Boomer~ I’ve been subscriber to your channel for just about 3 1/2 years. I can honestly say that it has been a lifeline to me in ways that transcend model railroading. I’m about ten years older than you, and a lifelong hobbyist and model railroader. I’ve learned a lot of technique from you, for sure, but mostly what I’ve learned-from your encouragement-is the willingness to be open to new modeling challenges, and moving beyond my comfort zones. Yes, this proverbial "old dog" can be taught many new tricks. So I thank you for that. It is indeed a privilege for me to support your channel. Merry Christmas to you and your family and best wishes for a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2024. ~Brian Kistenmacher
Thanks again for demonstrating just how much diversity, depth, and richness exists for modeling options. Regardless of prototype or freelance preferences. Thanks again for showing 'us" what can be!
You're very calming. I'm 48, been model railroading off and on since I was 6 because of teachings from my Dad (who is still alive and will be 79 later this month of December 2023). Just wanna say thanks. Peace to you and yours.
Boomer - thank you for another lesson in observing the normal and everyday! Being able to go out and see the area you want to model is extremely helpful. For modelers of earlier times, historical photos are invaluable.
Your approach and eye for realism is unmatched. Here you are repeatedly going out to actual locations to help project your vision instead of reliance on photos from another's perspective. I believe a lot of modelers seem to avoid the back alley details. But those details matter! Some spend too much effort on eye popping downtown scenes that I don’t find realistic. This is what I believe separates you from others. My favorite dead spurs have abandon rusted away maintenance equipment on them. An old crane and boom car with boarded up windows from some barely legible defunct railroad becoming swallowed by the overgrowth is a beautiful site in my eyes. Love your educational videos Boomer. I look forward to all of them.
You eloquently wrote: "An old crane and boom car with boarded up windows from some barely legible defunct railroad becoming swallowed by the overgrowth is a beautiful site in my eyes" - that is the spirit! Love it! I can almost imagine a rustic old switcher idling in the siding beside it as a layover. ;-) Cheers ~ Boomer.
You make an excellent point to model the "dead spur." It adds more realism to the layout!! I have seen only a few layouts that model a ripped up track, or an interchange track that is no longer used and it looks awesome. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting conversation piece. CHEERS
Great video presentation for something almost always overlooked When I was in high school and college I worked for a company that scrapped abandoned railroads or picked up old section rail on ribbon rail replacement jobs. The “out of service “ sidings were always interesting. Some even had a piece of broken rail. Sometimes in the weeds you would see a second main long forgotten with modern signals. I’m glad you showed the siding of boxcars as well. Another idea seen in both the days of steam and modern railroading. Freight cars sitting for next job. For example, Anthracite railroads always had hoppers sitting waiting for the rush for coal. Thanks for a great year of modeling. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family
Thank you for a great video. Your layout is realistic which is unusual in many ways as so many just don't work. As you said the originals are just plain functional buildings and track with abandoned beds etc.
I like the idea of "you" adding a dead or partial spur. It adds to the overall story, a place to show your creativity in car construction and appearance. Really gives a strong pop, off those building walls. And, it ties the old railroad into the new or active service. Thank You! Merry Christmas
Wow! Sidings are one thing.. abandoned spurs are a totally different animal. Talk about adding realism to your layout. Will do. Thanks for pointing this out Boomer. Great vid and pics.😀👌
Love the dead spurs. It gives a sense of history. Many years ago in the early 90 when I got back in to modeling trains their was a artical in modelrailroder about railroad gulch. It was a seldom used spur that served Warehousees along the Southern Railroad Mainline in Downtown Atlanta. The Spur was twisted weedgrown and even had Standing Water I loved that look and the feel it gave me. I still love the looks of weed grown tracks. Wonderful job of capturing this look and the way it makes one feel 👍
There is a spur not far from here just like you describe. During the rainy season it floods a little with weeds growing up and the old rusty warehouse door has seen better days . . . love the look as well. Thanks for sharing! Cheers ~ Boomer.
Boomer, From what you showed us today you could tinker and titivate along the RiverRoad spur for many happy months. Got to run I've got to get over to that last siding to pick up a chair and mattress. Thanks for this it arrived just at the right moment when my own inspiration was starting to flag a bit. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Great video - it's a while since I checked in, and the layout is looking superb. Your commentary on this spur and the nature of shelf modelling is spot on.
Excellent modeling work, and a great topic. One thing that I do notice so many model layouts seem to miss is the spills, accumulated garbage, assorted debris etc. You have comee the closest to that feel. Excellent!. Subscribed
Some layouts over - do refuse and debris as well. Maybe it is indicative of the area they model. I may add more but that is way down the track some. ;-) I find most places where I rail fan ect, are squeaky clean for the most part.
Just when I was lamenting an area I was thinking of modeling for quite awhile, because industrial tracks have either been removed, or paved over, I stumbled across this video because I have barely scratched your video library. So now, instead of wishing I could go back in time, maybe I just might reflect the changing reality of where i was hoping to model, and add abandoned track, and even use one or two of my turnouts that I accidentally stepped on, and broke. So, thanks once again Boomer, this was perfect timing.
@@boomerdiorama Question: Using the concept of artistic compression, is it okay to straighten out branch lines, that normally diverge in a direction away from the mainline, and make them slightly parallel to the mainline? In other words, a rail served warehouse that I was going to model is south of an east-west mainline, and the branchline to get to that warehouse used to diverge from the mainline in a southerly direction to get to that warehouse. So would it be okay - within your modeling perspective - to move that warehouse somewhere off to the side of the east-west mainline and just place a ripped up turnout, and some track off to the side - leading to the warehouse that is now parallel to the mainline instead of adding a diverging track that is south of the east-west mainline? Am I understanding your idea of artistic compression correctly?
