Today I would like to share an idea how to model and operate the siding in Silberhütte.
Many of you will know this station: The highest priority was the gap closure Strassberg-Stiege in the early 1980s, when the old oil powered heating plant in Silberhütte was at its capacity limit and a new coal-fired power plant was erected – with a yearly demand of 30,000 tons of fragrant lignite / brown coal.
After the reconstruction of the route Straßberg - Stiege coal hoppers were regularly transported on Rollwagen from Nordhausen to Silberhütte via Stiege to supply the Silberhütte heating plant. The heat came through a pipeline to the pyrotechnic factory. On the initiative of the Friends of the Selketalbahn, the siding was preserved for special trips / excusion trains.
I found a nice review of the historical situation before - after: Vor über 30 Jahren im Harz-Versuch einer Bauchronik Teil IV - Bimmelbahn-Forum
The prototypical situation gives us the opportunity to model the time
> before 1983 - oil supply via Gernrode
> between 1983 and 1991 - double headed heavy Lignite Trains from Nordhausen via the reverse loop in Stiege
> today's situation with excursion Trains
Since I did not visit the Selketal before 1983 I can just develop a fictious situation in 1981. We need here an extra loco to justify a purchase...
The Train from Gernrode to Strassberg has 2 wagons for the heating plant, and the shunting diesel is ready to pick them up
The Mallet pulls the first wagon to the shunting limit to free up the track
... and the shunting diesel rolls into the Station.
To be honest - in reality there's not so much space between fouling Point marker and shunting Limit, anyway - it's fictious...
Next: The shunting diesel pulls the 2 waggons into the heating plant, the Mallet pushes the single wagon back and calls the waiting Down Train from Strassberg
with Long-Short-Long whistle into the Station.
So far so good - but our Mallet Driver Crew wants to earn the "Coal Bonus", and pulls the next day just one more wagon to Silberhütte - and the drama starts:
The long Train does not fit into the Station , the road must not be blocked. The shunting diesel cannot help, so the full Trains pulls up to the shunting limit sign and pushes the 2 wagons for the heating plant back on the Station siding. Again up to the shunting limit and then back into the station.
Now the diesel can pick the 2 wagons. Since the manoever takes time, the Down Train from Strassberg, already waiting at the Trapez sign, will delay massively. Well done Mallet crew!
I hope you enjoy my fictious idea which is just an inspiration for your layout!
And for all who like the risk:
Try to push a train with 6 Rollwagen from Silberhütte back to the grade and sharp curves into the heating plant,
as can be seen in the middle of the report: Verunglückter Wintertag im Harz
Many of you will know this station: The highest priority was the gap closure Strassberg-Stiege in the early 1980s, when the old oil powered heating plant in Silberhütte was at its capacity limit and a new coal-fired power plant was erected – with a yearly demand of 30,000 tons of fragrant lignite / brown coal.
After the reconstruction of the route Straßberg - Stiege coal hoppers were regularly transported on Rollwagen from Nordhausen to Silberhütte via Stiege to supply the Silberhütte heating plant. The heat came through a pipeline to the pyrotechnic factory. On the initiative of the Friends of the Selketalbahn, the siding was preserved for special trips / excusion trains.
I found a nice review of the historical situation before - after: Vor über 30 Jahren im Harz-Versuch einer Bauchronik Teil IV - Bimmelbahn-Forum
The prototypical situation gives us the opportunity to model the time
> before 1983 - oil supply via Gernrode
> between 1983 and 1991 - double headed heavy Lignite Trains from Nordhausen via the reverse loop in Stiege
> today's situation with excursion Trains
Since I did not visit the Selketal before 1983 I can just develop a fictious situation in 1981. We need here an extra loco to justify a purchase...
The Train from Gernrode to Strassberg has 2 wagons for the heating plant, and the shunting diesel is ready to pick them up
The Mallet pulls the first wagon to the shunting limit to free up the track
... and the shunting diesel rolls into the Station.
To be honest - in reality there's not so much space between fouling Point marker and shunting Limit, anyway - it's fictious...
Next: The shunting diesel pulls the 2 waggons into the heating plant, the Mallet pushes the single wagon back and calls the waiting Down Train from Strassberg
with Long-Short-Long whistle into the Station.
So far so good - but our Mallet Driver Crew wants to earn the "Coal Bonus", and pulls the next day just one more wagon to Silberhütte - and the drama starts:
The long Train does not fit into the Station , the road must not be blocked. The shunting diesel cannot help, so the full Trains pulls up to the shunting limit sign and pushes the 2 wagons for the heating plant back on the Station siding. Again up to the shunting limit and then back into the station.
Now the diesel can pick the 2 wagons. Since the manoever takes time, the Down Train from Strassberg, already waiting at the Trapez sign, will delay massively. Well done Mallet crew!
I hope you enjoy my fictious idea which is just an inspiration for your layout!
And for all who like the risk:
Try to push a train with 6 Rollwagen from Silberhütte back to the grade and sharp curves into the heating plant,
as can be seen in the middle of the report: Verunglückter Wintertag im Harz
