Show your switching/shunting layout!

[Ken Ford]

I'm working on a concept for a small 1/80 switching plank - I'd like to keep it to 6' long over two modules but (since I want a small runaround) it may grow to 7', both plus a "fiddle stick" at one end for staging.  I want to build this to take to local shows.

 

I'm thinking this will be either a brewery or (less likely) a commercial bakery, and it will be set sometime in the late JNR or early JRF era.  Stock will be a DE10, Wamu80000s, Hoki2200s for grain or rice (what a model!) and possibly a tank car or two.  If it's a brewery the Hokis would be used to bring in Hokkaido hops, the tanks for something else used in the process and the Wamus for outbound shipments. 

 

It's likely to be a modified Inglenook with a passing loop added to the front (longest) track to allow a train to arrive locomotive first, run around and then drill the two tracks at the factory.  There would be set spots for unloading the covered hoppers and tank cars, and also a dock for loading the boxcars.  I'll get a trackplan up shortly.

 

Ever since I found Shinohara does both 12mm and 13mm points and flex I'm very tempted to do it narrowed, but that would add a lot to the complexity.  Still ruminating about that decision.

 

Question: are Trackmobiles or similar in common use in Japan for on-site industrial switching?  I'm trying to add "play value" to make it more interesting for viewers.

[marknewton]

Yes, Ken, there were little shunting tractors in use all over Japan, somewhere here there's a thread about them with video of one shunting a cement plant on the Iida line. There was also a fleet of small diesel shunting locos operated by Nippon Express at various industrial sites.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Ken Ford]

Thanks, Mark - there's the one in post 46 above, I'll do some searching to see what I can find.

[marknewton]

Makes me think of these things... not sure if they're used for shunting or not.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424988186.119413.jpg

Yes, they are. That one is rather up-market, it's got a cab! :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[kvp]

Imho you can have your runaround and still keep it small enough.

The train can enter the bottom track, the locomotive gets out on the middle, then shunts the factory as a normal inglenook. The turnouts can also be used to reorder the cars by adding to the end of the consist from the middle track.

Edited February 27, 2015 by kvp

[velotrain]

 

It does seem perfect.  Passing sections, a switchback, loading, shunting, grade crossings, a pier bridge, engine sheds, small stations, modern signals, beautiful scenery, main line interchange, no catenary, nice looking locomotives…  What more could you want?  I wonder if there’s a tunnel…

 

 

Need you ask?

 

   

 

It does have great modeling potential, especially in the passenger era.  It would be a lot for one person, so might be best as a modular layout, maybe starting with the major locations, with additional scenic modules added later.

[kvp]

And it's one of the places where you can add the Tomix BRT set to a layout and still be 100% prototypical.

 

Btw. The old overpass above the bus lanes look rather funny with the current setup, i wonder how many people walk across it instead of just crossing the bus lanes directly from the station's side platform to the island platform.

[velotrain]

I found one more photo I really like, and a bit unusual for an industrial line.

 

 

Although the current traffic is consistent, and perhaps uninteresting, there are ways to add other trains - beyond backdating to the passenger era.  

 

Theorizing/pretending that there is no road access to the limestone mine adds several possibilities.

Trains carrying materials for additions/repairs to the mine.

A morning and evening shuttle for the workers at the mine.

Spring and fall "company outing" trains, or even public sightseeing trains.

Trains/cars bringing food/supplies to the mine - this could just be a car or two added to the empties, as could the workers shuttle car - their being employees reduces the insurance aspect.

 

The only thing limiting what you can do is your imagination - and your personal level of commitment to prototype ops  ;-)

 

 

[katoftw]

 

You can even stroll around the surrounding streets on Google StreetView:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.088451,141.710312,3a,75y,325.9h,77.86t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1Bg2kNtyWwIQSfgOwXORyA!2e0

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.084469,141.711756,3a,75y,320.82h,87.95t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSzgE-bfru6S-9Fa8DZXb8Q!2e0

 

Edit: And how about a video of them loading up the limestone?  Amazing what you can find.

 

 

It does seem perfect.  Passing sections, a switchback, loading, shunting, grade crossings, a pier bridge, engine sheds, small stations, modern signals, beautiful scenery, main line interchange, no catenary, nice looking locomotives…  What more could you want?  I wonder if there’s a tunnel…

 

6 minute point in your linked video, there is a tunnel.

[kvp]

 

Trains/cars bringing food/supplies to the mine - this could just be a car or two added to the empties, as could the workers shuttle car - their being employees reduces the insurance aspect.

The proper japanese way to do this would be to use combine emu cars in the passenger train. Or if you want a loco hauled train, then by adding passenger train rated 4 axle freight cars (like waki-s) to the similar old style 4 axle passenger cars. Both microace and kawaii makes them. This would actually be prototypical, seeing the mitsui photo above.

 

ps:

A similar hungarian prototype (BLVV train from 1900): http://villamosok.hu/nza/kispest-beka.jpg http://villamosok.hu/nza/blvv1-beka.jpg

On the other hand those Iwate DD56 locomotives look very similar to the west german V100 locomotives:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ja/9/9e/Iwate-Kaihatsu-DD56×3.JPG

http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/212-054-1-egp-durchfaehrt-am-298311.jpg

[Ken Ford]

Imho you can have your runaround and still keep it small enough.

The train can enter the bottom track, the locomotive gets out on the middle, then shunts the factory as a normal inglenook. The turnouts can also be used to reorder the cars by adding to the end of the consist from the middle track.

