HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

Model railroading in all scales and gauges. HO talk welcome :)
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David Collins
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Quick update: I sent my walthersmainline NS SD60M out for detailing, and I just got it back, it looks insane! Micah Davenport (or Micah_D on this site) did a ditchlight install, put a PTC antenna on the roof and added grab irons.

Also, After some thinking, I’ve decided to make my layout operate with a card order system, rather than just non-organized chaos.

The system is still a bit tricky, and there’s still some kinks being worked out with it. The main yard on the layout serves as an interchange point, so I decided to make a little cubby for the car cards to go in for when a train is in the yard.

I made the cubby so that there is one side for CSX and one side for NS. The CSX side is for cars going out on a CSX train and cars coming in off of the CSX. The NS side is for cars that are sitting in the yard (unless it’s a coal train, those don’t have car cards).

Whenever N-07 (the CSX interchange) comes in, the yardmaster in charge picks up the cards and re-arranges them in the order that makes most since for the trains taking them where ever.

If that doesn’t make sense, let me use an example. Let’s say that TBOX #889444 were to come in off of the CSX interchange from train N-07. However the car needs to go to Bangor Paper via the Portland Secondary on train H76, and there’s other cars being picked up or set out by H76 at the factory. The yardmaster would then put the TBOX and the other cars going to Bangor Paper in an order where it takes the least amount of time and effort to pick up and spot cars at the factory, and yes, trains are blocked together.

There are some cars that don’t get interchanged on the layout, such as Appree plastics, where their cars travel from Philipsburg (where the distributor is, which is right next to the yard) to Bangor (their factory) and back every day. Essentially, it’s very hard not to see at least one or two boxcars in both of their spurs everyday.

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David Collins
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Today I'm starting work on some wooden bins that will be setup at locations where industries are present that waybills will go into, there are three slots, one for cars being dropped off, one for cars being picked up, and one for cars being held at the industry.

I have just started recently doing the practice of holding cars at industries, particularly Pennsylvania Paper Distributors in Bangor, the industry gets two cars per day. With that, however, the loading dock track can only fit one car, so a car that would be dropped off by a train is held at the industry until the next train comes that works the industries in Bangor (including PPD), which would shuffle the pickup, drop-off and the car being held so that the car being held is now in the dock track. Which then becomes the next trains pickup.
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KVERBERK
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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The bins are looking good!
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David Collins
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Layout update! I recently acquired 5 very good looking Athearn genesis Procor tank cars, and with that said, that means a new industry on the layout!

The cars run between two separate industries on the layout (a real life distance of about 250 miles), they are loaded at a transloading facility and are delivered to the ADM oil refinery next to Philipsburg yard (the main yard on the lower level).

With the location of the refinery however, a whole new train had to be added to the list of trains going in and out of the yard. Conrail Shared Assets job N-24 (or NS H52) goes on duty after shared assets job N-07 (or CSX Y124) returns from Martins Creek.

That also brings up a new system I’m using, all lower level only trains (the road switchers) are now run by Conrail Shared Assets, however the jobs still have symbols from the railroad that the cars are being delivered to, if the cars are being delivered to the CSX interchange, the train runs with a CSX ID and with CSX locomotives. If a train runs with cars bound for somewhere else on the layout (the upper mainline is NS), the train receives an NS symbol and runs with NS locomotives. This is just to clear up any confusion with the yard master in terms of routing the cars to the interchange or elsewhere along the layout. For the crews running the locals on the lower level however, they run with a Conrail ID.

N-24 runs to the switch just outside of the yard, and reverses into the ADM refinery, drops off loads and picks up empties, and runs back to the yard around the layout. N-24 runs with a buffer car and 1-2 tank cars. The refinery processes approximately 15 car loads per week.

The cars are rhen sorted onto train H76, which runs to Portland, Pennsylvania, where it switches industries, including the transloading facility where the empty cars go. H76 drops off empties and picks up loads from the transload facility.

That’s all for now, stay tuned!
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AARR
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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I like how you are setting up the operations of your layout
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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David Collins
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Layout update!

Cresson steel opened a location in Martins Creek, they ship out 6 car loads (gondolas in this case) of scrap metal a week. This industry is on the Northampton County industrial lead and is switched by Conrail Shared Assets job N-07 (CSX Y124). These cars are then interchanged with CSX in Philipsburg Yard.

Speaking of Northampton County industries, Agrico (a phosphate distributor) is now receiving 14 car loads per week, instead of the original 10. They receive loaded covered hoppers with phosphate from The Bone Valley in Florida. This industry is also switched by Shared Assets job N-07 and the cars are also interchanged with CSX in Philipsburg yard.

Business is also popping at Pennsylvania Paper Distributors on the upper level, with them now getting two cars per day instead of one. PPD receives boxcars loaded with rolls of paper and is switched by NS H76. The cars are interchanged with CSX on the lower level.

More to come soon!
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David Collins
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Layout update‼️

The Portland, Pennsylvania industry lead is finally wired up, and now as a result both industries on the lead are finally getting rail service!

The first industry is a small grain co-op that receives one to two cars per day, mainly from Van Den Bosch Feed in Zeeland, Michigan :) , while the other one is a potato distributor that gets one boxcar a day from out west. I don’t have any reefers yet, but that will change soon, so NS 60’ high cubes will do for now.

With that said, an all new local has been established for that area on the upper level. NS H72 goes on duty in Philipsburg, NJ and runs straight to Portland with no stops, works the potato distributor first then the co-op. Then returns mainly with empties for Philipsburg.

Cresson Steel in Martins Creek now receives one car everyday, not every other day. This time in the form of AIMX hoppers.

The oil refinery in Bangor and transload facility in Philipsburg are still switched daily, 2-3 cars per day.

The plastics mill on the bottom level now gets 2-3 cars per day instead of one. Mainly in the form of hoppers and boxcars.

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western interchange (DLW) in Bangor gets around 4-5 cars per switch. Mainly cars from the plastics mill and the scrap metal company, as well as a car or two from the phosphate facility at Martins Creek, which is getting anywhere between 1-2 cars per day.

Not much has changed in terms of power, other than the addition of a Scaletrains BNSF ES44DC, this engine will be used on the long-haul local that is NS H76 and the coal trains.

More to come soon!
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Re: HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

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Sounds like its coming along nicely!
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