When I returned to the hobby 13 years ago after retiring from the Army (Infantry Senior NCO) I joined my local model railroad club and for 5 months I stayed inside a small yard and ran my Atlas MP15DC w/ sound like the one in your video here, once I understood all the rules and how to control everything I ventured onto the main to the next yard to continue practicing. And once I gained the confidence that I wouldn’t cause trouble I brought my larger engines and I always keep my trains short with about 10-13 cars so I can pull into a siding/yard to take a break on the main when I wanted to. We have a couple club members that bring HUGE trains now and then then wonder why it’s barely moving and all I can do is shake my head and smile. You have a wonderful layout here, thanks for taking time to show us.
Wow! Thank you for taking the time to share that experience . . . and wisdom, when it comes to running on the club layout. I love to hear things from the "bigger" picture. Cheers ~ Boomer.
@@boomerdiorama the club is a great place for me to learn new things and meet some great people, we have a couple oddballs but who doesn’t, we make room for them since they live the hobby. Our club is called SAMRA (San Antonio Model Railroad Association), there’s a few videos of the club here on TH-cam if you’re curious. Thanks again sir. Kevin
I have a book of maps of the railways in my area and nearly every industry had it's own siding or sidings, very few of which are still in use. I have a disused siding on my layout (mainly because it was in a location that made no sense to keep it active) but I now realise that, though it's overgrown, it needs way more vegetation. Cheers
Thanks for the inspiration i model in ho on a 5ft windowsill. Your comment about back alley locals is the vibe I'm trying to capture. grate stuff perfect for a micro layout like my own.
Everyone who’s modeling prototypically needs dead spurs. I was looking at forage I shot over the summer thinking about my future uploads yesterday. The branch had 11 customers wishing the last 15 years, now down to 4. Probably more before the W&LE took over the AC&Y too. Dead spurs everywhere. Some I can tell their function and at at least one that leaves me wondering what the heck this was for!
Yes. They are everywhere if one knows how to look for them. In Langley almost every current industrial building has some vestige of trackage from a bygone era.
@@wrfreemo2006 I’m referring to the “Akron Storage Lead” as the W&LE calls it. In Akron Ohio east of their yard. That’s just a spot I was doing a railfan video on. They run that in late evening so most of the year it’s at dark o’clock! I’m actually modeling the B&O lake branch which has been abandoned since 1981. But I have a small modules going of a spot on the Akron Storage lead, the industry at 3009 Gilchrist Rd in Akron. A couple dead spurs with a diamond.
Track work and paint can take one down a deep rabbit hole as you probably know. I tweak the track all the time and plan to add more details as things cruise along. Thank you for sharing! Cheers ~ Boomer.
Yes, we should model "dead" spurs as it tells a story of the history of the railroad and the industries it served. On my layout I have a dead spur where I have the ties embedded in weeds with the rails pulled up at a former rail served industry.-Tom
Awesome shelf layout. Love the derail and detail in this video. I worked for a construction company that had a completely abandoned spur right in the middle of a decent sized construction yard say about 5 ha in Rexdale, Ontario. Either CN or CP owned the land on which the track was laid and approached my employer, McAlpine Construction, to see if McAlpine wanted to purchase the land. Even though it ran right through the middle of the property McAlpine did not seem interested since they were about to bail out of Canada altogether. When I left them in 1994 my memory is that the mexican standoff between McAlpine and the railway over this orphaned piece of real estate in the most expensive property market in Canada remained just that - an orphan.
The second turnout in the vid is interesting because it has a self guarding frog yet it still has guardrails on the stock rails. Obviously the frog was replaced over time but the minimal work was done needed to keep it in service at the time. The little things.
You have made my vacation this morning to see this video sent by a good friend who knows I'm thinking about my plans for my Ho scale layout. Thank you for doing this video . Merry Christmas and Happy New Year . I've subscribed to see more .
I agree with all the comments. I love what you are doing. And Boomer, wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas. Can’t wait to see what you bring us next year. From: Arlin
I always like looking at the proto stuff. When I was a kid I used to love those articles in MR… “Modeling a prototype____.” And they’d show photos of siding or biz. Then we moved to L.A. and I spent many years prowling around the old warehouse area shooting the old remnants of the railroads. I guess I was better at that than the modeling part. Lol
The scenes of River Road and the switching operation would challenge a new viewer to tell if it was real or not. Great work and thanks for the tutorial.
My layout is very much based on the Minnesota Commercial, including the NE ends of Traffic and Cleveland Streets. When researching it I used Google Earth a lot and, in doing so, discovered a 'rabbit warren' of disused spurs that completely define the buildings and surrounding spaces. The whole area is punctuated with now disused railway infrastructure - much of it overgrown with green corridors. For me the green corridors give that part of the Minnesota Commercial its defining characteristic. This is one of my favourite episodes so far as it confirms for me that modelling those spaces is worth doing. Thanks again!
Those spaces you mention are what defines the character of a given layout and are very much worth exploiting if you want your layout to tell it's unique story. ;-)
Along those lines, I've noticed a fair number of places around here where the rail spurs were abandoned and then some of the buildings have been rebuilt, so you can see this gently-curved pathway between the buildings where the rails were, but it's interrupted by a building and then it continues on later. That would be a neat touch to model!
I find it very interesting that the second switch has guard rails in addition to a self guarded frog. I have never seen that IRL. Neat catch Boomer. Cheers Rob
Glad you notice too that frog that doesn´t need guard rail. Railroads and MofW crews are smart. They don´t work for nothing nor burn company cash. I suppose here à standard frog needing guard rails was probably worn and it was replaced with what they had. So they replace it with that one. And why work in guard rails removal ? So they leave them, and if one day they need them they know where they are. So in the meantime it´s a super wreck proof frog.
