Ypsilanti Terminal RR layout

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

well, i took a step back to squate 1 today and decided that i was going to change my layot. I am going from a freelance mid 90's layout to a combination freelanced real layout. I was inspired by the article about Big Island Rail in the latest Model railroader, i liked how big island rail was modeled using the idea of "what if". so I thogh, what if ypsi was a railroad town? I thought abot it and decided that there wold be a switching RR to work the business that shipps by rail, there would be a small yard, and the train station wold still be used alon with the freight house. I have started brainstorming and sketching track plans, but the first thing I did (and probably the most fun) was design locomotive paint schemes. I would like to model these engines in some ways, but the paint scheme is something I like. I think it has that switching railroad feel...

the classic gp38-2

Ypsi Terminal Railroad by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

of corse an ex UP

ypsi terminal railroad 2001 by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr
(reporting marks (YRTX)

and an MP15AC

ypsi terminal railroad 2002 by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

these are the engines i would like to model in my layout.

Now I am also looking for insight, just stuff that could help me in the fueture...

track plan might come soon, and hopeflly I will get to building soon.

[AARR]

I like your paper railroad except the engine colors.

Will you include Willow Run area east of Ypsi. They had several compnent plants and of course the assembly plant at one time (gone by 90's I think) but you could use a little modelers license and include it. Switched three shifts per day, 6-7 days per week.

Also, how about some more modelers license and inlcude the old branch to Saline and run two turns a day to switch the Ford plant (inbound plastic pellets and outbound box cars) which is how often that place was switched in the 90's. You could also interchange with AA at Pittsfield.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

I like your paper railroad except the engine colors.

Will you include Willow Run area east of Ypsi. They had several compnent plants and of course the assembly plant at one time (gone by 90's I think) but you could use a little modelers license and include it. Switched three shifts per day, 6-7 days per week.

Also, how about some more modelers license and inlcude the old branch to Saline and run two turns a day to switch the Ford plant (inbound plastic pellets and outbound box cars) which is how often that place was switched in the 90's. You could also interchange with AA at Pittsfield.

I'll probably tinker with the paint colors, they are the colors of ypsilanti high school... and i need to do some reasearch on what business I want to include in the layout. i do not have a large table, so the main switching jobs will be based in ypsi. There will probably be leads to like the old pittsfield branch of the ann arbor... i'll post the current track plan of my layout is a little bit.

[AARR]

i do not have a large table, so the main switching jobs will be based in ypsi. There will probably be leads to like the old pittsfield branch of the ann arbor... i'll post the current track plan of my layout is a little bit.

A strategically placed staging yard will allow you to model industires without all the buildings. The article in your Model Railroader about Virginia on 4x8 has one such example.

I model Diann to Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor Railroad, early 1950's) and my staging yard is as big as the exposed part of my layout. I love it!

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

this is what my table looks like... i did this in paint so there is no scale...

track plan 1 by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

the back side is 13 feet, and it comes out 3 feet on the ends and 2 feet in the middle. I have some ideas, but there is not too much room for expanding

[AARR]

track plan 1 by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

One possibility is to make the long spur your Saline Branch and the opposite side your Willow Run yard. Then place a few smaller customers around the edges. If you can sneak a double end siding along the wall that single track could be your staging yard.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

i do know on thing, i am going to be redoing most of the track inside of the mainline loop. the mainline loop will stay as a loop, running all the way aroun the layout. but infront of the back side will probably be bulidings to hide the tracks. probably some rail customers, and some residential bildings...


track plan 2 by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

maybe like this, with the red line being a backdrop of some sort... posibably a staging yard in the pper left cornner, i still have to work out the kinks.

