Commodities - Covered Hoppers

A picture I've posted a number of times, taken by Jim Karl in 1949. The last car in the consist is a covered hopper. I was wondering (once again) what might be in this covered hopper, since there isn't an industry in New Britain that would be receiving bulk cement. This car is clearly being switched since it's the DEY-4 (44-tonner) doing the work, so it was for someplace in New Britain.

On Bill's model of Livingston Manor he had learned that there was a cement company that received portland cement in covered hoppers. It was nothing more than a short trestle that allowed the O&W to drop the load directly into dump trucks. So it could still be cement, and unloaded where a conveyor could load it into trucks, for example.

Portland Cement

Cement would be the most common load in covered hoppers on through trains as well. So what models are available that I could use?

Looking at the 1% waybill study, about 1/3 of the portland cement from from NY, and 2/3 from PA. There are a number of models available that would be appropriate for those regions. The obvious place to start is the Intermountain model (with the same prototype being produced by Bowser, Eastern Car Works, and Kato in the past). Of the roads offered, I'll plan on:

• D&H 2900-2999
• ERIE 21000-21049
• NH 117000-117014
• LNE 12701-12800

Note that the D&H, NH, and LNE cars were all built by Pullman Standard and have a different hatch latching mechanism than the models (it should be "type 1c"). I've got a bunch of parts to experiment with modeling this more accurately. Unfortunately, it's not the "type 3" version offered by Yarmouth Model Works (Kit YMW 103). The New Haven car is also a slightly later lettering scheme than I will need.

Other models I have that are also good:

• B&O Wagontop by Spring Mills Depot (hard to find now, but F&C has a resin kit)
• PRR H30 from Bowser and F&C
• PRR H32 from Broadway Limited and F&C

F&C has also released resin kits of a lot of other covered hoppers, many of which would be appropriate for me:

• DL&W with white or black decals. I'm not sure which I'll need yet.
• Erie (Dunmore and Greenville designs)
• LNE 10-hatch
• NYC Despatch shops (also done by ECW in the past, I'm trying a kitbash with their sides and an Intermountain kit)
• PRR GLe, H30A, and H33

Atlas has also announced a run of some of the Canadian "slab side" covered hoppers we did at True Line Trains. I have a couple of them naturally, but I think it's probably unlikely that such cars would be common on the NH. F&C also has models of some of these cars.

Alumina and Aluminum Silicate

While cement is the most common load in covered hoppers in my era, it's not the only one. In researching other potential loads, I found that there are several related commodities that were common ladings. Bauxite, alumina, and aluminum silicate. Other than for aluminum products themselves, since I'm not familiar with their uses, I looked them up.

Bauxite is the stone that aluminum is mined from. 

Alumina is basically powdered aluminum separated from the bauxite. Although it has many uses, one of its common uses is as an abrasive, in sandpaper as well as cutting disks, etc. So I'm wondering if it might be used at Stanley Works or the other hardware companies.

I also found that aluminum silicate is a common ingredient in porcelain insulators. I also noticed that General Electric leased a number of covered hoppers. That got me wondering whether the GE plant in Plainville would receive them. Apparently that location was originally Trumbull Electric Co, taken over by GE, and manufactured porcelain fixtures, switchboards and panels, among other things. 

So add another Intermountain option:

• ILDX (GE) 313-325

Of course, that means I need to determine where such commodities would be sourced.

This lead to some interesting resources, such as this 1967 US Government report on Bauxite Reserves and Potential Aluminum Resources of the World. It's primary sources in North America are Arkansas, and to a lesser degree Alabama and Georgia in the southeast, and Oregon and Portland in the northwest.

Looking through my copy of the 1948 Rand McNally Railroad Atlas and aided with Google maps, I looked for the locations noted in the report to determine what railroads served them.

Arkansas

• Bauxite (RI) Alcoa Mining Co, and Reynolds Metal Co

The general region on the map would also include MP, RI, SLSW, and SL-SF. The Intermountain Rock Island covered hopper is stenciled, "When empty return to Bauxite Ark."

Alabama

• Eufala (CG)

Georgia

• Andersonville (CG)

Oregon

• Estacada (SP, UP)
• Mehama (SP)
• Portland (GN, NP, PS&S, SP, UP)
• Salem (SP)

Washington

• Kelso (CMSP&P, GN, NP, UP)
• Cathlament (SP&S)

Quite a few railroads over that area which would allow quite an interesting mix of cars. So let's check the 1% waybill study for cars inbound to CT to get a mix.

Aluminum Ore is listed, would that be correct?

Checking the AAR Commodity List, 311 Aluminum Ore and Concentrates includes alumina, aluminum ore, bauxites or, bauxite ore concentrates, and bauxite. Aluminum silicate isn't noted by name, but this looks like the proper category since there are no aluminum based products listed under 399 Products of Mines, N.O.S.

And where did it come from?

75 cars from Illinois and 33 cars from...Canada?

OK, digging through some more resources like this and this. Under the heading How is Aluminum Made? on the second page it notes. "There are no bauxite mines in Canada." However, processing the bauxite takes a lot of electricity, so the processing plants are often built where electricity is cheaper, such as large rivers. 

So in Canada in my era Canadian alumina and aluminum silicate is all processed by the Aluminum Company of Canada in Arvida, Shawinigan, Beauharnois, and La Tuque, Canada, via the CN or CP. The True Line (now Atlas) slab side hopper models would be appropriate. Both CN and CP had cars appropriate for my era:

• CN 113170-113544 series (built 1951-1953)
• CP 380001-380200 series (built 1948)
• CP 38201-380990 series (built 1950-1956)

In East St. Louis, the Aluminum Ore Co owned the A&S Railroad. Intermountain has a covered hopper model leased to the Aluminum Ore Co. These were owned by SHPX, and in 1952 33% of the SHPX covered hoppers were leased to Aluminum Ore Co. So these would probably be the most common cars.

