tail length of switchback


J

joed2323

Member
I dont think there is any giving rule of thumb of how long the tail should be on a switchback, or what?

This is ho scale, im probably using this for logging or a lumber yard so i will be using my sd70 and probably a pulpwood flat or centerbeams. Probably wouldnt need to get anymore then one or two cars thru the switchback at a time.

So with that being said would 3 feet on the tail be plenty or what? I know some people have alot shorter of a tail...
 
The rule of thumb is the tail track has to to be long enough to hold whatever is being switched back. '

So if you are using an SD70 and two cars then the tail has to be an SD70 and two cars long.

Why would you be using a high speed, high horsepower, long and heavy unit like an SD70 on a logging line?
 
Its not a logging line up a mountain.

Where im from we have alot of canadian national sd70s moving logs either from or to paper mills/saw mills. We have a few different spurs where i see sd70 switching one centerbeam here one over there and yes the spur does look tight and small for the sd70 in real life but i want to model what i see in every day life

This one paper mill that recently closed it has a rock cliff that on top of the cliff is the boiler house and on bottom is the mill warehouse and im not sure how steep the grade is from top to bottom but i know the sd70 only could pull a couple box cars back up the very steep grade i
Believe there was 2 locos pulling up the grade.. it was definitely awesome to watch, the grade was very not typical, also on the bottom of the hill was a switchback coming off the grade and into the warehouse to pick up rolls of paper
 
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Would love to see some pics of that setup!
I'd think 3' should be plenty for the tail track.
 
Rico of what? The paper mill im talking about? I actually was there yesterday for work so i was taking pictures with my droid

I have a bunch of pictures of the paper mill/switchback/grade climbing up the cliff.

I may be going back today for work i will get more pictures
there is a river that runs next to it, they built this mill directly next to it, pretty awesome to see....
I
It was cool watching the diesel's power up the grade with a load of paper.

Like i said the grade is very steep, i wish i knew the actual percent of the grade.


I will post up pictures of this mill if you want to see for yourself??? If so i wont be able to upload them til later today so check back later

Btw rico i love your paper mill scene on your layout, i know ive said it before, you did a great job with your mill. There is 3 paper mills within 20-30 miles from my house, i guess thats why i like paper mills alot.

Rico what size area is your paper mill scene? I want to model this but i only have a 5x5 area or a 2.5x7 area to make a paper mill scene. Unless i build a addition on my layout devoted just for a paper mill :)
 
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Any part of the mill including the grade, post away... we all love pics!
Thanx for the comments, the mill job was a favorite among operators.
My mill scene was about 8' long by about 2' and 3' wide, it's gone now but the new one will be bigger.
I'm still thinking of starting a papermill group...
 
as i said before i would join your group.

This paper mill is located in Niagara Wisconsin. The NewPage Niagara facility permanently closed in July, 2008 due to a significant decrease in demand for coated paper. The paper machines at the Niagara mill produced approximately 250,000 tons of lightweight coated groundwood papers used in magazines and catalogs. In March, 2009, NewPage sold the NewPage hydroelectric facility in Niagara, Wisconsin to Northbrook Wisconsin, LLC.
It is now shut down and they are tearing this mill down. It is very sad to see this awesome mill just ripped apart basically, they plan to have the buidings laying on ground by december...

As promised here are the pictures of the river running next to the paper mill and mill pictures, i will get more pictures
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this is the boiler house up on top of cliff
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Inside of warehouse, this is where they would load the boxcars
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You can see the steep grade starting and climbing up to the left of warehouse and up top you can see the smoke stacks
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You can see the grade coming down to the right and the switchback, this is looking from warehouse down to the switchback
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This is looking into the warehouse where they load rolls
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As you can see there is scrap everwhere, they are basically scrapping and salvaging what they can and junking the rest, its a shame because this is a small town and when the mill shut down nearly almost all the people in this town worked for this mill so alot of people lost their jobs, alot of people had to sell and move out of this town.

If anyone can get a estimation on how steep this grade might be,the grade gets very steep up past the warehouse. When i get back to this mill i will stand on the grade and try to get a few pictures of looking up and down the grade, its hard to see how steep it actually is from the pictures, they still have alot of security running around the mill so i gotta be careful :)
I will take more pictures of the size of this mill, its spread out up the hill and down below where i took most of my pictures
 
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When you see those warehouse pics, you can think of great Wests wall castings... Where did they go, anyway?

I've always liked pulp and paper mills, mind you, making a living in the pump business, that's where. I (usedto) spend most of my time. Still planning to model one some day.
 
Thanx for the pics, that was a good sized mill for sure!
I went out to the mill about an hour North of here to get some pics and there it was gone!
I might have some old pics of it somewhere, I'll dig.
I was talking to one of the guys who worked there, funny how he summed up the closure:
Quote:
Union: We want more money.
Tembec: You can't have it.
Union: Then we'll go on strike!
Tembec: Go ahead, won't do you any good.
Union: What are you going to do... close the mill?
Tembec: Hmmmm
Union: Crap.
:)
 
joed2323 said:
as i said before i would join your group.

...If anyone can get a estimation on how steep this grade might be,the grade gets very steep up past the warehouse. When i get back to this mill i will stand on the grade and try to get a few pictures of looking up and down the grade, its hard to see how steep it actually is from the pictures, they still have alot of security running around the mill so i gotta be careful :)
I will take more pictures of the size of this mill, its spread out up the hill and down below where i took most of my pictures
Click to expand...

Based on the camera position, and accounting for spherical aberration in the lens if it is a wide angle lens, then the visible grade up the side of the escarpment looks to be about 3.5%. That's the best I can do as a guesstimate.
 
joed2323 said:
Rico why did you remove your paper mill scene? Did you move, or did you put something else in its place?
Click to expand...

The whole layout is ka-put now, taking the walls down in a week or so for re-insulation.:(
I'm already planning the new mill tho, your pics will help!
 
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