Boomer, just in that short video and mentioning about all the great trash laying around that can be modeled made watch it 3 more times, you open, not only my 72 year old eyes but everyone who watches your great channel. Not only do you make me want to ouch forward in the hobby but in life as well and I thank you for what you do. Cheers, Ron
It seems so wild that a non used spur makes it so much more operational in a sense. Where we are there are tons of dead spurs, and buried tracks etc. In layouts we forget that this helps tell the story. I could watch simple operations on this layout all day.
Thanks Boomer for that added realism. Like you said, both leads rails or only the one use is left in place, spiked like regular rail, with or without frogs. At rail crossing, dead track can be here, or remove on road section or paved over. Don´t forget rusty rails on railroad part, vegetahion, fence, new buiding etc... May be some of you have seen diamond where 2 railtoads "A" and "B" cross. One line is shiny xhile the other is all rusty. Sometimes even the rusty line have rails that have been pulled up a little farther. No idea why that useless diamond still there ? Well the railroad that was hete first have priority, and maka a favor to the other railroad to pass there and put a diamond that HE maintain....and receive money for what pass on it. When there is only one company involved, the diamond is removed first and useless track too or left in situ. Boomer mention 3 railroads use that track. One can be the owner and do maintenance. The other 2 just pay like when you take a cab. You pay to pass there. All sorts of funny agreement can occur too betwen ownership, maintenance.
In the US there is a legal difference between Out of Service (OOS), and abandoned. The FRA has minimum maintenance requirements for all active track, regardless how often it's used. If the track is reported as OOS, then it's not required to be maintained. Abandoned is just that, and in some cases the land gets reverted to its original owners. There's a process that must be followed and approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) before a common carrier track can be abandoned. Land tax rates also come into play. OOS track is taxed differently than in service track (since the assessed values are different). In the case of that lumber yard in your video, they can pull up their track since it's a private industry.
In Indonesia on sugar cane narrow gauge, railroad use are seasonal. What to do when your rail crossing have been paved over ? Simple. Pass slowly on asphalt, wheels flanges makes a new groove. After a few pass they have a scratchbuilt railroad crossing back in service !
You have always preached have your layout tell a story with this vlog you add character, I like when guys look at my layout I want to hear that’s cool.
Cool content, thank you for the mid-week upload! I love the idea of modeling the siding that's been partially removed. On a side note, I don't know why any company would pull those tracks out of their property. Even if they aren't being used they could just work over them. I've designed several industriral spurs and it's SUPER expensive to have rail service added. At least the switch is still in place, that's the lion's share of the cost.
Glad you mentioned "cost". Sometimes modelers make bowl of spaghettis of tracks. In real world it´s so cosly that it´s not always possible. On track like Boomer shows us, it´s not hard. Just the cost. On big mainline it´s a different song. Bigger rails increase cost. Those transitional joint bars that Boomer shows are far more costly than regular one. I remember a railcar storage company with a capacity of 400 cars. It was connected on mainline of railroad A. At the other end was mainline of railroad "B". When they asked for a connection with "B" , the answer was no problem IF THE NEW CLIENT COULD GUARANTEE A MINIMUM OF 3 000 CARS A YEAR ! Oups...no deal was never made. It was double mainline, not even a line closure issue or about maintenance. Sometimes it´s too far for switching crews.
That MP15 is such a cool locomotive. I think I watched a video of you kitting it out back in the Glover Road days? Will go and check the library 😁 I guess they could use these questionable dead spurs for bad order cars
Dear Boomer, one of the scenic features of the railroad in general, at least here in the Netherlands and Europe, plus the impressions I got from traveling through other countries, like the US, Canada or Chili, is that even the mainlines tend to travel along the ‘backyards.’ Quite recently we travelled by train from Mannheim, GE, to Amsterdam on the Venlo connection. This spur diverts from Cologne GE into the western direction towards the border close to Venlo. Part of this line is mainly in use for freight. On both sides of the border the line serves large container and piggyback facilities. On the Dutch side, former rail served industries now have turned their backs to the tracks. With most of the turnouts and industrial spurs fully removed. On the German side the situation is different, either industries are still rail served, or when the frequency of service drops, you can observe different removable obstacles, warning signs, etc. Sometimes just a filled dumpster put over the tracks, or the German version of the derail appendages. In case of full abandonment, often the tracks get paved over, and the empty space is simply used for storage of large equipment. Overall the difference between the two countries is significant. Years ago read a great article on the topic of rail transformation from industrial to passenger service. Especially in the Ruhr area a lot of industrial track has over time been converted to passenger service. When roaming those areas, the former street tracks may still be present, whilst the passenger trains mostly use the grade separated tracks. Overall, just a great way to take another look at history and its contemporary remnants. Another example from the Netherlands; when I was a kid the former rail line along the southern part of the defensive rind around Amsterdam was still in place, with all its track and signal boxes identifying this rail line. It was designed for military purposes, and in use for several industries along the line. Around the mid 70s it was fully abandoned and stripped in sections. Funny thing is that from the 80s onwards, with all the housing developments around this area taking place, there’s been continuous talks on reinstating this rail line, in order to improve the mobility and accessibility of this area. To me it further underlines the apparent lack of long term vision on rail transport in this country. Over time I have seen several scenes of this line being modeled. Especially those where signal box and adjacent living quarters made a significant scenic impact, next to a low laying polder floor, on which level most structures would have been built. So much for this long story. Love the input. Cheerio
Many of what are called “Abandoned” spur lines, have simply been paved over, in the name of cost effectiveness. I think this is a great Idea. another Idea this inspired, expands on the “Dead Spur”, and works on most time periods, up to the present days. And, it isn’t modeled often either. Many Factories, refineries, breweries, etc.’s Yards, had their own private, self contained, rail systems to service itself, in narrow gauge. We’ve all been in at least one parking lot, where there was a 8’-10’ section of track rail exposed, haven’t we?🤔
An old dead spur is a great place to store MOW equipment. The neat thing about it is you could change the scene by changing out the cars from time to time. It could also be worked into an op session. Imagine what could be done with an old rundown flatcar loaded with RR maintenance junk.😉
Great looking scene as always. I'm modeling in 0 where real-estate is a premium. Location location location and turnouts are not prototypical, at least the ones on a budget. but I really enjoy seeing how well it can be done and how it adds realism to the track plan. Happy rails
You bring up a great point regarding the Prototype vs Realism. I think they are both mutually exclusive. I am influenced by the prototype but prefer to try and model and realism at the cost of the former. I think they are both two different aspects to the look of things. Realism is more about one's impression of the scene and how they choose to represent it, opposed to legalistic prototype modeling which can stifle the look of things if you get bogged down with it. Cheers.