Many roads served East St Louis, including B&O, CB&Q, IC, L&N, NYC (Big Four), and many others. Again, Intermountain makes cars for many of the appropriate roads:

• CB&Q - has "type 3" hatch latching mechanisms available from Yarmouth Model Works
• IC 
• L&N - has the "type 2" hatch latching mechanisms
• MP - has "type 3" hatch latching mechanisms available from Yarmouth Model Works
• RI - has "type 1b or 1c" hatch latching mechanisms
• SSW
• WAB

The variations of hatch latching mechanisms, along with pretty much everything else to know about the ACF-Design 1,958 Cu Ft 70-ton covered hoppers that are the basis of the Intermountain models is detailed in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia volumes 27, 28, and 30.

Note that a number of the roads have more than one group of these covered hoppers, often with different mechanisms, or closed instead of open sides. Where possible, Intermountain appears to have only used the number groups that have the "type 1" mechanisms. Only when a road doesn't have that particular mechanism does it appear they have lettered the car without regard to the mechanism.

For those interested in the Yarmouth Model Works minikit for the "type 3" mechanism, since there is'nt a list of owners noted on the site I'll provide one here. It was used on cars owned by: ATSF, C&S, CB&Q, CIL, CNW, DRG&W, DMIR, DPCX, EJ&E, GN, I-GN, LS&BC, M-I, M-K-T, MP, SL-SF, and StL&BM.

By chance I happen to already own one lettered for Aluminum Ore company, plus a CB&Q, and WAB car from Intermountain. Lucky guess!

Kaolin

Kaolin is a type of clay used in the papermaking industry for finishing glossy papers. So cars with this commodity are appropriate for Holyoke. Nine cars owned by SHPX were built in 1940 and leased to Edgar Brothers Co of Metuchen, NJ (25051-25059). These cars had "type 1" mechanisms and open sides and are a match for the Intermountain model, although they haven't released this scheme. 

Where did Kaolin come from? It's part of 323 Clay and Bentonite, which came from quite a few locations across the country to CT:

• CA 100
• FL 75
• GA 175
• MO 25
• NJ 25
• PA 25
• SC 200
• TN 25

Edgar Brothers was based in NJ, but also mined in Edgar, FL. So these would be appropriate cars. It appears Georgia is the largest producer. I've also learned that Kaolin is often shipped as a slurry in tank cars, so that's another possibility. But since the Edgar Brothers were prototype cars, I may see if I can get some decals produced for them (or maybe Intermountain will add the scheme to their line).

Industrial Sand

Edgar Brothers also sold sand. A lot of the bulk sand sent to CT would have been used by the railroad. It would also have been shipped in bags in box car. But with an average of 1,250 cars annually, there would certainly be covered hoppers in the mix by this era. Two-thirds of this was from NJ, the rest from NY, except for a small amount (25 carloads) from Illinois. All of the local roads noted before, plus the Edgar Bros SHPX cars, would cover this traffic.

Other Commodities

Food commodities are common today, but even in my era malted barley, flour, sodium bicarbonate, and granulated sugar were shipped in covered hoppers, although I can't think of any bulk customers that would result in such loads running through New Britain. 

The same applies for fertilizer, powdered gypsum (although US Gypsum did have plants on the NH), potash, limestone, zinc oxide, etc.

Carbon black was another common commodity in covered hoppers, and while there were tire plants in CT, once again I don't think the cars would be running through New Britain. Rail Shop made a Carbon Black car (and a PRR H30 kit) but they don't seem to have an active website anymore. I have some of the Carbon Black cars and may be able to justify a car on a through train.

Kimberly-Clark leased cars from SHPX and they were based in New Milford. I'm not sure what commodity they were used for, but they would be very appropriate for somebody modeling the Berkshire line, but not coming through New Britain unfortunately (cars destined for the Berkshire from Springfield are routed through Cedar Hill).

--

Overall, covered hoppers won't be a common car delivered to New Britain, but as the photo shows they are receiving some in my era. Cars on their way to Hartford, Plainville or Holyoke are certainly appropriate, though, and with a greater variety than I originally thought.

Operations - A Day on A Way Freight

 As you may know, Chris' layout grew out of a Shoreliner article by our friend John Wallace and his experience as a teenager when he was able to ride (and fire) the Valley Local. The article details the work of the day quite extensively, and John has continued to provide insight and information to Chris as he builds his layout.

Chris gave me a copy of this article a while ago, and I thought it would be worth posting here. This is from the October 1946 issue of Along the Line, a (usually monthly) employee magazine. 

The article doesn't list an author, and it appears to be a railroad employee writing it. It covers a day on the Canal Local - not the YN/NY freight through New Britain, but the local freight that handles the traffic on the south end of the Canal Line. At the time of this article it was NHDX #4 (later NX-18).

After leaving New Haven it serviced:

• Highwood
• Plasticrete
• Mt Carmel
• Cheshire
• Milldale
• Plantsville
• Southington
• Plainville and back

Picks up and sets off over-dimension cars at Highwood. Connects at Plainville to & from HDX #5.

This train is very similar to the Valley Local. The Canal Line by this era is freight only, and in Manual Block territory, but there's only a single local freight. The freight houses in Mt. Carmel, Cheshire, Milldale, Plantsville, and Southington are all served by truck, not rail. It originates in New Haven, and turns at a junction and small yard at Plainville, and exchanges cars with another local freight. It would be very easy to model with New Haven as staging, and the east/west Highland Line, along with the north branch of the Canal Line also going to staging (or stub-ended). The cars from HDX-5 could simply be waiting in Plainville Yard.

