Pacific Mutual Door Company

Industry Review continues with a look at spot #326, the Pacific Mutual Door Company.  According to the abbreviated history their website, this location was established in 1952 when the company rebuilt their local operations following the floods of 1951.

Aerial views in 1959 and 1969 show what appears to be a single boxcar spotted at the facility.  Commodities would likely be inbound lumber for the millwork department or plate glass for inclusion in windows.   Perhaps in later years, some windows or doors were received directly as they expanded into a role of local distributor for national brands.

Historic Aerials has a long gap in coverage, and by 2006, the tracks are gone.  I particularly like this view along with the street view one that shows the spur elevated above the climbing right-of-way.

This elevation change means that this will be a signature scene.

There were four direct rail doors and the rear portion of the building was set back slightly to accomodate an outdoor dock.

Carthage Marble

Industry Review continues with a look at spot #315, Carthage Marble.  While still in business, rail service has long disappeared.  The most interesting feature here is the overhead crane for unloading cut stone from rail cars.

(click on the pictures for larger views)

I've preserved a reference to the modern day Google Street View of the building for browsing the property.

A close-up look of the fence line shows the the gate between the marble property and neighboring Schutte Lumber where the rail spur ran.

A check of the city property data shows the relationship of the the right-of-way to the surrounding properties.

The exercise remaining for this modeler is to determine the era-appropriateness of rail service to an industry like this.  I'm sure cut stone had its heyday when there was no competition from a highway system and trucks.  The quarrying side of this industry is covered quite well in Industries Along the Tracks Vol. 4 by Jeff Wilson and that publication has a few pictures from the late 1970s of raw cut stone block loaded into gondola cars.  Finishing, including further cutting would likely take place at a local retailer or wholesaler like Carthage Marble.

Rail shipments of this commodity have likely dwindled to near zero in recent years.  One source I found was a mid-to-late-90s NAFTA freight study that looked at commodity flows through the greater Kansas City area.  That report makes mention of cut stone products being exported to Mexico, but indicates that the shipments were handled by truck.

Crisis of Scale

The first post on this blog noted the transition of my modelling interests from heavy mainline coal hauling action to short industrial spurs and switching.  I'd previously been fairly dedicated to acquiring equipment to support the former and luckily my era interests (mid-70s to early 80s) haven't changed so some of it is reusable for the latter.

However, my recent internet wanderings have led me down the path of potentially switching to O scale (specifically P:48) for this Frisco Hill Track endeavor.  Why you ask?

A few of the more interesting blogs that I follow (Lance Mindhiem, Mike Cougill, Trevor Marshall, et. al.) have posted in the past about what drives anyone in this hobby.  Most build a model railroad to have something "come alive" for them and that something varies for everyone.  Often it is childhood memories or the thrill is derived from having 12-15 people execute T&TO operations across a long mainline.  I've found that what I seem to most enjoy is the close-up simulation of the switching.  Almost as if I could be the conductor or engineer without having to get up at 2am and work in the freezing cold.

In thinking about how to recreate that for my own enjoyment, there are a few aspects of the larger scale that are appealing to me:

• The overall mass of the objects conveys a greater sense of realism
• Greater detail
• Sound -- specifically the opportunity for larger speakers to generate more bass
• Potential for battery power -- Imagine being freed from feeders!
• There's a greater detail one could put into the track if it weren't required to be electrically operational.
• http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/deadrailsystem.html
• Working handbrakes -- Think accessory decoder and small actuator to engage brakes on each car.
• http://www.robotshop.com/en/flexinol-en.html
• http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/5835
• The Hill track is all grades, though spurs appear to be mostly level.  Stopping anywhere else requires a braking solution, and while I've used benchwork-mounted hill stops successfully, one is limited by their positioning
• Room for batteries and speakers aren't a problem if combined with powered trucks.
• Kato recently brought them out on the GE P42
• NWSL also has the Magic Carpet

None of these things require the larger scale, but most are made easier by it.  One thing I remain perplexed about regarding O-scale is the scaling  Seems most rolling stock produced today follows 1/4" (except for wheelsets, but Protocraft has the solution there), though I'm unsure if the concessions made by the manufacturer to simultaneously release a 2-rail and 3-rail model affects this aspect.

Well, that's all from the armchair (keyboard?) modeling department this evening.

Boots On The Ground

I had an opportunity to visit Kansas City this past weekend and spent some time exploring the Hill Track in person with some model railroad friends.  I'm still working on getting through the pictures and will post the more interesting ones here soon.

The most notable detail learned from the trip was the elevation changes that the line experienced.  While some of that information can be gleaned from topographic maps, nothing beats the in-person experience and GPS readings (thanks Keith & Mark!).

At just over a mile in total length and with a total elevation change of 100 ft, the average grade works out to be 2.2%, which is towards the steeper end of the spectrum for railroad grades.  Of course, this is a small industrial spur but the laws of physics still apply.   Most spurs from the main track were level, so that adds to the visual interest of the scenes.

The one thing I regretted not doing while there -- I only thought of it while on the plane back home -- was to measure the two remaining switches on the line.  I'd like to use that as a key input to the planning.  "Standard" model railroad switches are often too small compared to what scaled-down versions of the prototype would be for similar use cases.  I plan to rectify that and use switches in the #8 to #10 range plus curves as broad as I can justify to avoid a crammed look.