@boomerdioramas Exactly. That's why those of us modeling in 0 have more challenges pulling both aspects off due to limited space constraints. I started my layout over 3 different times because what I envisioned in my head and on paper mathematically was feasible but didn't work so well once the track was laid. Especially with my B6 steam switcher over turnouts with their extremely low clearances of the front pilots. There is very little to no clearance with any inclines or tight radius curves of turnouts. It's not something that one expects to occur if you plan to use them for switching in a yard with tight radiuses. The dreaded third rail curse.
The IC mainline (now CN :( ) is 100 meters out my front door. There is a small grain elevator and feed mill that used to be rail served 300 meters south of my house. The feed mill gets an occasional car, maybe a couple a year so I guess it's not completely out of service. The railroad often spots MOW equipment on that spur. There are two gondolas sitting there now. It's also a place where they can spot a bad order car. I say model it. It gives you some more operational flexibility.
I think in a lot of cases it costs more time/money to remove rail or switches than it's worth doing. Here in Portland, there's a lot if street track and industrial spurs that haven't been used in decades. No one (not the railroad, the property owners, nor the city) want or need to bother with it. One would think there's at least the scrap steel from the rails, but it may be too costly to make salvage viable. So it just sits, but it provides some interest and imagination for history-minded railfans or (more grandly) industrial archeology. Personally, I've never seen a scene (urban or rural) that wasn't made more interesting by the presence of tracks--in service or abandoned.
I can see that last "dead" spur being one that the RR might use for a 1 car storage area. Put something to keep the car from rolling off of the track and have a storage spur for a seldom used car.
Wow, code 40! I tried code 40 for sidings and spurs on my n scale layout. Looked good but nothing ran on it. Wheels are too big in n scale. Like you I had an “abandoned “ spur which was covered in grass but still usable in a pinch. Beautiful modelling, that slum lord building gives me the creeps with all that black mould all over. It’s excellent modelling when it not only catches the eye but also triggers the other senses into action.
Code 40 is tricky in N Scale for sure. It's doable in HO but you need to keep spikes on the outside rail, etc. The Slum Landlord scene should look good when I install the light for ambience and mood . . . ;-)
Over all your thoughts on tie use and description of tie spacing and type of ties your standards of lite weight tie balsa and glue and spikes every 4 to 5 ties actually is a higher standard then the ups industrial tracks worked for up for 28yrs as both engineer and yardmaster .. saw the standards first hand . Modeling track standards could be a lot of fun but very time consuming angle bars every 8 to 10 ft could be very time consuming
I too find sidings and siding history interesting. Sometimes only the grading remains. What was once there? I modeled a local scene once on a previous layout where a bean cannery had been served. Single switch off the main divided into the cannery. The cannery is now an apartment building, the main line switch is gone, but some of the rails between the main and the cannery property remain. Now inhabited by a prairie dog town. I did as you just did, I walked it a couple times till I was sure how it had been in the heyday. Keep them coming. cheers, Rob
I've got something like this that I'm looking at modelling. The line that goes through town is just a single track about a mile long that's only there for one industry, or maybe two, but I'm not sure. I've got pictures from when there used to be two tracks, but there's just one now. I've got pictures where there used to be switches between those two, but they've just taken it out and crossed the rail over without a switch. Then there's an old foundry that's been leveled, and you can see on Google Maps how it used to have a spur that's been taken out. Now you can see the ties where they used to hold the diverging route. Now that foundry lot has a decent amount of solar panels. I'm actually thinking of turning it into a solar panel factory but I have no idea how those would look or really how they would get goods delivered. I want to model the area through town, but I don't want it to be a single business, so I want to revive a couple of the industries and add the second track again so it can be used as a runaround.
Your ideas sound awesome. A little more research and imagination and you are on your way. A nice little four-axle switcher with some character boxcars, flats, etc., and you really have something there. ;-)
The "abandoned" spur, while no longer serving the customer it was intended, can be used for the railroad to park a MOW machinery overnight or over the weekend while working on the main track in the area.
Interesting. Spurs somehow have a life of their own. It makes the mind go back. What was this like? How was it configured? Wish it wasn't dead. They evoke emotion for sure.
All of my frogs are dead as I only have the cheep switches that have plastic frogs. All my DCC engines have the "come along" chips inside and the one engine has battery power so I don't need any power in the track at all.
