Three Layout Projects / Car Card Ops / Trash Cans / Scenery Work

Greetings All,

Three layout projects to report this week. 

The first was a multi day op session using car cards and waybills from the free download by Easy Model Railroad Inventory also known as E.M.R.I. I've been going back and forth on a ops system that I can easily put into place and use.

When PC Ralph and I first started the Penn Central Car Movements we used actual Penn Central Car Movement Cards like these four that were furnished by Ralph.

I liked the Micro Mark car cards and was on the fence about buying them. 

After talking it over via email with Ralph he suggested I run an exploratory op with the car cards and waybill system to see if I liked it.

Here's a brief excerpt from one op session using some car cards and waybills from the E.M.R.I. system:

The Empire Belt RR has picked up two flat cars with heavy equipment for Hudson Coal in Bedford NY from Empire City Caterpillar.

Also picked up in Empire City are a covered hopper from Cargill loaded with flour for Hostess in Bedford NY and a boxcar of timbers for Hudson Coal picked up at Neal's Lumber & Hardware. 

The Empire Belt transfer freight heads for Terminal Yard with the aforementioned freight cars and five covered hoppers from Empire City Cargill for the Pier 16 Grain Silos.

 The EBRR Transfer arrives at Terminal Yard.

 Later that day the three freight cars depart Terminal Yard.

The cars are delivered to Hudson Coal.

The car cards are clipped to the fascia. 

In a day or so I'll pull the waybills and follow the empty car instructions I put on the car card.  

All told I ran three 30 minute op sessions during the course of one week using the waybill and car card system. I liked the fact that I could leave and pick up the op whenever I wanted. I liked the size of the cards and I liked having origination and destination ready to go. I'm also thinking I'll like the four cycle waybills.

The E.M.R.I System has some really nice features but it's not for me. The J.M.R.I. System is another operating system with many fine options but I just didn't want to spend the amount of computer time necessary to get it either one up and running.

Friend and fellow modeler John Bruce who is well versed in J.M.R.I operations offered to help me along and I really appreciated his willingness to spend his time helping me. 

After some more mulling I've put my money where my mouth is and have ordered car cards and four cycle waybills from Micro Mark. I just received notice they have been shipped. 

The next project was kind of quirky. I received this Walthers 24 Modern Trash Cans package from my mother in law as a Christmas gift.

Here they are with the base rattle can painted with gray primer and the tops brush painted with Hunter Green.

Here's a pair of newly painted garbage cans ready for rubbish. 

The cans look good on the corners and maybe the 1/87th scale populace will even use them.

 Pizza Land got a pair for their parking lot diners. 

Last project to report is adding some railroad ballast and scenery to this spot on the lower level. The sun finally came out long enough for me to sift my paver base to get more gravel separated and ready for installation.

 Much better!

The track on the right coming off the turnout leads to the "slide".

These tracks head towards Empire City Station.

A billboard was added for some visual interest. Put this in the books after nine years of should I do this or should I do that!

Look for this area to actually get photographed this weekend in our upcoming Penn Central Car Movements #72 which will be a three layout virtual op with PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad.

Model Railroad Operations Disclaimer

This blog entry not an advertisement for any one ops system or a claim that one is superior to the other. Readers who follow this blog know that I do not preach. Every model railroader has their preferences for what works best for them. It's your layout and it's your call how you choose to operate it. 

Thanks for reading!! 

See ya this weekend!!