[Chrisracer8903]

Try to cram as my spurs and yard tracks as possible, it will feel more like a terminal railroad with many industries to switch. Also, I agree with Don, having a yard would be good not only for staging, but giving more operation and making the trains feel like they are going to a different location further than they actually are. Also, you wouldn't want to cover the tracks into the backdrop that much or you won't see the train enough to enjoy as "main line" running. Also, have you considered putting a diamond in the middle for the Saline branch, such as in Pittsfield? A reverse move across could be another interesting operation. You could even model it through Ann Arbor as if they make the Osmer interchange with the GLC (or even Ferry Yard for that matter). There's so many possibilties you can do.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

this is what i came up with today, it is 4 pictures mashed into one with the tracks and backgroung highlighted

track plan by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr

tracks are in red and the purple is a backdrop that will transition from bildings on the right to trees on the left

there are two yards on the left, i call them yard A and B. yard A is easly accessable from the main line, and to get to yard B yo need to do a switch back. Now I know that this would be a railroading nightmare, but I figured it was a way to make it intresting. The switcing crew will have to take every car throgh the switch back after switching the top tracks to assemble a train. More details on the rest of the track plan to follow later.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

My layout will inclde service to the corner breawery, Michigan latter co, Marsh plating co, and one more business. The Breawery can be servised right on the north side of the B yard, Latter Co is servised between yards A and B, Marsh Plating is servised on the spur with the tight radius cruve on the far right, one car at a time with a small seitcher engine. the spr on the top of the track plan will be used by a not yet determined business. This is an altered Ypsilanti, but it will keep some of its details. I will polibably expand with a staging yard off of the upper left of the table.

a little background on the yard: YTRX yards A and B were built on the site of an old abandond warehouse just to the northwest of the latter company (i can not think of what it used to be) Yard A and B need to be connected in such a way becase of the limited property that the railroad was able to buy (and thats how it fits on my table )

The YTR will also interchange with conrail/NS on my layout and there will be amtrak trains as well as some type of commter train.

btw NS 39e clear mp 30 east as i type!

[Chrisracer8903]

Very cool track plan! You also could raise the main line instead of covering it in a backdrop, therefore you can see the train going around and the branch line would feel like a different location. Also, have you considered with your paint scheme changing it to UofM colors?

[AARR]

Thats kind of cool how one yard feeds the other yard. Real railroads operate that way too. A classification yared will feed another yard that services one or more significant customers.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

Very cool track plan! You also could raise the main line instead of covering it in a backdrop, therefore you can see the train going around and the branch line would feel like a different location. Also, have you considered with your paint scheme changing it to UofM colors?

Actually yes. I thought of a u of m engine, and an eastern Michigan engine.

[Chrisracer8903]

Very cool track plan! You also could raise the main line instead of covering it in a backdrop, therefore you can see the train going around and the branch line would feel like a different location. Also, have you considered with your paint scheme changing it to UofM colors?

Actually yes. I thought of a u of m engine, and an eastern Michigan engine.

The EMU colors would look great on the MP15AC and UofM colors on the GP38-2, plus the ex-UP unit with blue patches. Also, I noticed in your track plan that you could take advantage of the space of adding a team track or another industry in your spur on the far right of the layout or in your passing siding. That could make a neat transloading scene or do your NS interchanging there. Plus, your Yard A and Yard B could feel more representative to the local area by naming them after the streets they would be near such as Yard A being Packard Street Yard and Yard B being Ford Street Yard or something like that, it's totally up to you.

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

I was laying track and the front of the layout, and my cutting tool snapped . Cheap harbor freight! Anyway, I found the sharp turn on the right side is a 10 inch radius turn, only good for 1 boxcar at a time and no engine bigger then a gp50 it's just a little tight, but it works!

Once I get a new cuter I will be able to finish laying tracks and post pictures

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

Very cool track plan! You also could raise the main line instead of covering it in a backdrop, therefore you can see the train going around and the branch line would feel like a different location. Also, have you considered with your paint scheme changing it to UofM colors?

ypsi terminal rr 2002 michiganu u of m by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr
possible U of M paint scheme... just for Chrisracer8903 MP15AC EMU comming soon

[GrandTrunkFan]

Very cool track plan! You also could raise the main line instead of covering it in a backdrop, therefore you can see the train going around and the branch line would feel like a different location. Also, have you considered with your paint scheme changing it to UofM colors?