Yes. Good plan. I find the "power routed" frog help prevent the "sneaky" stall or flicker. They are also good if you want to install signal restriction as well. But having said that, dead frogs are fine. ;-)
Hey Boomer on that switch by IPEX was it spiked at the points? Usually a OSS switch is spiked and locked. A neat fester you could use on river road is when you use that track have a MOW truck in the slum lord lot when a OSS track is used MOW usually has to unlock it then lock it back up after the move.
A pile of partially burnt ties, an old steel and fiberglass straight chair and a lovely mattress (complete with critters?) In our modern hi-tech world, modeling some garbage might actually be apropos (?) ...but would it be "ART" ?
Should the dead spur have some type of sign? I know it’s not a “Blue Flag” situation for men and equipment within a work time frame but what about a stop sign or derail ? Thank you! 👏🏻
That spot is just behind IPEX Plastics. It is one of the SRY Rail Link spurs that leads to a small bread factory. Sometimes, they park the switcher there overnight.
@@boomerdiorama Thank you. I can see it now, on Google Earth listed as a KCS plastics on my side? This spot in Langley could be a layout it itself: mainline with passing trains, a few spurs to reactivate, and a place to park the switcher.
I came across Second Session Railroad with YOU as a guess. Excellent broadcast. How come you never talked about it. I am sure most people watching your channel would want to see it. Missed Dusty in it.
Thank you Boomer , all in the details , do you have a video/s on your atlas MP15 and how you made it into the performer it currently is ? I remember you mentioning it's your go to locomotive over all your others Cheers Boomer..
You tell them Boomer. It's better to have a buffer area between the track and the end of the bench work. There are to many layouts especially online that do this. It will only end badly once and they will learn.
Are all the tracks welded rail ? Even yards and spurs ? Around here in kansas most branchlines , sidings , and yard tracks are still jointed rail. There are several model companies that make joint bars . If you want total realism then you need to model those every 39 feet.
I don't favor modelling a dead spur coming off the main with points and frog in place--that's just another derailment waiting to happen. it's possible to fake the points and frog while having mainline rail running through the turnout, and that's what my club layout has done at several points, with a "work train" sitting on the fake siding at one location. Modeling an abandoned spur or yard track leading off a siding is less of a problem because all movements would be at low speed. I would recommend modelling the turnout as removed if the portion of the siding beyond the fouling point is shorter than your most-common-length car (as was the case with your example of the abandoned siding off the IPEX main).
The code 40 spur I modeled off the siding on my layout is not off the main. It's a spur off a code 55 siding just like the prototype I show. It is not even close to the mainline on my layout. But who cares anyway . . . lol. It's just a model railroad and I'm the boss. Cheers and thanks for sharing. 😁
I was reading the other day that in Canada railroads pay taxes for the amount of track they have so in many cases it benefits them to remove the track even if they put it back in a year or two.
I believe that is true. Although the SRY Rail Link does not fall under some Federal Regulations like class one railroads do. Not sure if that has any bearing on unused spurs or not. interesting though. Cheers.
An interesting subject that too seldom finds its way to a layout. Those dead spurs tells the history of the railroad and the area, I guess we tend to compress as much as possible and these things are amont the first o be out of the window. Still a bit of fle track leading nowhere, as on your video to a chain link fence and a new street tells it well. It has not to be that very epensive addition as everyone will end up with bits of flex that does not be needed on the layout. I saw this a lot in older industrial areas while living in Stockholm and while typing this, there are a lot of abandonned track on the mainlines too here in Scandinavia, where the no longer track have lost its turnouts but nobody bothere remove the rest. By the way I find your uses of different codes on rail is very interesting way to tell the story and the result is very realisitc! Cheers!
Technically if something is "OOS" out of service it usually isn't used at all until repairs, or the person who took it OOS deem it usable. Typically this is used for maintenance of way storage or repairs that may take a few days.
11:15 Sorry I'd have to disagree about the mattress. I know many working homeless that had to result to this. They had decent jobs but greedy property owners forced them out.
I've always liked abandoned things, but I find this community's constant push for the current to be a mental drain. When I model ships, tanks, planes, & the like I do so to GET AWAY from the current, not recreate it. For example, my Shokaku, and (soon) Prinz Eugen are modeled as if they've only been rained on. Not everything has to be this pessimistic representation of real life, or how it was then. I think this is gonna be a very unpopular opinion, and I apologize. The whole burnt out ties due to the homeless, and the trash everywhere just triggered something in my mind.
I get that. I model what I see in the real world. Modeling (or collecting) a perfect world is just a fantasy and an excuse not to model or paint anything to me. Cheers.
What is current? Look at how in disrepair some of the struggling class 1 railroads were in the sixties and seventies. Rust, litter, and weeds all over the place. And tons of active industries with really grimy old facilities. Even in the steam era there was soot and grease everywhere.
Railroading is essentially a gambling enterprise since the 1830’s. Hundreds of railroads vested into hundreds or thousands of miles of track just to go bankrupt. It’s not a landscaping business, just a business.
Shokaku and Prince Eugen both fought in one of the most horrific and destructive wars mankind has ever experienced, so I would rate the 1939 -1945 period to be infinitely more depressing than pretty much any other period of human history. Both of those ships fought for regimes that perpetrated unbelievable acts of barbarism, yet I wouldn't call anyone out for modelling them, so I'd cut other modellers some slack.
Boomer~ I’ve been subscriber to your channel for just about 3 1/2 years. I can honestly say that it has been a lifeline to me in ways that transcend model railroading. I’m about ten years older than you, and a lifelong hobbyist and model railroader. I’ve learned a lot of technique from you, for sure, but mostly what I’ve learned-from your encouragement-is the willingness to be open to new modeling challenges, and moving beyond my comfort zones. Yes, this proverbial "old dog" can be taught many new tricks. So I thank you for that. It is indeed a privilege for me to support your channel. Merry Christmas to you and your family and best wishes for a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2024. ~Brian Kistenmacher
Wow! You are awesome! Thank you for the gracious gift! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well. Cheers ~ Boomer.
