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Even with a nifty track plan in hand, David isn’t quite finished with layout development. In this episode, he mulls over the operating scheme that he’ll use to keep the appropriate type and volume of traffic routing over the HO scale model railroad. Follow David as he walks through the process for establishing and accommodating a realistic system that works!
This really was an all-encompassing look at the entire process of designing a layout! And it could not have come at a better time, as I’m in the “early” stages of designing my own…after 40 years of researching the prototype. I had the benefit of experiencing the actual rail operations and was able to see many of the industries and equipment used firsthand and this has guided my concept. However, my sticking point was always how to selectively compress. And now I know…see, procrastination has it’s benefits!
A very enjoyable series.
This is a great plan for a person looking to downsize their layout, but still has lots of operating potential. Great series. Very thought-provoking! I have used your research ideas for my own layout’s operating scheme. Lloyd Keyser has four books on the CNW, each with a specific time period. They are a essential resource in planning a layout, location, time period, scenes, and prototypical operating sequence.
why running right running and left hand running layout as showing in some of the photos of other video ?
thank you very good detail video series that good to watching .
The Chicago and Northwestern Historical Society sells a reproduction copy of the C&NW Directory of Industries dated March 1952. The cover notes that the locations listed are competitive points, and does not include all towns. Column headings are Name of Industry, Nature of Business, and Track Location (railroad). It also includes industries served by the Omaha Road (CStPM&O). Here’s the link:
https://www.cnwhs.org/cnwshop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=409
Once again , excellent presentation and filled with data and great reference information.
The work table for the staging of consists is very thought provoking. The activity generated with a simple transfer device challenges one to use it for other types of railroad action.
Thanks,
I enjoyed this series. I’m a member of the Bricktown Model Railroaders Association in Mount Union, PA. We purchased a 101 year old warehouse (50′ x 100′ – 3 floors) two years ago and are nearly finished renovating it. We’re beginning to plan our HO/HOn3 layout which will depict the area’s rich PRR and EBT history during the late 1940s. If you ever find yourself in our area, please let me know…we’d love to have you look at our new home, our plans and offer some advice! We know we are very fortunate to own our own building free and clear but we want to begin a layout which will withstand the test of time. Thanks again for all you do with MRVP and the hobby!
David, thank you for this series, most of which I watched twice.. It was great! You confirmed I was on the right track, so to speak, in my research for my B&M semi-mythical Eastern and Winnipesaukee Division (the two weren’t actually connected in reality), set in the same 1950s time period.
The history you uncovered was also personally fascinating, as I just moved out of Crystal Lake after living there for the last 25 years. Now that small yard along Main Street makes sense, if it was an interchange. If I had a big enough room, I might even be tempted to add the spur down Dole Ave. to the lake and model the ice harvesting operation (mixing time frames), along with the extra spur to the door of the Dole Mansion for the wedding that took place there. (I know, I’m getting greedy but it’s town history.) Maybe as a peninsula?
I hope Crystal Lake becomes a Model Railroader project one day!
Great video!
Do you explain somewhere how the commuter trains are turned in the staging yard? They suddenly have their engines to the left at about 15:00.
Best/Erik
So exciting, Dave! This is the best series ever!!!
This was a great series. I learned a lot from it.
i have a n-scale jupitor 460 from bachmann and was hoping you could tell me where I can get any information on converting it to dcc, and which decoder to use
Great Job David and All MRVP!
Couple questions:
1. How do the freights get to the interchange? Seems like some crossovers are missing?
2. How does the third commuter train get the loco to the turntable?
Thanks enjoy and can’t wait for the article
Dan
Doug Stevens: being boxed up, yes, but not for storage. Rensselaer is giving the railroad a real space of its own, where they can safely have guests (who don’t have to duck under sewer pipes in the current basement), and more room for the layout and exhibition.
Doug Stevens
Not on this topic and please forward to appropriate individuals, I just got word that the NEBW layout at Reseller (S) College in Troy New York is being boxed up for storage.
Oh, and for those looking for a copy of the CNW Directory of Industries and Historical and Technical Data, check out railsulimited.ribbonrail.com. Rails Unlimited offers reproductions of long-out of print railroad-published books, and the CNW Directory is the first one listed on the site. I also found out that it was published in 1941.You can thank Cody for this info, as he directed me to them.
David
Hey gang,
Sorry about the error in the video animation. We looked at it three times and didn’t catch it. Those red cars pointed out by Eric Hall, should have been moved to the interchange yard south of town, but were accidentally left on the spur to the north/south line blocking access to the engine terminal. We should have a revised version up before the weekend.
If I had it to do over again, one of the first things I’d do for version 2.0 would be to build the layout with a few more feet of space available for a larger traversing table (at least 8 tracks and 8 feet long), as well as add at least one end of the interchange yard. Using an 18 to 20-foot long room space would help some. If you were building this in a open room, you could run the interchange yard along the back of the traversing table.
In watching the video again, I also realized that there is plenty of room on the coach storage tracks to include a 4th commuter train. This could start in Chicago staging, run to Crystal Lake early in the morning, and then after servicing and turning the locomotive, it could depart as one of the late morning trains. This train could also take one of the first-in spots in the evening, then be used as the last commuter train back to Chicago from Crystal Lake. It would provide a nice counterpoint to the all-out/all-back set up shown here.
Glad you’ve enjoyed the series. It’s really amazing all of the work we put in to designing the layout. And, thank you again to all of you who have contributed to the project with photos, resources, and suggestions. It’s been a real MRVP team effort!
David
Looking at the Track plan and need to be fully missing something. How do you get the engines out of the round house and to the commuter cars when the Red Box cars are blocking that track. I see you did some Star Trek Teleporter stuff, but I do not thing they had Teleporters back then. I’m sure you have more game play that you did not show…
I wish I had the space to build this layout. Love the operating schemes.
So, what are you going to do about the “400’s” that went through at about worp 4 speed? They did show on the public time table.
Have you checked the “Official Guide”? Lots of info there also on schedules. And we’ll say nothing about employee timetables, since you didn’t.
This is turning out really well, David. You have a genius for railroading. The transfer table, which I never thought of or have seen before, really adds a whole new dimension to a layout. Fantastic idea! Go for it!
In all of the years I’ve been subscribing to MRV Plus, that is the best operations video tied to a track plan I’ve ever seen, thank you David. BTW, would a retractable metal tape at the HO scale have been useful while you were discussing the length of the trains and available tracks? We need someone to make that tape for our hobby. Thanks.
very nicely done! learned a lot, would sure Love to have that CNW book with the industry list!