One industry layout designs

I'm looking for layout designs that focus on one large industry. I'm thinking of doing something where it would basically be a loop where cars were brought in and taken away (to and from staging) from one large industry. A bonus would be if the industry used multiple car types.

I have seen designs like this from time to time, but I'm having a difficulty finding many in my searches.

 

Look in the back issues of Model Railroader. From time to time there will be info on a big industry for a railroad. A couple of years ago, there was an article on a layout that served a big steel mill. The steel mill was the focus of the layout.


Here in Commerce City, Colorado, there is an area that is a HUGE grain elevator and within less than a mile it, there is an oil refinery. Between these sits a company that makes the rigging for cranes. 2 railroads serve all these industries. There is a big yard that the railroads use that is next to the grain elevator. They use this yard to serve all 3 industries. Additionally, there are through trains coming/going from Cheyenne to Denver. These through trains pass through the grain elevator yard without stopping. All-in-all, it is a busy place.

I know that these are more than one industry, but they are all contained within a small area of land. It has all the elements you are looking for. You would need covered hoppers, boxcars, tank cars, and flat cars. to model this area. Through trains would have any car imagineable. Hope this helps.

 

Here's a couple of Yahoo Group sites for you to look at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/small-layout-design/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ldsig/
You have to join but it's free. Once in use the search function to find your kind of layout. Also take a look in their "Files" & "Photos" sections.

 

Hi again,
I just remembered that there is the Coors distillery and bottling plant in Golden, Colorado. Its HUGE! That plant has a big railyard and various sites for spotting cars. I think they even have their own locomotive for shunting the cars. You would need grain cars, tank cars and boxcars.

 

The grain elevator could be a good alternative and you could add the supporting structures for dealing in vegetable oils for tankers. You could then add a small industry across the tracks from it for added diversity.
Cement plants with their own power plant could make for a very busy place to. In Victorville Ca. the Cemex plant has a quarry many miles away linked by its own railroad line. Google it and look further the north and you will find TXI Riverside Cement along old route 66 in Oro Grande.
A paper mill could create quite a bit of traffic too.
Your title mentions Beaumont and Beaumont here in Ca. has a lumber supplier (Lowes I think), and if you back date it there was a citrus packing house next to it with a team track nearby.

Using the prototype will help give a more satisfying plan.

Keep us posted.

 

The boxcars used by Coors were the insulated type to keep the beer cool as per their advertising back in the day. Used to see 6-8 (mostly western RRs) parked at a Coors distributor in Irvine CA. This was back in the '70s & '80s. Not sure if Coors still ships beer by rain anymore. You can check the aerials on Google & Bing to see whats going on now.

 

This compact N scale T-Trak switching design is inspired by the Budwesier brewery in Van Nuys, CA, along with the nearby supporting yard (Gemco).

 

Unless mistaken, Coors gets 2 trains daily, Monday thru Friday. 1 train on Saturday.
They also have 6 SW Switchers in use. 5 in regular service, with the 6th unit being rotated in
as units come due for regular service. RA I service is about 70% of Coors delivery.
Also like 75% cans, 20% bottles, 5% kegs.
Railfan/Railroad magazine had an article on Coors in 1985. Not sure what month.
Trains magazine also had an updated article 3-4 years ago, I think, by Mike Danneman.

I've got both. Just don't know where!

 

2 x 3 feet in N scale. The industry is a U S Naval Air Station for blimps.


Track at lower right runs through a gate as connection/interchange to trunkline railroad.
Track at left end outside loop is naval store warehouse, general commodities and munitions, and at end of same track, helium gas unloading.
Spur inside loop left end is open car unloading into handling area. At end of spur is end-loading ramp for vehicle-on-flat-car.
Spur inside loop right end is fuel dump (naval version of a bulk oil distribution facility) for aviation gasoline and diesel fuel.

Car types: helium tank cars, petroleum tank cars, special 1 1/2 door munition boxcars, regular boxcars, flats, gondolas.

EDIT: I forgot to mention. This layout has NO mainline. The oval loop is not a "mainline" but a circulation loop to access spurs at various locations. The Navy switcher makes runarounds by leaving one end of a cut of cars and running all the way around the loop to the other end to get on the right end to switch spurs.

 

Sorry. I thought the other post didn't take.

N Scale till the eyes fail

 

Just to add one more. A couple years back MRR ran an article on a Polyester manufacturing plant. Loads included chemicals cars both liquid and solid, Oil tankers, box cars, machinery, and coal for the power plant. The industry was about 10' x 6' and adding staging to such a beast wouldn't be that hard.

I'll look for the article but may have trouble finding it as most of my RR stuff is in storage at the moment.


N Scale till the eyes fail.

 

If it's the place I think it is the grain elevator even has it's own switcher. It's a good place to watch trains for sure.

 

Mountain Cement in Laramie, WY would make for a good subject. It has short sidings, is next to a major UP mainline, has its own GP9 switcher, and is also served weekly by a UP job out of Laramie.

 

Can I chuck in a couple more? Jack Hills blog, which regretably hasn't been updated in a while - note that he is a prototype train driver - on the Newcastle Industrial Railway, making cartons and packaging http://oscalewcor.blogspot.co.uk/ and the Kendalville Terminal - a ½ mile long prototype RR, feeding the largest marshmallow plant in the USA. A track diagram is here http://www.huntervalleylines.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=27&pid=302#top_display_media
Have fun
Jack

 

DuPont Fibers in Richmond, Virginia would be a great layout. Everything from a coal power plant, to tankers, to boxcars, to covered hoppers.

http://g.co/maps/zqme4

 

Here's an interesting Layout Idea. It is a Grain Ship Loading Facility. You can actually model this facility as it is. The track uses 45 deg curves which is about 18" radius in HO or 11" in N.

Here is the Pic

Here is the place on Google Maps

After finding this photo, I am trying to figure out a way to fit this on my layout.

I even created an N scale version of the site in XtrackCad using 11"r Kato track and #6 turnout.


The Loop can hold 24 cars without blocking the sidings and the 4 sidings hold 24 cars.

The way I envision this working is this:

1. A train w/ 24 full Grain cars pulls into loop and engine uncouples from the train.
2. Then the engine builds a new train by grabbing the 24 empty cars located in the 4 sidings. Once the engine has all 24 empties, it leaves for the main yard.
3. A switcher comes in and grabs the full grain train in the loop. It pulls/empties the first 7 cars, then it uncouples the 7 empty cars from the remaining full 17 cars and puts them in siding 1.
4. The switcher then pulls/empties the next 7 cars in the loop. It then uncouples the 7 empty cars from the remaining full 10 cars and puts them in siding 2.
5. The switcher then pulls/empties the next 5 cars in the loop. It then uncouples the 5 empty cars from the remaining full 5 cars and puts them in siding 3.
6. Finally the switcher pulls/empties the last 5 cars in the loop and then puts them in siding 4.
7. By this time an Engine is just arriving with 24 more full Grain Cars. It puts them in the loop and grabs the 24 empty cars and the cycle starts all over again.

You have almost endless work.

 

There is a photo of this facility in a recent issue of Trains magazine. May 2012, I think.

 

Really... That's awesome, I might have to pick up a copy of that mag.