I hope this is an appropriate forum to start this thread. At the moment I am making several intermodal containers from cardstock and I realized I didn't know anything about intermodal yards. Can anyone give me info on how to make a convincing yard? What would I need besides containers? Also I am thinking of making a kind of administration office for the yard. What kind of signs would I need to make it look right? It is going to be a modern yard. Sorry for all the newbie questions haha Thanks!
You will need container chassis, yard tractor, container lift or crane. A container chassis rack would be great as well. I built one from scratch following the article in the July August issue of NSR. very easy to build. An office would be great too. Jeff
Another question for you. Will your intermodal yard just be a truck transfer point, or will it be connected to a dock for loading onto cargo ships?
Something to move them from trains to trucks. Either a Mi-Jack crane or something like a Piggy Packer. Walthers made a plastic Mi-Jack kit that you can probably find on eBay or elsewhere. GHQ made a pewter kit with much finer detail but that may be near impossible to find now. N scale of Nevada made a Piggy Packer once upon a time, but you'd probably do better to pre-order the one that Trainworx has announced. Or you could do a google image search for 'container forklift' and try scratchbuilding something, since the Piggy Packer isn't that modern anymore. Also, you'll want some extra container chassis lying around. Deluxe has produced some, Kato has produced some that come with an expensive truck cab and container, and there are some very old Interail kits you may still be able to find. Also maybe a 'yard mule' to move containers around within the yard, and some trucks on their way to pick up and drop off containers. As far as the yard office, I'd go for a modern looking corrugated metal type building. I think Plastruct has made some kits along those lines.
with todays security concerns floodlights,fencing, and a security vehicle of some sort. happy modeling.
Intermodal has many different options, dependent first on what it is you want to model and how much space you have. An intermodal yard could easily encompass an entire layout, or be a pocket facility that does a fewer number of "lifts" per year. You are doing a modern yard, truck transfer point. For that you are probably not going to need those containers. An intermodal yard generally speaking can break into one of three things: a trailer to railcar and railcar to trailer-centric facility; a container facility; or a facility that mixes both. Equipment and facilities will vary for all. Maybe the most important question is "how much space can you allocate for the yard?" as well as "how realistic do you want to be?" If realism is your goal, you will see many layouts that jam a short pair of stubs onto the end of a layout under an MI-jack. Not very realistic but fun! Less space generally will mean you are going to model a smaller lift operation, where lifts are secondary to other things going on in the area. Often these types of operations are trailer-to-railcar operations so you are in good shape there. These operations virtually never use Mi-Jacks either- they are too big and require paved loading pads. You could use either a piggy-packer when it becomes available, or one of the offerings of side loaders from Deluxe innovations or S&R models and it would be very realistic. Take a look on google maps at some of these types of yards- Ft. Pierce, Florida where FEC loads trailers with piggy packers in a gravel lot for Walmart; Taylor Yard in Scranton, PA, where CP keeps a side loader for occasional loading. I know I recently saw a small layout idea for an intermodal yard in Alabama- I believe in an MR inclusion recently. Even the port of West Palm Beach is a small loading operation. These will give you something to work off of. For equipment for a trailer operation that is on the small side, trailers (for modern use 53' or 48' trailers) will often be dropped next to the loading point by the tractor itself with no yard mules. A side loader as mentioned above. A yard office where drivers would check in, 89' trailer flats or spine cars, street/yard lights, the whole thing would be fenced (so nobody could empty a waiting trailer of T.V.s!) and you are pretty much there. The only other thing too add is a good backdrop in that spot to suggest that the yard is in fact much larger (or at least somewhat larger) than what is sitting on the layout. Hope that helps!! All my best, Jan
Nick, if you go to my layout link below, you can see what I have done. I have both a container yard and a TOFC intermodal yard. Hope the pictures help. I still need to buy some of the Wheels of Time piggy packers. Though that will have to wait until next year.
Here is a link to a very nicely done intermodal yard- not mine- just a very nicely done one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2q28WDmNAQ This is also a very nice intermodal yard: https://picasaweb.google.com/BlackDiamondsNscale/Kegworth2007SeptemberMeet#5273664036813764002 and here is mine- https://picasaweb.google.com/111764728292923284867/FloridaEastCoastOneTrakLayout#5455405541568489106 My best, Jan
Meant to post this before. Here's a link to someone who not only made cardstock containers, but also made a nice container crane thingy, too: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine...Paper-and-Card-Structures&p=796698#post796698
The one I visited* was a high security area with a chain link fence with roving security officers(Dodge Vans).The railroad entrance point was manned 24/7 by a security officer in a guard shack.There was lots of cameras.The truck entrance was by Security/shipping/receiving office. *Actually not a real visit..My nephew works there and after picking up his paycheck he obtain permission from his boss to give me a nickel tour.I had to sign in/out at the security office and follow visitor guidelines.
I run modern intermodal but don't have the room for a facility on my layout! I figured having more mountains and other non-manmade terrain was more important...of course not every town has an intermodal facility, so on my layout, it's just passing through, just like most other places!
There's a GHQ Mi-Jack on ebay right now if that is what you are looking for!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/290618893052?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
