Model Railroading > N Scale Switching Layout

Two photos of a 1 foot by 4 foot N scale switching layout that resides on my desk in the home office. Two locomotives, ten cars, a stack of small cards describing switching moves. Typical operating session lasts about twenty minutes. Great stress reliever and a lot of fun.  

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Looks like good fun.

Birdman-
Can you explain how your card system for directing switching moves works?  What's the middle deck of cards?
 

Looks like the MP15 posted yesterday has been upgraded by a GP30 already - LOL

Some incoming cars can only go to one industry.  Other cars can go to 2, 3, or 4 locations.  There is a card for each car and an industry where it can be spotted.  Example: Railbox box car can go to two of the industries on the back track or the team track.  Tank car can only go to the polymer plant (front left). An incoming train has four cars.  Outgoing train has four cars.  Cards on left pile are out of play.  Cards in center pile are possible locations for incoming cars.  Pile on right are cars that are already spotted at an industry (four of them will go out).  Turn cards for incoming cars over and scramble them.  Choose four sight unseen to determine where the four incoming cars will be spotted.  Turn the cards for the spotted cars over and scramble them.  Choose four sight unseen to reveal which four of the spotted cars will be outbound.  When four incoming cars are spotted, and four spotted cars are assembled into outbound train the session is over.  Put the cards in the appropriate pile. Outbound cars will be the inbound cars at the next session.  Explanation of "out of play" - there are three cards for Railbox box car.  One says team track, one says Cook distributors, one says H+H products.  If card for incoming railbox to team track comes up, obviously the other two locations are out of play for this particular session.  Or, if car is already spotted at an industry, then it obviously can't be at the other two possible locations at the same time so those two cards are temporarily out of play.  Much more complicated to explain than to actually do.  I use the same type of card system for the freight operations on the 1/2 inch scale interurban line in the basement.  
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/20 15:11 by birdman.

boejoe Wrote:
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> Looks like the MP15 posted yesterday has been
> upgraded by a GP30 already - LOL

The MP15 and the GP30 are the two locomotives that service the industries on this little layout.  They are both Atlas products and they seem to perform well.  The track is Kato Unitrack. I usually operate only one of the locomotives at a time.  The layout is analog - no DCC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/20 15:08 by birdman.

Nice layout, looks like your having a lot of fun and being your home office I guess this means the boss can't see you when you need that "extended brake time" from work we all need every now and then. I really like switching layouts because they can provide a lot of railroading in a small amount of space, thanks for sharing.
Ralph

I don't have a boss. I'm 77 years old and just retired for the second time (from my second career) in July.  Life is good.

birdman-
Thanks for describing this.  Been trying to figure out an easy way to get some simple form of operations to work with my son's little 4x8 layout.  And this looks like a great way to do it.
Jeff