Thanks again for demonstrating just how much diversity, depth, and richness exists for modeling options. Regardless of prototype or freelance preferences. Thanks again for showing 'us" what can be!
Anything to add that little touch of character to the model railroad. 😉
I love how your rail cars are so well weathered abd painted up....very realistic feel to the dead spur
Thank you!
much welcome!!...I love a set up that looks realistic....not fresh factory plastic.....@@boomerdiorama
I’m getting ready to add an abandoned spur to my layout. Switch has been pulled but rails still in place. This will help. Thanks Boomer.
Sounds awesome!👍
You're very calming. I'm 48, been model railroading off and on since I was 6 because of teachings from my Dad (who is still alive and will be 79 later this month of December 2023). Just wanna say thanks. Peace to you and yours.
Yes thank you. My Dad is doing well at 90 years old. 😁
As always a great video that needs to be viewed over and over to grasps all the details…thank you again.
Randy
Thank you!
Boomer - thank you for another lesson in observing the normal and everyday! Being able to go out and see the area you want to model is extremely helpful. For modelers of earlier times, historical photos are invaluable.
Well said!
Your approach and eye for realism is unmatched. Here you are repeatedly going out to actual locations to help project your vision instead of reliance on photos from another's perspective. I believe a lot of modelers seem to avoid the back alley details. But those details matter! Some spend too much effort on eye popping downtown scenes that I don’t find realistic. This is what I believe separates you from others. My favorite dead spurs have abandon rusted away maintenance equipment on them. An old crane and boom car with boarded up windows from some barely legible defunct railroad becoming swallowed by the overgrowth is a beautiful site in my eyes. Love your educational videos Boomer. I look forward to all of them.
You eloquently wrote: "An old crane and boom car with boarded up windows from some barely legible defunct railroad becoming swallowed by the overgrowth is a beautiful site in my eyes" - that is the spirit! Love it! I can almost imagine a rustic old switcher idling in the siding beside it as a layover. ;-)
Cheers ~ Boomer.
You make an excellent point to model the "dead spur." It adds more realism to the layout!! I have seen only a few layouts that model a ripped up track, or an interchange track that is no longer used and it looks awesome. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting conversation piece. CHEERS
Yes indeed. It's a great feature to model on any layout.
Very interesting. Thanks for taking me for a walk, I enjoyed it. Cheers!
My pleasure Bill! Cheers ~ Boomer.
Great video presentation for something almost always overlooked
When I was in high school and college I worked for a company that scrapped abandoned railroads or picked up old section rail on ribbon rail replacement jobs. The “out of service “ sidings were always interesting. Some even had a piece of broken rail. Sometimes in the weeds you would see a second main long forgotten with modern signals. I’m glad you showed the siding of boxcars as well. Another idea seen in both the days of steam and modern railroading. Freight cars sitting for next job. For example, Anthracite railroads always had hoppers sitting waiting for the rush for coal.
Thanks for a great year of modeling. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family
I discovered a whole "Frog" section recently just lying in the weeds as well.
Thank you for a great video. Your layout is realistic which is unusual in many ways as so many just don't work. As you said the originals are just plain functional buildings and track with abandoned beds etc.
Thank you very much!
That dead spur section of the layout is spectacular. I feel transported to the scene. Brilliant modeling, Boomer!
Thank you. It's the first scene I see when I rise from my modeling bench so it is inspiring! Cheers.
Thank you!
I like the idea of "you" adding a dead or partial spur. It adds to the overall story, a place to show your creativity in car construction and appearance. Really gives a strong pop, off those building walls. And, it ties the old railroad into the new or active service. Thank You! Merry Christmas
Yes! It's the first thing I see when I rise from the bench . . . 😉
Wow! Sidings are one thing.. abandoned spurs are a totally different animal. Talk about adding realism to your layout. Will do. Thanks for pointing this out Boomer. Great vid and pics.😀👌
Cool, thanks!
I totally agree with modeling a dead spur. I'll be doing just that myself. I've always liked the look of over grown, rails to nowhere.
Yes. Just added more grass today to the other end of the line. ;-)
Love the dead spurs. It gives a sense of history. Many years ago in the early 90 when I got back in to modeling trains their was a artical in modelrailroder about railroad gulch. It was a seldom used spur that served Warehousees along the Southern Railroad Mainline in Downtown Atlanta. The Spur was twisted weedgrown and even had Standing Water I loved that look and the feel it gave me. I still love the looks of weed grown tracks. Wonderful job of capturing this look and the way it makes one feel 👍
There is a spur not far from here just like you describe. During the rainy season it floods a little with weeds growing up and the old rusty warehouse door has seen better days . . . love the look as well. Thanks for sharing! Cheers ~ Boomer.
Can't wait for that padlock to be modeled! 😅 Great inspiration, thanks! 🙃
Lol . . . There are some Switch Stand kits that have them.😉
Boomer, From what you showed us today you could tinker and titivate along the RiverRoad spur for many happy months. Got to run I've got to get over to that last siding to pick up a chair and mattress. Thanks for this it arrived just at the right moment when my own inspiration was starting to flag a bit. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Sounds great! . . . lol. ;-)
Great video - it's a while since I checked in, and the layout is looking superb. Your commentary on this spur and the nature of shelf modelling is spot on.
Many thanks!
