Preparing Operations

I finally knuckled down and started to create all the waybills I need to operate the trains. Of course, the idea is you complete a session, moving each car to where the waybill tells you, then turn all the cars to reveal the next spot to place the car. Since each waybill has 4 instructions, the car will not return to where it started until the 5th session.
Setting this up is harder than it first appears. Not every car goes from industry 1 to industry 2 and back to industry 1. Some of the hopper cars are captive, mean they go from the mine, to an industry, then back to the mine. Others, like a boxcar or gondola, move to a industry with a load, get unloaded then routed to the next destination empty. Or arrive empty, then ship with products. So I am taking my time setting this up.
First, I decided to set all the sidings at full capacity. This was helpful as I realized some were really a bit overcapacity. I took a car or two off a couple of sidings and eliminated the PRR Freight Station from the LAS Fabrics siding. Here is how the layout looks with the sidings "full".

PPG (left) and HJ Heinz in Irwin hace room for 2 cars each

For Uniontown, Dailey's in the foreground usually has 2 hoppers and 1 tank car; the others have 1 car each

Herminie has room for 14 cars at the mine, and 6 on the P&LE interchange

There are 3 sidings in E, McKeesport and the east most holds 4 cars

LAS Fabrics Co has room for 2 cars

May Stern Furniture has room for 2 cars

Of course, the temptation is to route more cars to fill the sidings. May Stern can actually hold 3-4 and LAS Fabrics could easily hold 3. The problem is routing the cars to the next locations with the sidings that full. With the capacity I listed under the photos, that's about 35 cars on the layout. Ideally, these 35 would move to a staging yard (except for the few going back to WCC Mine) and new cars would come onto the layout from staging to replace them. "Staging" is a loose term since I have room for 6 cars on the P&LE interchange and with the two tracks hidden behind E. McKeesport, I can represent them as one line for all points east (7 cars) and one for all points west (8 cars).
Meaning...I need to push 35 cars off the layout and replace them with 21 cars.
That's not going to work!

Collaboration

My last layout, in the basement of our house on Restway, took 11 years to build and become operational. Much of that time was my waxing and waning interest, free time and tackle projects for the first time, like ballasting. As I recall, it took 2 -3 years to get a trackplan, another year to build the modules, some 4-5 years before all the track was laid. You get the picture.

Overall I enjoyed the layout and it met my desires in the space I had - but I did almost all of it alone. I finally collaborated with a couple of friends (Eric and Jack) running trains in the last 9 months before we moved and Jack helped with the scenery on a couple of the train nights we had. 

This version of PRR Irwin District has been different for a couple of reasons. First, I was able to reuse a number of components from the Restway layout - modules, lighting, fascia, switches and some track, and of course I had a pretty solid collection of rolling stock and DCC locomotives at this point. Second, reconnecting with Bruce (have I mention we met as USAF lieutenants back in the late 80s?) really helped, reducing the planning stage to a few months, optimizing the trackplan for a smaller, more constrictive space than I would have been able to and helping assemble benchwork, wiring, mounting the lights and shelves, laying and testing the track, and now adding the scenery. Instead of 11 years to run complete trains, I was semi-operational in about 18 months and by 2 years was running complete trains. Also, collaborating has been huge in gaining different perspective for some of the challenges. 

Every time we get together, we discuss different ideas for the scenery and Bruce almost always has a suggestion that not only did I not consider, but turns out to be really, really good. He stopped by last weekend and his ideas for East McKeesport roads and structures really appealed to me and perfectly fit the concept I had for the look of the area. What's great is that we can work on the layout with the trains continuously running on the outer and inner mainline and still make time to run some Extras to Herminie or to work a siding or two in East McKeesport. 

On a funny note, sometimes I assume things because we both like model railroading. Operations is a good example. I have read dozens of articles and practiced operating schemes on a couple of railroads but while Bruce has built and run trains, he was not very familiar with car cards and waybills (CC&WB). I'm fixing that. Sunday, after talking about moving traffic around the Irwin District, he asked, "Where the heck is Uniontown anyway? You need a map to help your engineers out."

Good point ... so here is a map of the PRR Irwin District and how its situated in PA.

Map of the PRR Irwin District

Train Shows and Hobby Stores

I forgot to follow-up on the Division 3 Train Show that Bruce and I attended a couple weekends ago. I try to go to this local show every year and sometimes, I barely spend more than the entrance fee. Not this year!
As usual, I had a very specific list of items that I was looking for and I was able to get most of them at very good prices. I love a bargain. I picked up two hopper cars (practically a steal, the price was so good) and two box cars. I think I am set on boxcars but need a handful more hoppers. I finally broke down and box the box of 100 wheelsets to fix the dozen or so cars on the RIP track with out-of-gauge wheels, A new razor saw, a pair of tweezers, and some right angle clamps for building structures. I also picked up two cast metal '56 Ford pickups and some detail piping for Dailey's and other areas around the layout. Overall, I thought I did pretty good.
Last weekend, we were planning a run to see my Dad in Pittsburgh and I always try to get a visit to T & K Hobby in Bridgeport OH which we pass within 2 miles, so have to try and stop. We were planning on running out and back in the same day so I was not sure we would stop. I decided to see what I could find locally and speed up the layover, or skip it altogether.
So Friday I popped into R/C Hobby on Harshman Road. Although they are primarily an R/C airplane store they have a great collection of just what I needed - styrene sheets and strips for scratchbuilding, some paints, Woodland Scenics brush & talus (rocks), lead weights for the freight cars and plastic and CA glue. Almost all I was looking for....
So we stopped at T&K Hobby Saturday where I found Walther's Heritage Furniture building (this will be LAS Fabrics in East McKeesport), more bush material and some additional paints on sale. Since Polly S paints were discontinued, I am basically buying all the colors I can use while they are still available.
Now back to the layout. I have some scenery to create, structures to build, and rolling stock to repair. Should keep me busy for a few evenings!

Sometimes....

Sometimes, the solution is easier than you think. I had some time in the train room tonight while I was listening to the Bengal game. Been working on several small projects so I continued cleaning up the cabinets, spray painted a couple of cars and the new LAS Fabrics builfing, and tweaked some scenery around the tunnels and in Herminie.
 While I was working on these projects I was running some trains on the inner and outer mainlines. Four new cars from the train show last weekend performed well and I decided to tackle some of the RIP cars. I think I mentioned my frustration building about 10 new cars that would not run only to discover the wheelsets were not correct...too wide for the track. I replaced them on 6 "broken" cars and added them to the running trains...no problems. Nice.

Waiting for the train show

The Dayton NMRA train show is this weekend and I have a list of things to look for. Usually, I come home with $30 or $40 worth of supplies. I have specific items I am looking and frequently don't find them but I enjoy browsing. Bruce is meeting me at the show and I am sure we will find several excuses to spend money.
In the meantime, I am niching away at my To Do list. I finished the basic structures for all 3 company houses and am now working on adding the porches, cementing the roofs, and placing interior floors and walls - easier to do as you assemble the building than adding them later! Ask me how I know!!
Eventually, I want all the buildings to have simple interiors and lighting - again to add to the illusion of the real world. I also fixed (sort of) the PPG loading dock and added a sign to the Heinz building. Last week, I finally cut Joe's Music to fit in East McKeesport and was showing Bruce the leftover 1/2 building, saying I was disappointed that I had to cut it. He suggested I trim it and place it further down the street. Wow! It worked!

Cutting one building into two

I started adding floors into that building tonight as well and updated some of the operations documents. So lots of little things getting done - still need to work on the backlog of cars that derail but no room on my work desk with all these other projects.