Simple Station Idea - from a Prototype!

[dunnyrail]

I visited the former East Germany in December 2011. One of the many narrow gauge Lines that I visited that trip was the one from Putbus to Gohren on the Isle of Rugen. I have been here many times before but this time I was lucky to get a trip as there was extensive Track Works going on. In fact Gohren was hardly in any way like the Terminus that I had visited many times before. Fiirstly most of the Track was lifted leaving just one point to run the service of around 8 Trains a day. How did they do it, well that is the purpose of this posting as it is the ideal thing for that cheepo extension that I know you want to build but Finance is a bit short at the moment. First perhaps a Diagram of the Layout will be in order.

As you will see there are a couple of Sidings and some notes.
A ? This is the original Station at Gohren and in any Layout would need to be the length of the longest Train to run plus a Locomotive. If you had more space, there could be room for a Wagon or two at the Stops end.
B + C .? You will need to have this space and the length of your Longest Train (x 2 ) Locomotive. The reason why you need to allow for the 2 Locomotives should be clear soon.
D ? long enough to sit the Longest Locomotive that you will use in the Station plus any other odd PW Wagons that you may like to have.

Now for how it all works.
Essential for this Station is a Station Pilot that is here all the time. I forsee that being no problem for most of us, don?t we all have too many locomotives!

Train arrives in the Station in the normal way at A.

After a pause the point is changed and the Pilot leaves the siding and stops at C. Point is changed again and the Pilot runs to and couples up to the Coaches.

Pilot then pulls the Stock out of the Station and stops at the far end of B. The Train Engine now runs forward to C, points are changed and the Locomotive runs to D and stops. Points are changed again.

Now the Pilot pushes the Train back into the Station, uncouples and runs back to B making sure that C is left clear. The points are changed again.

The Train Engine now runs to C, points are changed and the Locomotive returns to the Train where it can now take water etc.

The points are changed again and the Pilot runs into the Siding at D. Finally the Points are changed again and the Train is read to Depart.

Hope that this gives you some inspiration, a lot of points are not required to run a railway in a Prototypical manner.
JonD

 

[Madman]

I am unclear on the track layout. Are the solid lines trackwork? Do the dotted lines represent trackwork or a train?

 

[3Valve]

The solid lines are trackwork.

The dotted lines represent the train lengths required to make the operation work.

 

[PaulRhB]

Nice Simple solution and the Harz do a similar thing to cross trains on the steep slope of the Brocken, they use a level siding to prevent having to have a loop on a steep gradient. Here's a diagramatic version of Jons plan, I guess the diesel is just fired up by a member of the traincrew or is there a driver stationed there specially?

 

[dunnyrail]

Thanks for the clarifications and superb diagrammatical Paul. There was certainly an extra crew on the Diesel. They were the guys in the Hi Vis, puffer Crew in normal Coal and Oily stained Black Uniforms. I guess during times between Trains they would be available to do any PWay runs. But then again they may be multi purpose guys who do the Engineering Stuf, PWay workf and Drive as well on PWay Trains.
JonD

 

[Zerogee]

Excellent idea and clear description, JonD - and great fun to operate, I'd think, especially if the pilot (or better still both locos) had powered uncouplers!

Jon.

 

[Brixham]

On my first visit to the Great Centrail Railway in Leicestershire...probably in 1977, trains ran on one track from Loughborough up to Quorn, where a pilot loco had to shunt the coaches to release the train loco in a similar way. I think there was a second track on the main line, but this wasn't leased/ purchased by the GCR and was lifted shortly after that by BR.

Seem to remember it was King Haakon as the train loco, and a 060 industrial saddle tank as pilot loco.

Much changed now..double track is back.

Malcolm

 

[dunnyrail]

Nigel, yes a very temporary set up as you suggested. Not sure how long it lasted for. There may be some gen out there somewhere. I feel that I was lucky to catch such an operation, would have lasted a couple of Months only at best. Though if it were Network Rail in UK would probably have taken 4 yeas to research it and get Consultants to build up a safety case and another 3 years to get the relaying done!
JonD

 

[PaulRhB]

Thanks Jon, it would make a good model in itself as you could have some construction equipment around and run in works trains too.