Day Train Order stations are at Mt. Carmel and Milldale (Bob Belletzkie has helped get the train order signal operational at Milldale again).

I don't have assignments before the April 20, 1948 Engine Utilization report, but on that day it was DERS-2b (RS-2) 0503 and it reports that it was a 55 mile run that day. Since it was assigned an RS-2, it may have been assigned a J-1 or R-1 when it was still running steam.

In April, 1949 it is assigned DERS-1b (RS-1) 0670. That locomotive lives on (sort of) on the roster of CNZR. It's not operable right now, but Dale and I continue to hope...

By fall of that year it's DEY-5 (S-2) 0620. No. 0606 is assigned in October, 1950.

By April 1952 it had been upgraded to DERS-2c (RS-3) 533, then 550 in fall of that year, 594 in fall 1954,  560 a year later.

In September of 1956 it's now a  DEY-7 (SW-1200) 651, and in April, 1957 it's 652. 

A Day on a Way Freight

There are few railroaders who have more of a finger on the pulse of business than the crew of a way freight. And few get closer to our customers. The way freight crew know which plants are busy and which are in the doldrums. They know what new plants are being built, and where expansion is planned. They know these things because they live with the industries in their territory. They know and talk with our customers. They are friends.

The five men who run the Canal Local are just such a crew. This train leaves New Haven each morning around 9:45 a.m. to serve the industries on the "Canal", or Northampton Branch, as far as Plainville. Not only do the men know all their customers, but even know most of our neighbors who live adjacent to the tracks. And they perform little extra services for many of them, .in addition to giving them bang-up railroad service.

For the shipping clerk at Clark Bros. plant at Milldale, they have a Boston newspaper. A dozen or more of their customers look for delivery of copies of ALONG THE LINE each month, as do also some of their friends in houses along the right of way. At Southington they invariably drop off a piece of ice for Rose Verderame, clerk at the freight office. And returning the compliment, in wintertime Rose always has a cup of hot "Java" for the boys when the way freight arrives.

There's no doubt about it—this way freight job is a friendly job! The crew of the Canal Local enjoy their run and you would have a hard time weaning them away from it. The three train crew members alone have a total of one hundred and fourteen years' service between them right there on the "Canal" line. Leading off is Conductor Abram D. W. Holmes, Jr." Ducky" to you and to all his customers and railroad buddies from New Haven to Plainville. "Ducky", who lives in Springfield and deadheads back and forth to New Haven every day, has operated on the "Canal" line for forty-two years. He knows every tie and rail joint on the line, and the family history of the occupants of most of the houses within sight as the Canal Local shuttles back and forth delivering and collecting freight at the plants and stations en route. And he recalls that his wife's grandmother rode down from Northampton to New Haven on the old canal in pre-railroading days. It took her a night and a day to make the trip.

Frederick Henry Miller is the "flag"-his buddies know him as "Highball" ("Because I'm so fast," Fred modestly admits)-and he's been working the "Canal Local" for thirty-six years, as has his partner, William A. Cumm, brakeman, known to all and sundry as "Biddy". "Biddy" lives in Haydenville, Mass., and gets home only at weekends, going home Saturday evenings and coming back to New Haven Monday mornings. During the week he makes his home at the Railroad "Y". "Highball" lives in New Haven. He is one of three Miller brothers, all of whom were working on the "Canal" at one time, and they were affectionately nicknamed "Highball," "Fishball" and "Cannonball". Another brother, Benny, still works on the New York division.

Brakeman "Biddy" Cumm and Conductor "Ducky" Holmes

Flagman "Highball" Miller

The day we rode the caboose of the Canal Local as guest of "Ducky" Holmes, it was pouring rain most of the time-but the boys take that right in their stride. Togged out in oilskin hats, rubber raincoats, and boots, a bit of rain doesn't bother them at all.

On the head-end was Engineer Matthew O'Dea and Fireman James Cavanaugh. Pulling out of Water Street Yard at New Haven, our train, with five freight cars, rolled through the east cut and across the main line tracks and then "across lots" through the "Canal" cut, right through the city of New Haven, past the Arena, past the old Grove Street Cemetery where rest the remains of Noah Webster, Lyman Beecher, Eli Whitney, Samuel F. B.-Morse and other distinguished New Englanders; and then, parallel to Winchester and Dixwell Avenues, out to Hamden.

Matthew O'Dea was at the throttle

Passing through Hamden, "Ducky" called attention to an "A" pole at the entrance to Winchester's powder house reservation. It's a pole similar to a whistle post, except that it has the letter "A" instead of a "W". As our train service readers will know, but others probably not, this means that before entering the gate with a cut of cars the air must be coupled up.

Passing Winchester's, in Hamden

Coming· to a plant on the west side of the tracks, Conductor Holmes explained that this was the Plasticrete plant, where building blocks are manufactured out of cinders. "There's an industry I've seen grow in just a couple of years, from a single tiny building to that big plant-and they're constantly expanding. We handle a lot of freight for them. Just shows the power of a new ideal"

Monument to an idea: The Plasticrete plant

At Highwood siding we picked up one load and two empties—high cars which would not clear the bridges through the cut in New Haven and so had to be taken around via Plainville. Then we passed from the New Haven Division into Hartford Division jurisdiction.

At the W. I. Clark siding, a car was set off loaded with cork for a new freezing plant they were installing.

At Mt. Carmel, on this particular day, there was nothing but company mail. But on the siding, placed there the day previous, was a huge bridge girder, loaded on three flat-cars and destined to be used in the building of the bridge over Whitney Avenue which is a part of the extension of the Wilbur Cross Highway.