Return With a Plan

The blog has been quiet for a while as other (homefront) projects have taken over.  Despite that, I was able to chip away a few minutes here and there to work on a (HO scale) track plan starting at the south end and working north:

For reference, this recreates the following portion from the 1972 track diagram with the exception of spot #335 on the far left:

I've implemented it as three "modules" for easy transport in the future.  They are non-standard and non-equal in length and width to ensure that all of the breaks between sections avoid turnouts.

The grid shown on the plan uses 12" squares which means that the left half is 30" wide.  However, I expect to build this as a standalone peninsula without backdrops.  With it accessible from all sides, I don't think the width will be a problem.

This is the first (public) draft -- following nine or so tweaks and rewrites -- and while writing about it now, I noticed that the left-most "module" is more compressed in real distance compared to the other two.  This ends up shortchanging the spots along Terrace St at the top (#340, #342, and #348).


PS> I will have to confess that while reading blogs I follow and reminiscing about a previous operating experience and an O-scale switching layout, I was tempted to switch scales.  I'd have to go P:48 if I did and I found myself quickly stuck trying to determine availability of period (1970s) freight cars.  Do the P:48 modelers accept the slightly oversize equipment as long as the gaudy wheelsets are changed out?  Anyway, that was a dangerous diversion and I'd better stick to what I know: HO scale.  Though I will dabble with some of the P:87 aspects to enhance track detail.

The Hill Track in 1972

Thanks to some fellow modelers over at Frisco.org (and someone 40 years ago), I was able to recently obtain the official railroad industry spot guide from 1972.  This -- short of engineering drawings -- is probably the single best resource for trying to recreate this industrial spur.   While I haven't yet picked an exact modeling date for the Fairgrounds Branch, it will likely be in this same decade, as the 1970s have always been my primary modeling interest.

The Industries (links to previous posts detailing industries):

Spot Code	Industry Name
303	Open
305	Garfield Team Track
306	Paper Supply Company
308	Runaround Track
309	Open
311	C. E. Schutte Lumber Company
315	Carthage Marble Corporation
319	W. C. Tingle Company
326	Pacific Mutual Door Company
327	Battenfeld Grease & Oil Company (It is spelled wrong on the RR map)
335	Safeway Bakery
336	Motor Parts Distributors Incorporated
340	Sherwood Chemical Company
340A	Union Carbide
340B	American Mineral Spirits Company
341	Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
342	Turner Uni-Drive Company
345	U. S. Engineering
348	Swenson Construction Company
353	Styro Fabricators Incorporated
354	Fred Wolferman Incorporated

The Map (click link for a 'zoomable' view):

The List (click link for a 'zoomable' view):

The Surprises / Questions / Answers?:

Having this map and list raises a few questions from my previous research.

1. Spot #336 is shown as "Motor Parts Distributors Incorporated", meaning Columbia Bedding that I had previously thought to be there had closed and moved out prior to 1972.
2. #353 is "Stryo Fabricators" which corrects an earlier typo from my first source of information from Frisco.org -- explains why I couldn't find anything on "Ftyro Fabricators"
3. The relative lack of run-around tracks on the line is somewhat surprising -- It implies that switch crews probably did most of their line-up work in nearby 19th St. yard.  To the modeler though, that means my switch jobs either need to start that way, or I need to provide for that work to take place.
4. The amount of active trackage inside Schutte Lumber is amazing.  Most lumberyards I've seen have a single spur on the edge of the property, this one apparently delineates between the various product groups to the different sheds.
5. All of my previous research for #327 ("Battenf[i]eld Grease") showed the industry on the west side of Roanoke Rd and served by the MKT RR.  The adjoining Frisco maps don't have the trackage and switchback between Southwest Boulevard and Roanoke Rd shown, and I've since traced that spur's origination to be with track connected to what was the Katy's Rosedale Yard.
1. Local "boots-on-the-ground" research indicates that Battenfeld Grease was served by both railroads.  The Frisco seemed to handle only inbound raw commodities from an unloading terminal on the east side of Roanoke Rd, while the MKT owned the spur in the alley west of Roanoke Rd.  The buildings on the west side of the were warehouses and docks, so most shipping likely took place there (or receiving of other non-liquid commodities)
6. The difference between spots #340, #340A and #340B aren't clearly identified on the map.  There's a #340-1 spot up on Terrace St (two parallel tracks near top-right of map) ... perhaps this was 'A' and 'B' also (different sides of the street).  The map identifies many tank spots, all of which are gone now.
7. Now that I have what I need to start drawing a trackplan -- construction will begin at the south end with the two warehouses and the switchback up to Terrace St.
8. Spot #342 has now been identified as Turner Uni-Drive Company.

Switchstands

Several modelers have been promoting the use of additional props to enhance the realism and slow the pace of operating sessions.  I've seen suggestions like locked switch stands, brake wheels, and operating fences in writings by Lance Mindheim, Mike Cougill, and Trevor Marshall.  I definitely agree with this approach and have always been searching for ways to replicate more of the "on the ground" work so that switch jobs aren't just wham bam done

Adding an oversize switch stand outside of the layout area and connecting it either via linkage or motor to operate the model turnout -- as Trevor did here -- is one of those that I had to archive here for future reference.

It appears that the switch stands that Trevor uses are available from Sunset Valley.  They're nearly the cost of a commercial HO turnout, but for a small switching layout like I'm envisioning for the Fairgrounds branch it might make sense.