on my way home along the Mississippi River, there are a few elevators that have cars sitting out next to them and I’ve seen them being switched a few times. So at least up here in the upper midwest yes there are still very very few industries.
Your concept is still plenty realistic. Here in Carrollton, we have a Weyerhauser Recycled Paper warehouse. Its good for two or three boxcars three times a week as well as truck trailer traffic. Power for the local usually consists of gp-38 sets with an assortment of cars. So with a two and a half foot width, your structures can vary between full size and flats and still accomplish alot of operations. Have Fun!
Well, I can’t help you with Santa Barbara specifically, but I can confirm “this still exists”.
Near my home, Adams County, PA is a huge apple-growing area. Mott’s, Musselman’s and all are there, along with countless small growers, processors, shippers, etc. There are multiple apple warehouses alongside the road, most with small spurs for 1-2 cars, and all still seemingly in use.
One day I’d love to try and model this area. There’s trackage running up from Cumberland Valley into Adams County that is so steep and windy I’m surprised I don’t see a Shay puffing away up it, but somehow they manage to get up and down it with GP diesels…
There are definitely places where a small-carload industry is fine–the Sacramento Bee takes paper deliveries 1-2 cars at a time on an industrial spur, served by a pair of retread Geeps (GP38s I think) and MP15s make deliveries around town too. A number of spurs on the old SP mainline between Sacramento and Roseville are not much bigger than 2-3 car capacities each, receiving mostly construction materials.
Out of my terminal we service the following 1 to 5 car customers
3 Building Supply houses
3 Produce companies
3 Trash/recycling firms
3 Paper companies
2 Plastics plants
1 Bakery
1 Propane dealer
1 Soap Plant
We use anything from MP15s to SD50s depending on the customer. Most of these guys get service everyday or every other day.
Across the street from my business, there is a concrete plant with a siding right beside the Norfolk Southern mainline. Once a week, a NS Dash 9 will pick up 4-5 empty cars and leave 4-5 full ones. Also, about a quarter mile down the road, there is a branchline siding. The same Dash 9 will swap out a couple of tank cars and pellet cars on this siding. Once or twice a week, the branchline’s GP-16 will deliver those cars about 10 miles north of the mainline. If you look hard enough, there is still plenty of switching going on!
Here in Oakland/Alameda I drive by a cement plant every day on the way to work. At the cement plant there are 2 spurs at the end of a 2 mile branch from the Oakland yard. This is based on personal observation only - the branch services the Embacardero area of Oakland on an as needed basis - maybe once a week or so. Track is in very rough shape. The cement plant seems like the only viable customer left, although the train has more cars than that. They get several covered hoppers a week delivering materials - the rest comes in by barge. Finished product goes out by truck.
It looks like there are more of these types of industries still around than you could possibly fit on your layout. There are more than I can fit on my layout.
Here are some more.
Frito Lay plant
Glass plant
Composite roof shingle plant
And let me add a brick mfg. that ships 1 to 3 box cars out per day. The plant is right beside the main yard, industrial area of town. It has a couple of ramps that cubes of bricks are loaded via forklift.
Jarrell
If you want to model modern railroading on a small layout, my suggestion would be to model a branchline operation rather than a busy mainline where trains just pass through the location you are modeling. Many of these still exist.
Near where I live, there is a branch line which runs from the town of Newark, OH north through Utica and into Mt. Vernon. My understanding is it services only grain elevators in the latter two towns and at most runs one train daily to the northern terminus and back. It used to serve Fredricktown farther up the line but those tracks were removed last year. It is my guess they lost their customer in that city.
You wouldn’t have to limit yourself to a single industry operation. I’m sure you could find a line with multiple customers to model. On the other hand, if you want to free lance, you can make up your own rules.
Here is my Station jobs for the BNSF in my neck of the woods. Day job gets its traina nd heads for Davenport Iowa leaving cars for IAIS, Gos to alcoa and switches the east side of the plant ( 6 to 10 cars daily) Afternoon job comes switches west side of plant or finishes east side as well (if day crew got tied up by traffic) then goes to Bettendorf to interchange with Clinton job ( bnsf) and ICE.Crosses river to go to Dohrn in RI and drop 6-8 cars there daily ( more soon there as they want to expand) then to IAIS yard for cars going to Galesburg. noon job goes to IBP in Joslin and a sugar plant inThomson il. This little section of the BNSF is mostly on others tracks but we are not giving it up as the ALcoa money alone pays the salary of all 5 jobs ( engineer conductor and brakeman)
Night job sets up day jobs train and can dogcatch the noon job.
Also Galesburg has a job 104 on days that does a tie plant and some yard work 204 afternoon that does ADM yard work and GI yard ( where reefers get serviced)
I am thinking of modeling my area for just that. Big power at times on other roads tracks ( some shaky to the extreme) So dont worry it still exists.