The Canal Local carries mostly heavy freight-steel, lumber, feed. "Down by this next bend," remarked our host, "is Munson's house--he's the superintendent of the cemetery - and they always ring a bell and wave to us as the train goes by, or if it's after dark, signal with a flashlight." Just friendly stuff!"

And over here on the other side -the woman in that house always waves to us. Oh, that's her daughter, Mary, out there today. She had infantile paralysis."

At Cheshire we picked up one car at the Cheshire Ball & Socket plant, and while "Highball" was flagging his job, the manager of the Cheshire Coal & Lumber Co. came over to pass the time of day.

Cheshire Ball & Socket plant

Beyond Cheshire, the. old canal became very much in evidence, running alongside the tracks for miles at a stretch. The water apparently is stagnant.

In places the old canal is much in evidence

At Milldale one car was picked up, and the Plainville cars were swung behind the Atwater Manufacturing "drops" since it is difficult to go in there with too many cars. The Atwater plant manufactures clutches and other items for Ford cars. At the Atwater plant two cars were dropped and three picked up.

At Atwater's the caboose was cut off while cars were switched.

There were no drops or pick-ups that particular day at the Blakeslee Drop Forge at Plantsville, but Conductor Holmes stopped there to telephone and get the "dope" on how much Atwater freight would be ready for pick-up on the return trip.

Blakeslee's, Plantsville

At Southington Harry Blanchette and Rose Verderame greeted the Canal Local. Rose got her ice and Harry, who is the son of Agent Harry Blanchette at Willimantic compared notes with the crew. '

Plainville was reached about 2:15. There all hands took fifteen minutes to fortify the inner man at a local lunchroom and then proceeded to do the local work at the several plants there—Peck, Stow & Wilcox's hardware factory, Southington Hardware, Tubular Products Co. (during the war they turned out miles of tubes for airplanes), Southington Lumber (a Diamond Match affiliate), and Pratt & Whitney's. The last-named plant covers an area a quarter-mile square and the Canal Local handled for its construction over 200 carloads of piles, 68 carloads of wooden blocks, and a great deal of other material, as well as hundreds of cars of highly important materials when the plant started operations.

Peck, Stow & Wilcox

At Plainville the train was turned on the "Y" and cars left by the Hartford Local were picked up and then, southbound, there was repetition of the northbound trip—stops to drop or pick up cars all along the line.

Turning on the "Y" at Plainville

Back at Water Street at 6:40 p.m., "Ducky" was fortunate enough to be able that day to make No. 80 home, after checking in at the Yard Office. Another day's work accomplished, customers satisfied, and then-home!

Just a day on a way freight.

--

The first thing that comes to mind when I read this (again) is that for the most part, railroading is the same thing every day. The crew knows their territory very well, and they know where there are challenges (don't bring too many cars at Atwater, for example).

I want to work this into my sessions where I can by having a seasoned "qualified" operator as conductor to teach new operators (as engineers) the line. I will also detail how the crews work New Britain. In my case, since they are switching crews, it will vary a bit more than a local freight. 

Chris has detailed his solo sessions on two of his freights on his blog, and they are also a great tutorial for crews who will work the jobs:

• PDX-1 Session
• PDX-2 Session

The stop to call and find out how much work there will be on the way back is also quite interesting. Even where the freight houses are served by truck, there will still be an Agent and a phone. We saw in the Along the Line article following BO-5 that the crew received orders at New Britain for work in Plainville. Now we can see that even in this era before radios that the crew could also check with Agents down the line for additional work. 

Industries continue loading/unloading cars through the day. So the crew won't know what all of their work is when they leave in the morning. Adding work through the session is not only prototypical, but makes the operations more interesting. I'm also always looking for confirmation on how to do it more prototypically than just stopping and checking the bill box at every industry.

This is a small freight, with only 5 cars to start, a great model railroad local:

• Picked up 3 at Highwood siding.
• Set out one at W. I. Clark
• Pick up one at Ball & Socket
• Picked up a car at Milldale and blocked the train for Atwater.
• Dropped two and picked up three at Atwater.

They arrived at Plainville with 10 cars. Two of those were cars from their original consist leaving New Haven. These must have been for the industries in Plainville, although the article doesn't specify the work that was done. This local worked Plainville, so any cars on HDX-5 for Plainville would have been left for them to deliver. The 3 over-dimension cars would be for HDX-5, and they would also leave any outbound cars that had originally come via HDX-5. We don't know how many cars they returned with, nor how much work there was on the way back.

Note that they didn't leave any cars along the line to pick up on the way back, as we frequently do (and John recalls the crew doing) on the Valley Line. They picked up 5 on the way.

As small as this job seems, it's still a full ops session job, and would take (me anyway) 3-4 hours to complete, which is a full day with a 3:1 or 4:1 fast clock.

Designing Operations for Paul's Layout Part II - The Jobs Performed by the Railroad

Here's Part I.

So, we have a simple loop and two industries to service. We can turn a train, but only one direction. And a yard. What are we going to use the yard for?

Well, to me the yard is the key for this layout. But first a little model railroading philosophy...

One thing you may notice when operating a layout, is that your focus is on the work in front of you. Since this is primarily going to be a single-operator layout, we can take advantage of this. This narrowed focus also narrows your view of the layout. Which is one of the reasons I like a layout to be built somewhere between chest and eye height. It draws you into the scene, and limits your view of the rest of the layout.

We accomplish similar things with view blocks, etc., but with a small layout in the form of a loop, we'll have to rely on our imagination and narrowed focus a bit more. By doing so, we can focus on the action as a series of scenes, rather than how the relate to each other in the context of the layout itself.

The layout is our stage. For many of us, the stage is large, with different scenery for each. In other cases, the stage is a small independent theater. The scenery is more imaginary. Implied by the action on the stage, rather than a literal depiction built by the scenery crew.

