I’ve started a shelf layout centered around the Powder River BNSF coal operations. For the advantages of a. not having to physically remove/replace the coal loads, and b. not having to stop the train at each layout end per a, and thus “extending” the mainline length, I’m trying to come up with a loads in/empties out scenario on one of the ends of the layout.
Simple enough to do of course; the usual divider, with in this case, a power plant on one side, a coal flooder on the other. Loads go into the plant, and exit the flooder on the other side, etc.
Problems that this scenario present, that I can’t figure out a way around.
I was hoping to simulate a mid-western, eastern, or something similar power plant. The obvious differences (lush vegetation, trees, etc.) between such a plant’s location and an eastern Wyoming flooder’s location (dry, barren high desert) would seem to me to look quite silly on opposite sides of each other on a backdrop per a loads in/empties out scenario.
Anyone else done something similar ? Maybe I’m making to big a deal of it, and it wouldn’t look bad ?
Appreciate anyone’s ideas/thoughts on the subject.
Bring the backdrop all the way out to the edge of the table between the two scenes, possibly with a T-form at the end of a peninsula, so the trees aren’t visible from prairie dog country.
Put the two scenes at the opposite ends of the (nominally point to point) railroad and connect them with a scale mile of hidden track.
Since you’re dealing with unit trains, which keep their motive power, either is possible.
A third possibility, which I am using, is a modified form of 2. above, without a power plant. The loaded train disappears into a mainline tunnel, and shortly reappears empty. The empties return to the mine and pass under the tipple and storage bins, from which the loaded train shortly reappears. The interesting part will be trying to get the trains identical (car numbers, easy. Weathering, not so easy.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with an early unit coal operation)
Hmmm…some possibilities here, thanks ! Tunnels are out, as I’m doing part of the BNSF route into Nebraska, and there are none there (anymore), but maybe some other terrain (ridge, etc.) could be used.
If you are talking about the ‘balloon’ at the end of a loop, you could do this: double-sided backdrop along the middle of the loop. At the end of the loop place a city. The train goes into a Northern Power and Light complex. It cuts through a hole in the backdrop and on the other side it comes out of a cut leading towards a ‘mine’ (actually paint or photo pasted to backdrop). The city buildings extend around the loop and a rather tall one has a cutout to hold the edge. More buildings (on both sides) hide where the track goes, and the hole in the backdrop. The mine side might feature an interstate highway to be ‘the edge of town’ and disguise things you do not want the viewer to see.
Even with flatland terrain, anywhere near a river might have a local 6-ft drop in altitude, and so need some cuts, fills, and/or grades. Creative placements might allow you to give the train a hide-behind, from the observer’s point of view. Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, although usually though of as ‘flat’, still have landforms like the Black Hills to deal with.
I model the Kansas City Southern and I am in the process of developing a large coal fleet. The KCS gets unit coal trains from the BNSF (BN) for my 1980’s layout and runs them to quite a few power plants. (KCLX, SEPX & GSUX for my era)
I will be modeling some of the power plants, but my Powder River Basin coal fields are represented by hidden staging. The loaded BN unit trains from Powder river come from a hidden staging yard to the KCS (Knoche Yard in Kansas City) where my KCS crews pick them up and run them to the power plants. The power plant delivery tracks run into the hidden staging. I don’t have to exchange loads for empties. In essence my layout is a very large oval. The unit trains run a mix of BN/KCS power and the power stays with the unit trains. When the unit train runs from the power plan to hidden staging, the loaded train is ready to apear in again in KC. The empty trains are run from staging to the power plant for a crew to pick up the MTY and return to KC, then form KC into hidden staging.
