Operations

3 trains are held in staging, each having a locomotive, 4 cars, and a caboose.

The first train, coming from the west, is a way freight that leaves all of its cars and picks up 4 loads, determined by a car card system. It then heads east and the power to that track is killed when the engine reaches the wall.. The second train is a turn. It arrives from the east, spots all of its cars, picks up 4 more, runs around its caboose, and goes back east where it came from. The final train also comes from the east, leaves it loads, picks up 4 more, and heads west. Twelve cars are picked up and 12 more left during an operating session. That is busy for a town with roughly 18 spots.

Not on the drawing are the staging tracks. The two mains extent to the west a further 4 feet. An eastbound train is staged on the East Main extension at the beginning of an operating session.

The two mains extend to the east a further 5 feet. The West Main extension has a switch adding a third track in staging. All three of these tracks can be isolated electrically. A westbound merchandise freight and the turn are staged on the off layout west main and its siding.

This layout is organized for all types of freight cars, but no passenger movements.

Box cars are the mainstay, serving all industries except the stock yard. In bad years, they even bring hay to the pens. Even an auto box could visit the ramp on occasion.
Stock cars bring cattle to the pens for fattening on the area's great grass and then pick them up to take them to market.
Reefers bring produce and, occasionally meat, to the Grocery Supply. Most meat to this community would come in LCL reefers on the local when it pauses at the depot. Reefers may also come from the east loaded with dry goods to Valley Wholesale as they may their way back west.
Gondolas bring pipe to the ramp, sand to the stock pens, aggregate to the building supply, coal to the Co-Op, and take logs away when they are clearing the river bottoms.
Flat cars bring steel and machinery to Harris Frederick, farm implements to Farm & Ranch, and lumber to Plains Building Supply.
Tank cars bring refined products to Sinclair.
Any car can be left on the interchange track for the towns up the branch.
Hoppers would generally not be seen here unless they were on the interchange track for some need up the branch, such as ballast work.

Steve Sandifer