Model Railroading > Engine facility help needed...

       I woild like to try a small space in my engine facility. The first area is between the rails. To see how it goes.  I would think all gray ballast is wrong, also all black is not right. I'm looking for the perfect way to get this accomplished.  Maybe how to make sand piles, oilstains and other loco drippings. Pictures would help, but how you did it would be awesome help...

  Thank you
  Steve H...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 16:34 by hartrick24.

Well, you may wish to consider whether it is the steam era or the Diesel era, and whether your model railroad is well-run or it's a line that is a little financially stressed. On some roads, the engine facilities looked like potential Superfund sites. The attached picture taken on the Western Maryland in 1975 shows a mix of ballast, pools of oil, black-ish dirt and also some little sand piles. I've seen better and worse.
TJY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 13:23 by icancmp193.

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You also need lots of small pieces of white paper...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I'm sorry,I forgot to say it. Diesel and well run...

icancmp193 Wrote:
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> Well, you may wish to consider whether it is the
> steam era or the Diesel era, and whether your
> model railroad is well-run or it's a line that is
> a little financially stressed. On some roads, the
> engine facilities looked like potential Superfund
> sites. The attached picture taken on the Western
> Maryland in 1975 shows a mix of ballast, pools of
> oil, black-ish dirt and also some little sand
> piles. I've seen better and worse.
> TJY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 14:34 by hartrick24.

We have a coal fired power plant in this area and our town uses cinders from them when the streets are icy or snowy.   I went over to the maintenance yard a few years ago and got a 5 gal bucket of them.  When I built my engine terminal I screened the very fines out and used them for ballast there and in the yards.   Looks like cinder ballast.  Dark gray.

Look at google maps satelite photos of modern engine terminals. This will give you some good ideas on how to weather your area. In todays world most engine and yard facilitys are well ballasted and free of contaminates and clutter. It's a safety issue with railroads too. Unlike the old days where oil would just be drained onto the ground and weeds allowed to grow wild most property is well kept and free of clutter and tripping hazzards.

You say you model a modern diesel railroad with good finances so one could presume your railroad poures money back into itself. Again I recomend google satelite maps of engine terminals and you will see how to weather. Just some ideas but maybe your fuel/sand track would be lined with concrete next to the tracks with a plastic enviroment track pan in the center? Area around a turntable might have fine ballast around it instead of course ballast found on the mainline. Of course there might be some areas of sings of diesel or oil stains like next to storage tanks or on your diesel storage track.
Hope this helps, keep posting if any more questions and maybe share photos when you start.
JC

Posted from Android

Depending on your space, you can have a track where the Inbound loco's are inspected, and a Pit Track so employee's can get under the locomotives to inspect and service.

On a Small RR they usually have Fuel and area's to refill Sand ( used for traction ) and a place with a few repair parts and extra wheel's .

Larger area's have Inbound Inspection tracks and places for heavy repairs and Outbound tracks and a Turn Table.  Kalmbach has a book all about Locomotive service

miralomarail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Depending on your space, you can have a track
> where the Inbound loco's are inspected, and a Pit
> Track so employee's can get under the locomotives
> to inspect and service.
>
> On a Small RR they usually have Fuel and area's to
> refill Sand ( used for traction ) and a place with
> a few repair parts and extra wheel's .
>
> Larger area's have Inbound Inspection tracks and
> places for heavy repairs and Outbound tracks and a
> Turn Table.  Kalmbach has a book all about
> Locomotive service

  My space will be 44" wide and 12' long. I just want to do a small test area to practice and see if I like my work.

icancmp193, that is what I remember from most engine servicing areas in the late 70s early 80s.  Not to change the subject, but where was that shot taken?

Cole42 Wrote:
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> icancmp193, that is what I remember from most
> engine servicing areas in the late 70s early
> 80s.  Not to change the subject, but where was
> that shot taken?

Maryland Junction (Ridgeley) West Virginia.

TJY

OK, I will have to admit that my engine facility looks a little "too tidy" for modern-day standards . . . but it is of DeButts Yard in Chattanooga, TN and the actual location is much cleaner than most on the NS system.
Per your location, remember to add everything (plus the kitchen sink!) in and around buildings.  Safety banners, fuel tanks, trash hoppers, and industrial equipment are common.  I also like the fleet of trucks parked around the complex.
Happy modeling!
P.S. -Sorry, these are just crude cell phone pics.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/20 16:20 by NSyorktown.

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NSyorktown,
  That looks excellent! And the photos look great.
Ralph

NSyorktown Wrote


NSyorktown, did you put gray ballast between the rails, then add other chemicals to get the different colors?
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, I will have to admit that my engine facility
> looks a little "too tidy" for modern-day standards
> . . . but it is of DeButts Yard in Chattanooga, TN
> and the actual location is much cleaner than most
> on the NS system.
> Per your location, remember to add everything
> (plus the kitchen sink!) in and around buildings.
>  Safety banners, fuel tanks, trash hoppers, and
> industrial equipment are common.  I also like the
> fleet of trucks parked around the complex.
> Happy modeling!
> P.S. -Sorry, these are just crude cell phone pics.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/20 07:42 by hartrick24.

Yes, per different colors (shades) and vastly different materials (textures).
Per the first (top) photo, you can see the cinders on both sides of the rails . . . . on older lines, there were more cinders than stone under the tracks.  
So, over time the cinders sometimes float to the top and are obvious.  
I do like how the multiple colors add to my scene.

Gosh, that's a beautiful Wabash locomotive!

Elliott engine service tracks on Tim Dickinson's BN 1976 layout.

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