By thinking more interpretive than literal, a small layout can represent a much bigger operation. And more we dress up the operations themselves, the less important the surrounding scenery is. 

You'll also notice that my focus is, once again, more on the operating experience. I'm sure you can get a sense as to how this will look on the the layout when you operate it. The details, about how trains or cars are moved, or even the paperwork used, are details that are added to clarify and provide structure and prototypical 'operations scenery' to the process of operating.

A typical approach to designing operations would be to try to jump in with car cards and waybills. And in fact, that's what Paul originally asked me to help with. "Supplies and bill boxes are already ordered from Micromark, how do I get started?" sort of thing:

But with only two industries, that wouldn't provide a whole lot of operation. By stepping back a bit, we can let the layout design itself help inform us as to where to start with operations design.

The Jobs Performed by the Railroad

As I've said, my focus on designing operations is on the operating experience that the crew has when running your layout. So I like to start with the jobs they'll be performing. This is more than just a practical consideration, it also enhances the operating experience.

In this case, we're handling a lot of different jobs. Since this is a single operator layout, all of them will be performed by the same person. But rather than lump everything together, I still like to think of them independently.

Since the majority of the layout is a yard, we'll start by looking at the jobs in a typical terminal yard:

• The road crew brings their train into the yard, but they do not have permission to move their locomotive within the yard facility. In fact, the railroad forbids it because they would have to pay the road crew higher rates for their entire run if they did.
• Hostlers are responsible for taking the road power to engine servicing, and also for bringing the road power to any newly assembled train. 
• Yard crews man the switchers that do the work classifying cars and breaking down/building trains. 
• The Yardmaster is responsible for coordinating all the work in the yard, and the Foreman is responsible for ensuring that the work is completed as directed by the Yardmaster.

All this is interesting, but why do I care for a single operator layout?

Because it helps to envision the scene we're creating. It helps to provide the tunnel vision that will obscure the fact that everything is occurring sequentially since you can only do so much at one time. In a sense you are like an actor stepping out of one role and into another and, like a movie, things that happen simultaneously must be shown separately to avoid missing any of the action.

Understanding the different jobs helps us visualize and separate those scenes into distinct events, enhancing the illusion that this is all part of a much bigger operation. It also makes it easy to operate a larger layout where you might be assigned to be a hostler, yard crew, or yardmaster. 

Although quite condensed, this already achieves the goal of prototypical operations. You can add layers, such as how you run the trains, paperwork, etc. to enhance that experience. But for a big picture overview, think of it in a series of scenes in a movie:

Scene 1: A road freight has arrived, and the locomotives need to go for their inspection and maintenance to prepare for the next run. Hostlers uncouple from the consist, and head to the engine house.

Scene 1a: In the meantime, a yard crew starts classifying the inbound cars, building new trains, or shoving the cars to an interchange track to be picked up by another road.

Scene 1b: A switching crew is handling work at several industries within yard limits.

Scene 1c: A train is near ready for departure, and the hostlers are on their way with the road power.

The crew is given their orders, and throw the iron just after the latest passenger train passes, and starts to pull out onto the main.

Scene 2: The road freight is on the high iron, on its way to Cedar Hill and making good time. They'll have to take the siding at a couple of points to let the first class passenger trains pass, before pulling into the yard.

Scene 2a: The first class passenger train is running from station-to-station, and turning at the terminal at the end of its run for the return trip.

We're not talking about the physical scene, and how to model the landscape, structures, etc., but the action that takes place. But it relates to the physical elements as well. We need to determine where this will take place on the layout itself.

Designating Yard Tracks

A yard typically has a number of dedicated tracks for specific purposes. In this case, though, we'll have to use different tracks for multiple purposes. Remember that on the rear (North Main) west is left and east is right.

Track No. 2 is a runaround for the North Main Line, but we're also going to use it as an arrival and departure track. Freight trains will terminate here, and when a train is built, we'll stage it here. When a freight arrives, the road power will be taken to the engine house, and a switching crew will break down the trains.

Tracks No. 3-5 are the yard tracks, where cars will be classified. 

The yard ladder also serves as the Yard Lead, along with a portion of the main line. Runaround moves will also have to use the main line. 

The Coast Main Line is actually just part of the yard complex at this point, allowing access to the engine servicing tracks. Paul has wisely kept that in the same electrical block as the yard.

Cabooses will have to be shoved out of the way temporarily as working. Either on one of the yard tracks, left on Track No. 2, or on Coast Main Line.

Not ideal, but we can have a fully operational yard.

Yards also have tracks designated for specific purposes. That is, the same outbound train is built on the same track every day. With that in mind, here's a track list:

• Yard Ladder and North Main to the right of the ladder: Yard Lead
• Track No. 2: Runaround, arrival, and departure track.
• Track No. 3: Yard Track for Westbound trains.
• Track No. 4: Yard Track for Eastbound trains.
• Track No. 5: Yard Track

This is all we'll need for terminating a freight, servicing power, having a switching crew break down, classify, and build new trains, and originating a new freight. Even better, this process takes quite a bit of time, and while you're operating you are ignoring the two loops at either end of the layout.

With those designated, we can easily see how the scenes I described can occur on this layout.

What else am I working on? Lots of small projects

Most of my recent modeling hasn't been that post-worthy. Gluing down track, etc., and I've had a lot more research/computer time recently (thus all the posts on commodities), but I wanted to keep up with the modeling posts too. 

I did spend a couple of evenings de-flashing 7 resin hopper kits worth of parts. The top box is 3 kits, and each of the other boxes two additional kits, each box being a different prototype.

I have 6 more to go. I'm kind of making a habit of this when I have some spare time that's not long enough for another project. I have already cleaned the flash off of the hopper bodies, and also drilled holes. So I'll be ready to do a push to finish assembling them once I've gathered the prototype material and made sure I have trucks for them. 