I'd like to model inside the fence / outside the fence, and having the runaround outside is a part of that.

[ToniBabelony]

Did anybody actually notice that at the far end of the line, there is a switchback operation to get to the loading point? ;) Very model-worthy I might say.

 

 

---

 

Also, remembering a drive through Oyama (小山) in Tochigi with my inlaws, I discovered a small freight spur that was still in use: http://www.hakanaki-jokei.com/takaoka.html For those who like these massive transformer freight wagons, this is a perfect example. This line sees DE15s and the two cute diesels from the Takaoka Seiakushō Sen'yō-line. (高岳製作所専用線)

http://dekoichi.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2010/03/post-51d5.html

 

With a little imagination, you can also have a few other spurs and other materials, like steel rolls and the like being transported by rail. I think when you concentrate on heavy industry and big producing industries, you can get a long way with switching layouts. Examples like Chichibu RR, Sagami RR, the network around the Tsurumi line, etc. Heck. Damn me. Even Kato has a switching layout on its website based on the JR East Tsurumi line! http://www.katomodels.com/unitrackplan/plan_p3.shtml It's more leaning towards continious running, but it has a switching element to it!

 

 

The proper japanese way to do this would be to use combine emu cars in the passenger train. Or if you want a loco hauled train, then by adding passenger train rated 4 axle freight cars (like waki-s) to the similar old style 4 axle passenger cars. Both microace and kawaii makes them. This would actually be prototypical, seeing the mitsui photo above.

 

IIRC passenger transport would often go together with the freight trains themselves, if not by single or combined DMU car. The Mitsui Mii Tankō Tetsudō example is actually a very rare example of ex-EMU coaches being hauled by electrics. IIRC, I have never seen this before on a post-war (1952<) railway in Japan.

 

On the other hand those Iwate DD56 locomotives look very similar to the west german V100 locomotives:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ja/9/9e/Iwate-Kaihatsu-DD56×3.JPG

http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/212-054-1-egp-durchfaehrt-am-298311.jpg

 

DD56s are basically JNR DD13s: http://rail.hobidas.com/photo/140711_dd13.jpg

Edited February 28, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[Nick_Burman]

I'm working on a concept for a small 1/80 switching plank - I'd like to keep it to 6' long over two modules but (since I want a small runaround) it may grow to 7', both plus a "fiddle stick" at one end for staging.  I want to build this to take to local shows.

 

I'm thinking this will be either a brewery or (less likely) a commercial bakery, and it will be set sometime in the late JNR or early JRF era.  Stock will be a DE10, Wamu80000s, Hoki2200s for grain or rice (what a model!) and possibly a tank car or two.  If it's a brewery the Hokis would be used to bring in Hokkaido hops, the tanks for something else used in the process and the Wamus for outbound shipments. 

 

It's likely to be a modified Inglenook with a passing loop added to the front (longest) track to allow a train to arrive locomotive first, run around and then drill the two tracks at the factory.  There would be set spots for unloading the covered hoppers and tank cars, and also a dock for loading the boxcars.  I'll get a trackplan up shortly.

 

Ever since I found Shinohara does both 12mm and 13mm points and flex I'm very tempted to do it narrowed, but that would add a lot to the complexity.  Still ruminating about that decision.

 

Question: are Trackmobiles or similar in common use in Japan for on-site industrial switching?  I'm trying to add "play value" to make it more interesting for viewers.

 

Ken,

 

Look no farther than the Hamakawasaki - Tsurumi - Ogimachi area in Tokyo for inspiration - there was once a huge silo which got regular deliveries of HoKi2200 cars behind DD13s and DE10s. If you can, try and lay you hands on a copy of RM Library booklet #124 "Looking Back at Freight Service on Tsurumi Line" (English translation of Japanese title.) which has loads of pictures of the area.

 

Cheers NB

[Ken Ford]

Ken,

 

Look no farther than the Hamakawasaki - Tsurumi - Ogimachi area in Tokyo for inspiration - there was once a huge silo which got regular deliveries of HoKi2200 cars behind DD13s and DE10s. If you can, try and lay you hands on a copy of RM Library booklet #124 "Looking Back at Freight Service on Tsurumi Line" (English translation of Japanese title.) which has loads of pictures of the area.

 

Cheers NB

Thanks, Nick - I'll look for that book!

[Kanpai Keith]

On 2/17/2015 at 11:40 PM, Nick_Burman said:

I have one...

 

 

This plan was adapted from plan #6 "Switchman's Nightmare" from Kalmbach's book "101 Track Plans". I modified the plan to turn it into a combined freight/passenger terminal for my "Tomii Dentetsu". It might look a bit cramped, but there is a near-enough prototype in the form of Joshin Dentetsu's Takasaki Terminal. Contrary to what kvp said, there is ample scope for freight activity, considering I set my railway in the early 1960's (just about the time rail freight volumes in Japan peaked) - transfers to and from the JNR yard (though the connecting track at the bottom end of the yard), making and breaking down mainline freights and switching the warehouses at the back. I like the track plan but I'm thinking of redrawing it and flipping it end to end, however at this moment I'm not feeling in the mood of bringing it out of the paper...

 

Cheers NB

Digging up an old thread here, but what size was this @Nick_Burman?

[Nick_Burman]

On 1/17/2021 at 6:20 PM, Kanpai Keith said:

Digging up an old thread here, but what size was this @Nick_Burman?

 

It was 5x T-Track modules - 300x1540mm

 

 

Cheers Nicholas