ypsi terminal rr 2002 michiganu u of m by YpsiAmtrakBoy, on Flickr
possible U of M paint scheme... just for Chrisracer8903 MP15AC EMU comming soon

GOOOOO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[i995impalass]

My suggestion would to be drop the “X” off your report mark unless your denoting the railroad is not a true railroad and will not interchange with other roads. The “X” at the end of report mark means it’s a privately owned by another company other than a railroad, with the exception of TTX which is owned by a number of railroads and treated as a railroad mark, not private. Good example is CSX. They use the mark CSXT on their equipment. If they used CSX on the equipment they would be denoted as a private company and could not collect car-hire when equipment is interchanged. This is why the T was added and the technical name for CSX is CSX Transportation. Private equipment usually is not subject to car-hire (hours and miles still are calculated), but railroads “usually” won’t charge. Look at car hire at it as rent. When a railroad marked car is on a foreign railroad, rent is charged on every one of those cars in hours and miles. To off-set this cost the foreign railroad will charge the customer demurrage for other railroad marked cars placed at their location. Prices and free time is spelled out in a serving railroad tariff. Big companies that move a lot of cars will lease their own equipment to get out of incurring the cost of demurrage. Dow and Oxy are good example with DOWX & OCCX cars. Tank cars are a whole other ball of wax. Railroads do not have in revenue service their own tank cars. Big companies that have the corner on tanks is General American Marks Company (Marks are- GATX, GCCX, GETX, GCTX, LCPX, POTX, SALX, & UOCX) the other is G.E. (Marks are- ACFX, AESX, AMPX, ARIX, CTNX, ERLX, GENX, ITLX, MWSX, NATX, PLCX, PLWX, & PLTX) both are private companies and not railroads. I’m sure I forgot some marks for each company, but you get the idea. Tanks have what they call the “tank car equalization”. Basically someone came up with the assumption that tank cars move equally over every railroad, and every railroad pays a portion of an estimated figure. Kinda hope that helps somewhat in making your line run more realistically- kinda just my input to drop the X.. lol

[YpsiAmtrakBoy]

My suggestion would to be drop the “X” off your report mark unless your denoting the railroad is not a true railroad and will not interchange with other roads. The “X” at the end of report mark means it’s a privately owned by another company other than a railroad, with the exception of TTX which is owned by a number of railroads and treated as a railroad mark, not private. Good example is CSX. They use the mark CSXT on their equipment. If they used CSX on the equipment they would be denoted as a private company and could not collect car-hire when equipment is interchanged. This is why the T was added and the technical name for CSX is CSX Transportation. Private equipment usually is not subject to car-hire (hours and miles still are calculated), but railroads “usually” won’t charge. Look at car hire at it as rent. When a railroad marked car is on a foreign railroad, rent is charged on every one of those cars in hours and miles. To off-set this cost the foreign railroad will charge the customer demurrage for other railroad marked cars placed at their location. Prices and free time is spelled out in a serving railroad tariff. Big companies that move a lot of cars will lease their own equipment to get out of incurring the cost of demurrage. Dow and Oxy are good example with DOWX & OCCX cars. Tank cars are a whole other ball of wax. Railroads do not have in revenue service their own tank cars. Big companies that have the corner on tanks is General American Marks Company (Marks are- GATX, GCCX, GETX, GCTX, LCPX, POTX, SALX, & UOCX) the other is G.E. (Marks are- ACFX, AESX, AMPX, ARIX, CTNX, ERLX, GENX, ITLX, MWSX, NATX, PLCX, PLWX, & PLTX) both are private companies and not railroads. I’m sure I forgot some marks for each company, but you get the idea. Tanks have what they call the “tank car equalization”. Basically someone came up with the assumption that tank cars move equally over every railroad, and every railroad pays a portion of an estimated figure. Kinda hope that helps somewhat in making your line run more realistically- kinda just my input to drop the X.. lol

Understood

[ConrailMan5]

Suggest the Frog island brewery as opposed to the corner brewery. A. it is on the NS main, B.it would be a tough climb up river street to the corner brewery

I like the Ypsi SW1500