I also added a couple more short staging tracks behind the Agent's desk where I realized I had some space (and a couple of spare turnouts):

These will be used for parking locomotives not used in a given session. I'd like to have enough tracks to store all of the locomotives on the layout to minimize handling. I will probably install switches to cut power to the tracks when not used.

I also noticed that the couplers sat a little high on the RS-2s. So I used a red Kadee washer to lower them.

This required filing down a small amount of the pointed portion of the steam line doors.

I completed relaying the mainline and Track No. 5 around the back corner where I had taken them up for some work. I wanted the tracks closer together along the straight section to provide more room for the eventual Union Manufacturing building.

The front track (eastbound main) proved a bit more problematic to get right, and once I did I decided not to try to adjust the curvature of the other tracks to be closer here. It will be pretty well hidden by buildings anyway and I can work with it scenically. The key is that it must operate properly.

I had considered installing a track for Skinner Chuck Co. on the inside of this curve (the only major industry missing), but it really just won't fit. This entire section should be on a broad curve going the other direction, but the basement wall got in the way...

The light blue masonite has two new industries, North & Judd storage, and P&F Corbin coal track, so I'm glad I was able to add those. The rest of the work on Track No. 5 will wait, because I want to use the forthcoming Fast Tracks Diamond Line crossing once they are available. They look amazing. I'm also considering hand laying the turnout at the end of Track No. 5, which is currently a curved Walthers turnout. 

The rest of the work has been continuing to rearrange the basement and find homes for everything, final tweaks on trackwork and dropping feeders. I'll spend a day (hopefully with Chris' help) soldering them all to the rail, since that's easier with two people for a lot of these locations. I'm really not that far from having a fully operational layout again, and that's a priority.

Commodities and Routing - ERIE, B&M, BAR. MEC. PM

Commodities are interesting, but don't necessarily have a direct impact on the operation of the railroad. Indeed, in real railroading, unless a specific car is requested by a customer, or special handling is required, the crews probably don't care what's in them. 

Routing, on the other hand, can have an impact on operations. Particularly when considering the mix of cars for a train.

For example, Erie has a direct interchange to the New Haven in Maybrook NY.  So one would expect that cars loaded on the Erie would come via Maybrook. Would they come via other interchange points too?

Routing wasn't as complex a process as it might seem, but it did involve more work pre-computer era. While shippers could specify the route they wanted, I think that most of the time the Agent selected the route. To do that, they used Routing Guides. I have several of these guides, but far from a complete collection. Of course, an Agent only needed the guide that applied to shipments from their station. I want them to determine routes for inbound and outbound cars, so I've been trying to dig them up for as many roads as I can.

The basic process for the Agent is to look up the destination in the Routing Guide, and it would list one or more routes to that destination. The Agent would select one, and notate the entire route on the waybill. This would serve as the routing instructions for conductors and yardmasters along the way.

This was sparked in part to some recent questions in multiple forums online asking about smaller interchanges on the New Haven. The routing of cars was very well considered when developing these routes, and for this example I'll look at shipments from the Erie to four locations on the NH::

• Holyoke 960
• New Britain 3910
• Plainville 860
• Simsbury 920

Each station is assigned a number. Various publications by each railroad, along with national publications, use these numbers. 

For example, the New Haven Official List of Stations:

A national periodical, published annually with periodic supplements, is the Official Open and Prepay Station List, which covers all of North America:

The same station numbers are used in the Routing Guides, like the Erie, C&O (PM) and B&M ones I'm referencing today. Here's the Erie one:

--

I've chosen the stations above because there are several interchange points north of Plainville on the Canal Line, and I also want to narrow down what won't come through New Britain to those destinations.

• B&M at Northampton, Easthampton and Holyoke
• B&A at Westfield

According to a NH Freight Interchange Map from 1929, the annual volume at these points in 1928 were:

• Easthampton: 750
• Holyoke: 6,078
• Northampton: 3,651
• Westfield: 11,536

For comparison, in 1928 Maybrook handled 553,029 cars.

It appears that in 1925 and 1926 a significant amount of the traffic was shifted from Northampton to Springfield.

• In 1924 Northampton handled 65,999 cars and Springfield 99,569.
• In 1925 Northampton handled 36,079 cars, and Springfield 119,421.
• In 1926, Northampton handled 3,065 and Springfield 132,911.

This corresponds to changes in the freight schedules as well. In 1925 NS-4/SN-1 was a through freight that connected at Northampton and Springfield. What's not clear is how it worked both, but here's a note from SN-1:

"...Fills out at Springfield with freight for New Haven and beyond..."

By 1927 this is no longer the case, with those trains only running to/from Springfield. It would have to go down the Canal Line, over the Highland from Plainville to Newington, then take the Springfield Line through Hartford north to Springfield, unless they had trackage rights over the B&M from Northampton to Springfield. Neither as simple or efficient as moving the bulk of the interchange traffic to Springfield.

--

I'll start with the Erie. This is about an 800-page book from 1944 with routes from Lines West (Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania). It also covers some originating points on the Indiana Harbor Belt, Pennsy, and Winona Railroads. Lots of destinations are included, I just make sure Connecticut is included before I buy one of these Routing Guides.

Because we know the four station numbers, we can just go to the pages that specify destinations on the New Haven. 

Let's look at the ones they all have in common first:

1. Erie, Maybrook, NY, NH

Simple, and expected. Anything loaded on the Erie can be routed over the Erie to Maybrook, NY to be interchanged with the NH.

8. Erie, Carbondale, PA, D&H, Scranton, PA, Erie, Maybrook, NY, NH.

From certain originating points, the Erie interchanges with the D&H at Carbondale, PA, and then the car will come back to the Erie in Scranton, PA before reaching the New Haven at Maybrook.