Excellent modeling work, and a great topic. One thing that I do notice so many model layouts seem to miss is the spills, accumulated garbage, assorted debris etc. You have comee the closest to that feel. Excellent!. Subscribed
Some layouts over - do refuse and debris as well. Maybe it is indicative of the area they model. I may add more but that is way down the track some. ;-) I find most places where I rail fan ect, are squeaky clean for the most part.
Just when I was lamenting an area I was thinking of modeling for quite awhile, because industrial tracks have either been removed, or paved over, I stumbled across this video because I have barely scratched your video library.
So now, instead of wishing I could go back in time, maybe I just might reflect the changing reality of where i was hoping to model, and add abandoned track, and even use one or two of my turnouts that I accidentally stepped on, and broke.
So, thanks once again Boomer, this was perfect timing.
Out-of -service sidings are cool. They add character to the layout and are fun to model. ;-)
@@boomerdiorama Question: Using the concept of artistic compression, is it okay to straighten out branch lines, that normally diverge in a direction away from the mainline, and make them slightly parallel to the mainline?
In other words, a rail served warehouse that I was going to model is south of an east-west mainline, and the branchline to get to that warehouse used to diverge from the mainline in a southerly direction to get to that warehouse.
So would it be okay - within your modeling perspective - to move that warehouse somewhere off to the side of the east-west mainline and just place a ripped up turnout, and some track off to the side - leading to the warehouse that is now parallel to the mainline instead of adding a diverging track that is south of the east-west mainline?
Am I understanding your idea of artistic compression correctly?
When I returned to the hobby 13 years ago after retiring from the Army (Infantry Senior NCO) I joined my local model railroad club and for 5 months I stayed inside a small yard and ran my Atlas MP15DC w/ sound like the one in your video here, once I understood all the rules and how to control everything I ventured onto the main to the next yard to continue practicing. And once I gained the confidence that I wouldn’t cause trouble I brought my larger engines and I always keep my trains short with about 10-13 cars so I can pull into a siding/yard to take a break on the main when I wanted to. We have a couple club members that bring HUGE trains now and then then wonder why it’s barely moving and all I can do is shake my head and smile. You have a wonderful layout here, thanks for taking time to show us.
Wow! Thank you for taking the time to share that experience . . . and wisdom, when it comes to running on the club layout. I love to hear things from the "bigger" picture. Cheers ~ Boomer.
@@boomerdiorama the club is a great place for me to learn new things and meet some great people, we have a couple oddballs but who doesn’t, we make room for them since they live the hobby. Our club is called SAMRA (San Antonio Model Railroad Association), there’s a few videos of the club here on TH-cam if you’re curious. Thanks again sir.
Kevin
O.K. Thank you!@@echohunter4199
very nice work. thanks for sharing.
Thank you. I appreciate the compliment. ;-)
I have a book of maps of the railways in my area and nearly every industry had it's own siding or sidings, very few of which are still in use. I have a disused siding on my layout (mainly because it was in a location that made no sense to keep it active) but I now realise that, though it's overgrown, it needs way more vegetation. Cheers
I keep adding vegetation all the time. Things just seem to keep growing on the layout . . . ;-)
Thanks for the inspiration i model in ho on a 5ft windowsill. Your comment about back alley locals is the vibe I'm trying to capture. grate stuff perfect for a micro layout like my own.
Sounds great!
Everyone who’s modeling prototypically needs dead spurs. I was looking at forage I shot over the summer thinking about my future uploads yesterday. The branch had 11 customers wishing the last 15 years, now down to 4. Probably more before the W&LE took over the AC&Y too. Dead spurs everywhere. Some I can tell their function and at at least one that leaves me wondering what the heck this was for!
Yes. They are everywhere if one knows how to look for them. In Langley almost every current industrial building has some vestige of trackage from a bygone era.
@ScottTaipaleRail - I wonder where you're modeling? Those railroads are familiar to me.
@@wrfreemo2006 I’m referring to the “Akron Storage Lead” as the W&LE calls it. In Akron Ohio east of their yard. That’s just a spot I was doing a railfan video on. They run that in late evening so most of the year it’s at dark o’clock! I’m actually modeling the B&O lake branch which has been abandoned since 1981. But I have a small modules going of a spot on the Akron Storage lead, the industry at 3009 Gilchrist Rd in Akron. A couple dead spurs with a diamond.
Your track detail is top notch. I try to be the best on mine but you’re up there with me, if not better.
Track work and paint can take one down a deep rabbit hole as you probably know. I tweak the track all the time and plan to add more details as things cruise along. Thank you for sharing! Cheers ~ Boomer.
Yes, we should model "dead" spurs as it tells a story of the history of the railroad and the industries it served. On my layout I have a dead spur where I have the ties embedded in weeds with the rails pulled up at a former rail served industry.-Tom
Sounds and looks great Tom! Cheers.
Awesome shelf layout. Love the derail and detail in this video. I worked for a construction company that had a completely abandoned spur right in the middle of a decent sized construction yard say about 5 ha in Rexdale, Ontario. Either CN or CP owned the land on which the track was laid and approached my employer, McAlpine Construction, to see if McAlpine wanted to purchase the land. Even though it ran right through the middle of the property McAlpine did not seem interested since they were about to bail out of Canada altogether. When I left them in 1994 my memory is that the mexican standoff between McAlpine and the railway over this orphaned piece of real estate in the most expensive property market in Canada remained just that - an orphan.
Lot's of property like that around I presume. ;-)
Very nice layout and design details..thanks for sharing…
Thanks for watching!
Always a pleasure to get a boomer video update . As always what a joy and very informative!
Glad you like them!
That scenery work is incredible!
Thank you!
