I was beginning to wonder where you had gone off to. Welcome Back!!!! Well lets start answering your questions. I saw your other post on the other thread and saw where this is an extension of that. So I reposted the majority of my answer here and will continue answering qeustions posted on this thread."First of all expanded on my question about multipul rail companies I wasn't too sure on the sharing rail yards. Did this just happen in special situations or was it common. For example two companies on different lines arriving at the same town to the same rail yard and station. Does that occur?***I basically want to know if I can have a SF for example, arriving at my rail yard, while a BN arrives to use the same yard from a different route. Also would a Private company be seen sharing the rail yard?"
One of the first things you find out in model railroading is that if you look hard eneugh, you can find a prototype for everthing. In your case of sharing railyards. It was not very common for two carriers to share a yard. Even in the same town. What would often happen of two railroads needed to tranfer cars, is that a train on the first railraod ,SF in your question, would stop off in the SF yard and drop off all the cars destined for this town. Including cars Destined for the other road. BN in your example. Then the cars destined for the other road, BN, would be made into a special train and sent to the other railroads yard. It would drop off the cars and the locomotive and Caboose would return without train to its yard. BN Would later do this on its side of the equation. This is known as a Transfer Run. As for Sharing Passenger Stations, It was much more common. While it was Standard Proceedure for most railroads to build its own Station in a Town. Once there bacame more than three railroads in a town, It was often much more efficient for all the railroads to use a common passenger station. These Stations are known as "Union Stations" These often saved on costs as each railroad helped contribute to the buildings upkeep and operation rather than each railroad building and staffing a fully functional train station. Locomotives for a private company (Like A steel Mill) could be found in a Railraods company yard on a regular basis provided that the private company fufilled two requirements. First, That acess to the company's plant was soley by that railroad. Second. That the traffic to and from that plant was sufficient eneugh to warrent its own train. This practice is common at steel mills where there is often 4 tons of freight for each ton of Finished producuct. (Broken down as a Ton of Coal, Ton of Iron, Ton of Scrap metal, Ton of Finished product)
"My plans for my layout is to firstly model my small town and rail yard with the serveral main lines heading off from it, so it would be sort of like a junction for freight, passenger etc. My main influence is the plans I found for the Basalt rail system in Colorado in Robert Schleicher HO Model Railroading First Edition. It in only based on this as it is the best example I've had so far of a prototype. So could I have my private Coal company arriving in my town to refuel etc unload some coal for the station and then head off to the coke factory while my SF passenger train arrives in my town from a large city to unload etc and head back to the city or continue onto another town?"
Long question, but it has short and simple answer. Yes you can. There are many examples where situations like that occured.
"My Private Coal line may even have to share part of the main line until it branches off towards the coal mine. Is that possible?"
Yes. There are numborous prototype examples in this country where that very thing has happened.
"Do passegner and freight services share the same line?"
Thats they things were for a long time in this country. It is still this way on routs that see Amtrak Serice.
Oh and can anyone tell me why a small American town would be set up in the model of no-where it wouldn't it. Colorado Springs for example which I remember from its Doctor Quin Medecine Woman version why did it exist? What was it main attration? Gold, coal, fertile land???
Most towns were set up becasue of the limited range of most Steam locomotives meant they had to stop and take on water ever 25-30 miles or so. This is why you find so many little specks on the map out in the middle of no where because it was at one time a place where the trains needed to stop and take on water. The Railroad employees that needed to supply this function would set up residence and a town would be started.
"So in my case if I went with the coal, the mine wouldn't be right next to the town would it? The mine would be down the track a bit, while the town might be situated be a near by river, obviouslly for fresh water access. "
Thats pretty much the case. Though Most commonly the Mines would be up in the hills above the town and if the railroad served it directly they would most likely build a branchline up to it to serve it.
"Challenger/James its seems you may have the resouces I need. FANTASTIC! Any information and images (rail or just landscape related) would be fantastic and extremely helpful."
Where do you want to start? I can start pumping resources your way as soon as you tell me what you want to know in more detail.
"Would it be common for the local town to have serveral main industries, wood and coal. I'm not even too sure about coke so far. I had never heard of coke until I read it in a rail book. I do need to do more research on Coal mining in the USA, but any information anyone may have would be helpful."
Yes it would. Particlularly the industries you describe in your setting. As for Coke, it is a special variation of coal that has been baked in the absence of oxygen so that it will burn hoter. Its primary use is in Steel making. Just as there are different grades and types of coal, there are different grades and types of cokes as well. All them relating the type and grade of coal it started as.
"I'm curious what you guys model as well. Era, scale, location and function of layouts"
I model to much to list in detail. To explain fully would mean writing a book. I know for a fact becasue I have done this very thing and it is available upon request. But I can give you the short answer and it is, 1950 UP, 1965ish CNW, 1967-70 GN, 1976 BN, 1985ish BN. 1998-2002 UP-BNSF WY Powder River Basin. If you want the full story I will post it on here on request. My model railroading ambitions are to one day own the largest model railroad in the world. I have started on what will be the end of a branchline and I will keep expanding until I have it. By the time Im done, my girlfriend and I could very well have modeled the entire US.
I hope I have been helpful.
James.
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