Railroaders' Nostalgia > Switching question for you rails

Background:  Our club is modelng a western US rail ine in 1979 and we are making a diligent effort to model prototype railroad operating practices as faithfully as possible. 

In an operations discussion the other night, a question came up regarding the "best" way to pull and place cars at an industry.  Note that the industry in question just has a long loading dock that can hold 4-5 cars, no door-specific spotting.  Some people were claiming the "best" way to switch an industry was to place the inbound cars deepest on the industry spur, which means that over a couple of switching cycles the pickups would migrate to the shallow end and be first cars in the string.

Others felt that placing inbounds deep isn't necessary, just do the pickups and placements in the manner that is the easiest for the crew.   If that means the next crew has to dig out their pickups from the deep end of the string, that's their problem.

The "place them deep" guys thought that practice was more prorotypical.  The "do it the easiest way" guys were dubious the deep-placement matched prototype practices.

How did you rails tend do it?

Thanks for sharing yoir expertise

- Norm
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/17 12:49 by NCA1022.

Personally, I'd reach in with the inbound cars, pull the track setting the outbound cars to the drill, and then shove and spot. This would put the oldest cars deep and the new cars first out. In the old days many shippers worked older cars first to avoid demurage and by doing it this way you'd make the next night easier also.

​If the industry track was long enough I'd even leave extra cars on the industry track "off spot" so they'd be there the next night to make things easier yet.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/17 12:56 by Railbaron.

Railbaron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Personally, I'd reach in with the inbound cars,
> pull the track setting the outbound cars to the
> drill, and then shove and spot. This would put the
> oldest cars deep and the new cars first out. In
> the old days many shippers worked older cars first
> to avoid demurage and by doing it this way you'd
> make the next night easier also.
>
> ​If the industry track was long enough I'd even
> leave extra cars on the industry track "off spot"
> so they'd be there the next night to make things
> easier yet.
>  

I agree, that would be the best way to make the move.

I third. Assuming all your inbound (set out) cars are blocked together, hang them, reach in, grab the track and slough the pulls off, respotting the holds with the inbound cars on top of them. Easy peasey.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/17 20:24 by trainjunkie.

Knowing the type of industry would effect switching patterns.  Also, are they loading or unloading cars?  Or both?  These are boxcars?

Just a pull & spot?
 I would cut off all the thru cars on the main, reach in and grab the whole cut and pull them out. Then ace & duce them to the proper rail.  You would leave a guy at the switch, one to make a joints on the main and one to make a joint on the spur.  (main & spot), Then shove back to the main, couple up, air test and go.


Nudge

I'd just bad order the switch and say we couldn't work the customer.

Lol jk?

Posted from Android

We don't have quite enough information as to how many cars are on spot on the track, and how many are empty?

Lets say the track holds five cars, two are now empty, and three respot. A crew doing it the easiest way will pull up the main line to the switch, and hang the inbound loads, cutting off the rest of their train on the main to hold the two empties.

Go in with the inbound loads and come out with the last empty, switch the two empties out against the train, go back in and spot, which will leave the new cars next to the switch.

The next day the oldest cars will probably be empty, and together at the rear of the track.

Crews will try not to switch loaded boxcars in an industry on the chance that they are partially loaded (baby loads) and the load may fall over.
G

George,
We used to switch the carrot shed at King City all the time with baby loads.  The brakeman would give you the "baby sign" (like they were holding a baby and rocking it side to side) then a back or ahead sign.  Sometimes the loading team would stay in the car and you would switch what you needed, very carefully. There were other sheds with BLs like Molus, Soledad, Guadalupe, Lompoc branch and La Patera.

The shed in King City used to give out "gifts" around the holidays to the conductors who sharred them with the rest of the crew. 


Nudge

spnudge Wrote:

>
> The shed in King City used to give out "gifts"
> around the holidays to the conductors who sharred
> them with the rest of the crew. 
>
>
I was wondering if anyone would bring this up. First thing the conductor does every time he makes a spot is talk to the Supt. of the dock and find out what HE wants. Even though there are no doors at a continuous dock, the Super might want certain empties spotted close to where his finished product is, or spot loads nearest his appropriate plant machinery or handling facilities. You don't want the incoming inventory spotted at the far end of your plant if you're laid out with finished goods at that plant location. That's why those crews got remembered at holidays for those "gifts".

I was in corporate management over 26 manufactories - each of our plants had a line item in the December budget for such pleasantries. Conductors made sure we got cars spotted where we wanted them, when we wanted them, but also made sure we got empties when they were in short supply, and that demurrage charges and constructive placement fees got buried or lost on occasion. It was a working relationship - your switch foreman/conductor could affect your bottom line.

-LD