So where do they differ? These are routes that go to Plainville or New Britain, but not Simsbury or Holyoke.

3. Erie, Binghamton, NY, D&H, Mechanicsville, NY, B&M, Springfield, MA, NY.

14. Erie, West Middlesex, PA, NYC (W), Gardenville, NY, NYC (E), Selkirk Junction, NY or Rensselaer, NY, NYC (B), Springfield MA, NH.

This is interesting because it notes the different districts or divisions it will run on the NYC, the Eastern, Western, and then NYC (B), which is the B&A District. 

18. Erie, Marion, OH, NYC (C), Cleveland OH, NYC (W), Gargenville, NY, NYC (E), Selkirk Junction, NY or Rensselaer, NY, NYC (B), Springfield MA, NH.

All of these go through Springfield, MA on either the B&A or B&M. Why wouldn't these be used for cars to Holyoke?

Because both the B&A and B&M have interchanges with the NH that are closer to Holyoke. These are their alternate routes:

2. Erie, Binghamton, NY, D&H, Mechanicsville, NY, B&M, Northampton, MA, NY.

19. Erie, Marion OH, NYC (C), Cleveland OH, NYC (W), Gardenville, NY, NYC (E), Selkirk Junction, NY or Rensselaer, NY, NYC (B), Westfield MA, NH.

Route number 2 is interesting because it goes to Northampton instead of directly to Holyoke. We'll see this is consistent with a B&M Routing Guide in a moment. This would lead one to believe that at least by 1944, interchange with the NH in Holyoke had been reduced to nearly nothing.

So routes to Holyoke and any of the towns on the Canal Line north of Plainville could come via Maybrook via the Erie, Northampton via B&M, or Westfield via B&A.

There are also some interesting routes possible:

7. Erie, Binghamton, NY, D&H, Sidney, NY, O&W, Campbell Hall, NY, NH (applicable only to shipments of Grain and Grain Products).

As you can see, this specifies that the route is used only for specific commodities.

9. Erie, New Castle, PA, B&O, Locust Point (Baltimore), MD, M&M T Co., Providence RI, and NH (Carloads only).

10. Erie, New Castle, PA, B&O, Locust Point (Baltimore), MD, M&M T Co., Providence RI, and NH (Carloads only)

11. Erie, Youngstown, OH, P&LE, Connellsville, PA, WM, Baltimore MD, M&M T Co., Providence RI, NH 

These three route are quite interesting indeed. It appears that this is routing cars to Baltimore where they will be transloaded into M&M Trucking Company trailers, and then routed on flat cars from the B&O to Providence on the NH. 

Update: I was incorrect in this theory, see Jeff Ward's comment below.

Mike Clements had sent me the following info as well and I hadn't updated the page yet:

... a couple of points about your post:

1. MM&T was a steamship company – Merchants & Miners Transportation Co. – not M&M Trucking. They participated in joint rail-water through tariffs via breakbulk. Their hub was at Baltimore and they served the Northeast. These routings got suspended during or before WWII and were never resumed. Same thing with the RUT routes with the Great Lakes steamers via Ogdensburg.
2. I think the routes correspond to published through tariffs. Shippers could pick another route, but I think that opened them up to being billed rule 11 (each carrier issues a separate bill) at local and proportional rates.
3. The first route on the list appears to be the preferred route of the carrier publishing the guide – makes it easy for agents to advise the line that is going to make the company the most money.

This is all great stuff guys, keep it coming!

But for my purposes, routing via the Erie consists of:

• Erie > Maybrook > NH > NY/YN or OA/AO
• Erie > D&H > Erie > Maybrook > NH > NY/YN or OA/AO
• Erie > D&H > B&M> Springfield > NH > HDX-5
• Erie > NYC > B&A > Springfield > NH > HDX-5

The Northampton and Westfield routes are interesting, but not terribly useful for my layout. 

So the answer is that yes, most Erie cars will probably come through Maybrook as expected.

But cars loaded on the Erie and bound for New Britain, Plainville, or the New Hartford Line can also come via Springfield. But we probably wouldn't see Erie loaded cars for points north of Plainville coming on HDX-5 to be dropped in Plainville for the NY/YN freights.

The different routes apply depending on the location loaded. So as I identify off-line industries, 

If we know the originating station, then we can go a step further which may narrow down the route even more. For now, though, we'll just stick with all possible routes.

--

Boston & Maine

The B&M book is from 1955, and includes loads originating on quite a few lines besides the B&M, including BAR, Bar&C, B&ML, MEC, PF&N, and StJ&LC. 

The B&M routings are much simpler:

• For Simsbury/Holyoke: Via Northampton
• For New Britain/Plainville: Via Springfield

Bangor and Aroostook

The B&M book also includes traffic from BAR, and it's different:

• Simsbury/Holyoke: Via Northampton
• Plainville: Via Springfield
• New Britain: Via Worcester

Loads to New Britain are routed via Worcester, indicating that they would take a route from Worcester > Providence > Cedar Hill to NY freights to New Britain. 

Maine Central

The B&M book also includes traffic from MEC, and it's different again:

• Simsbury/Holyoke: Via Northampton
• Plainville: Via Springfield
• New Britain: Via Springfield or Worcester, depending on originating point.

Again, interesting information. Loads from BAR and some of the MEC loads will be coming up the NY freights instead of via Hartford. I believe the differences in these routes were (at least in part) for balancing traffic. 

