After my last post, Tolga went back and re-shot his OMNI Logistics photo under better conditions. Note the loading ramp on the far right of the photo. Thanks Tolga!
After my post on the “Easy Money” design, I received a few emails asking how it would be operated so let’s take a step back and talk about that.
To begin, this plan isn’t meant to sustain two hour op. sessions for multiple crews. I see it as something you could have a thirty to forty-five minute solo session with. Life is going to be much easier if you don’t jam the layout full of cars. I’d have four or five in the yard and an equal amount at the warehouse. The loco. would be idling outside of the yard office to start. He’d start by sorting the cars in the yard so they are in the correct order for the doors at the warehouse. Once that’s done, he’d shove to the warehouse. Using the incoming loads as a handle, the empties would be pulled out and put on the sorting track. The loads would then be spotted at the correct doors. The cars don’t stay there as a coupled train. There would be gaps between cars and the brake wheels set on each. The empties are then pulled back back to the yard. Work at the interchange yard, if any, would be a simple out and back move. Spotting a car at the team track would be a simple move from the yard. Keep in mind that not every industry is worked every session and not every door at the warehouse is used every session.
You could add a fun twist by having some cars at the warehouse still in the process of being unloaded which would require them to be pulled out of the way and re-spotted. Another twist would be a scenario where there isn’t enough room at the warehouse for all of the incoming cars requiring them be placed “off spot” on the sorting track until room frees up later on.
In order to keep the layout from becoming overly congested with cars, store those not involved in the op. session on a nearby open top shelf.