St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County

A Vermont shortline that highlights some of the other connections the B&M has:

For all four destinations:

13. StJ&LC, Sheldon Jct, VT, CVt,, New London, CT, NH

For New Britain/Plainville

1. StJ&LC, St. Johnsbury, VT, CP-E, Welles River VT, B&M, Springfield, MA, NH

9. StJ&LC, Sheldon Jct, VT, CVt, Windsor, VT, B&M, Springfield, MA, NH

For Simsbury/Holyoke:

3. StJ&LC, St Johnsbury, VT, CP-E, Welles River VT, B&M, Northampton, MA, NH

11. StJ&LC, Sheldon Jct, VT, CVt, Windsor, VT, B&M, Northampton, MA, NH

Barre & Chelsea

This is another shortline in Vermont. All routes go through Wells River, VT (spelled differently than the SJ&LC page...) to the B&M and then either Northampton or Springfield as expected.

Other Short Lines

The Belfast & Moosehead Lake, Passamaquoddy Ferry and Navigation, and Seaport Navigation are listed as notes that all route through the MEC at:

• B&ML - Burnham Jct, ME
• PF&N and SNCo - Eastport, ME

--

Pere Marquette

What about roads without direct connections? As the B&M book shows, distant roads will have routings to indirect connections as well.

I have a 1944 Routing Guide from the Pere Marquette as an example. As one might expect, there are more potential routes to get to the New Haven.

1. PM, East Buffalo or Black Rock, NY, DL&W, Port Morris, NJ, L&HR, Maybrook, NY, NH

2. PM, East Buffalo or Black Rock, NY, DL&W, Norwich, NY, or Scranton, PA, O&W, Campbell Hall, NY, NH

3. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, Erie, Maybrook, NY, NH

4. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, Erie, Binghamton, NY, D&H, Mechanicsville, NY, B&M (See Note 1), NH

5. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, LV, Easton, PA, L&HR, Maybrook NY, NH

6. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, LV, Jersey City Term, NJ, Harlem River, NY, NH

7. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, LV, Sibley Jct, PA, O&W, Campbell Hall, NY, NH

9. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, NYC (E), Rensselaer or Selkirk Jct, NY, NYC (B), (Note 2), and NH

10. PM, Suspension Bridge or East Buffalo, NY, LV, NYC (E), Rotterdam Jct, NY, B&M (Note 1), NH

11. PM, Toledo, OH, PRR, Greenville Piers or Jersey City, NJ, Float, and NH (Note 4)

12. PM, Detroit, MI, CP-E, Wells River, VT, B&M (Note 3), NH

13. PM, Chatham, ONT, CP-E, Wells River, VT, B&M (Note 3), NH

14. PM, Toledo, OH, W&LE, Bellevue, OH, NYC&StL, Buffalo Jct, NY, DL&W, Port Morris, NJ, L&HR, Maybrook, NY, NH

15. PM, Toledo, OH, W&LE, Bellevue, OH, NYC&StL, Buffalo Jct, NY, LV, Jersey City Term, NJ, Harlem River NY, NH

These routes are valid for all four destinations, except #13 which is not listed for any location except New Britain. There are also several notations for clarification:

1. Route 11 does not apply from Chicago (PM No. 5)

2. Routes 14 and 15 applies only from Manitowac, Milwaukee and Kewaunee, WI (PM Nos 3190, 3195, and 3200)

12. Route 12 is not applicable from Detroit, MI (PM No 1475)

14. Route 13 is not applicable from Chatham, ONT (PM No 3605)

16. Route 11 is not applicable from Kulmbach (PM No 2825) or Port Austin, MI (PM No 3160), nor from Aurthur (PM N 3240) to Grassmere, MI (PM No 3315) 

There are also 4 Notes:

Note 1 - Via Rotterdam Jct, or Mechanicville, NY, B&M and Northampton (north of Plainville) or Springfield (New Britain/Plainville)

Note 2 - Via NYC (B) and Springfield (New Britain) or Westfield (Plainville and north)

Note 3 - Via Wells River, VT, B&M and Northampton (north of Plainville) or Springfield (New Britain/Plainville)

Note 4 - When on account of clearances, shipments cannot be handled via Greenville Piers or Jersey City, NJ routes, such shipments may be routed via PRR, Belvidiere, NJ, L&H, Maybrook NY, NH.

--

Do you need the Routing Guides? Not necessarily. With the freight schedules, we know that traffic to New Britain comes from certain trains, from Maybrook, Cedar Hill, or Hartford.

We know that traffic via Hartford will come via Springfield or Maybrook (for the New Hartford local, but not New Britain). We know which roads interchange at Maybrook, and Cedar Hill rounds up the traffic from Greenville, Fresh Pond, Harlem River, and New London (and Maybrook when the OA/AO trains aren't running).

But the routes clarify that traffic to the Springfield Line west is unlikely to come via a Boston>Cedar Hill train. We can also see that traffic to the Canal Line north of Plainville will receive cars from NYC (B&A) and B&M via Northampton and won't be part of the NY/YN traffic.

Some routes seem obvious - traffic from the northeast is coming through Springfield or Northampton, and occasionally via New London. But I didn't expect the routing via Worcester, for example. It makes sense, though, because it reduces the volume of traffic through Boston.

Coming from the West it's little surprise that a road with a direct connection like the Erie will handle most of the traffic to that interchange. But traffic from farther north can flow via other roads to Springfield and Northampton.

It's also not surprising that once you get to an indirect connection that there are more potential routes via a carrier that interchanges with the NH. Remember that a few routes will go via Canada. One example, loads of automobiles may be coming through Springfield on the B&M instead of via Maybrook carriers. It's easy to think that Maybrook or the Greenville/Jersey City floats are only routes from out west, and that's not the case.

I find the routings interesting by themselves. But they are also useful in building train consists, leading to a visible difference in the mix of freight cars on the different trains. This will be particularly evident in the through cars to the Canal Line north of Plainville on the NY/YN trains, since they will contain fewer cars from New England roads.