The second turnout in the vid is interesting because it has a self guarding frog yet it still has guardrails on the stock rails. Obviously the frog was replaced over time but the minimal work was done needed to keep it in service at the time. The little things.
The first one is dead for sure. There is no grade there as well since they excavated for the "tilt-up" building.
You have made my vacation this morning to see this video sent by a good friend who knows I'm thinking about my plans for my Ho scale layout.
Thank you for doing this video . Merry Christmas and Happy New Year . I've subscribed to see more .
Thank you for the sub and welcome aboard! Go to videos on main page and there are over 500 videos. Cheers and Happy New Year. ~ Boomer.
I agree with all the comments. I love what you are doing. And Boomer, wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas. Can’t wait to see what you bring us next year. From: Arlin
Same to you! - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Boomer, thank you for the observations of spurs - old, dead, abondoned, and out of service.
Very informative.
Thank you, cheers and stay safe, Michael
O.K. Thank you!
I always like looking at the proto stuff. When I was a kid I used to love those articles in MR… “Modeling a prototype____.” And they’d show photos of siding or biz. Then we moved to L.A. and I spent many years prowling around the old warehouse area shooting the old remnants of the railroads. I guess I was better at that than the modeling part. Lol
The railfanning part in the investigative sense always appealed to me as well. Thanks for sharing!
The scenes of River Road and the switching operation would challenge a new viewer to tell if it was real or not. Great work and thanks for the tutorial.
Thank you very much!
My layout is very much based on the Minnesota Commercial, including the NE ends of Traffic and Cleveland Streets. When researching it I used Google Earth a lot and, in doing so, discovered a 'rabbit warren' of disused spurs that completely define the buildings and surrounding spaces. The whole area is punctuated with now disused railway infrastructure - much of it overgrown with green corridors. For me the green corridors give that part of the Minnesota Commercial its defining characteristic. This is one of my favourite episodes so far as it confirms for me that modelling those spaces is worth doing. Thanks again!
Those spaces you mention are what defines the character of a given layout and are very much worth exploiting if you want your layout to tell it's unique story. ;-)
Along those lines, I've noticed a fair number of places around here where the rail spurs were abandoned and then some of the buildings have been rebuilt, so you can see this gently-curved pathway between the buildings where the rails were, but it's interrupted by a building and then it continues on later. That would be a neat touch to model!
I find it very interesting that the second switch has guard rails in addition to a self guarded frog. I have never seen that IRL. Neat catch Boomer. Cheers Rob
Never know what you might find these days. ;-)
Usually older switches have that.
Glad you notice too that frog that doesn´t need guard rail. Railroads and MofW crews are smart. They don´t work for nothing nor burn company cash. I suppose here à standard frog needing guard rails was probably worn and it was replaced with what they had. So they replace it with that one. And why work in guard rails removal ? So they leave them, and if one day they need them they know where they are. So in the meantime it´s a super wreck proof frog.
@@danielfantino1714 I was wondering if that was the case. Let’s just call it a super frog then 😂 cheers Rob
If it still derail at frog, then it´s Super Jumping Frog 😂😅😊
Great video/ information/ modeling!! Very well done Sir!
Thank you kindly!
Boomer, just in that short video and mentioning about all the great trash laying around that can be modeled made watch it 3 more times, you open, not only my 72 year old eyes but everyone who watches your great channel.
Not only do you make me want to ouch forward in the hobby but in life as well and I thank you for what you do. Cheers, Ron
Thank you Ron. Just recently the railroad cleaned up that right-of-way area. ;-)
I've added one to my layout and incorporated it into my digitrax programming track.
Sounds awesome. ;-)
It seems so wild that a non used spur makes it so much more operational in a sense. Where we are there are tons of dead spurs, and buried tracks etc.
In layouts we forget that this helps tell the story.
I could watch simple operations on this layout all day.
Yes indeed . . . the "Story" as you say really ups the immersion factor. ;-)
Thanks Boomer for that added realism. Like you said, both leads rails or only the one use is left in place, spiked like regular rail, with or without frogs. At rail crossing, dead track can be here, or remove on road section or paved over.
Don´t forget rusty rails on railroad part, vegetahion, fence, new buiding etc...
May be some of you have seen diamond where 2 railtoads "A" and
"B" cross. One line is shiny xhile the other is all rusty. Sometimes even the rusty line have rails that have been pulled up a little farther. No idea why that useless diamond still there ? Well the railroad that was hete first have priority, and maka a favor to the other railroad to pass there and put a diamond that HE maintain....and receive money for what pass on it. When there is only one company involved, the diamond is removed first and useless track too or left in situ.
Boomer mention 3 railroads use that track. One can be the owner and do maintenance. The other 2 just pay like when you take a cab. You pay to pass there. All sorts of funny agreement can occur too betwen ownership, maintenance.
Sounds like loads of fun ahead! ;-)
In the US there is a legal difference between Out of Service (OOS), and abandoned. The FRA has minimum maintenance requirements for all active track, regardless how often it's used. If the track is reported as OOS, then it's not required to be maintained. Abandoned is just that, and in some cases the land gets reverted to its original owners. There's a process that must be followed and approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) before a common carrier track can be abandoned. Land tax rates also come into play. OOS track is taxed differently than in service track (since the assessed values are different).
In the case of that lumber yard in your video, they can pull up their track since it's a private industry.
It must be a big job to pull it up if it's the private company and not the railroad. ;-)
👍 as always!
Cheers
Bob from Ontario
Cheers. 😁
In Indonesia on sugar cane narrow gauge, railroad use are seasonal. What to do when your rail crossing have been paved over ? Simple. Pass slowly on asphalt, wheels flanges makes a new groove. After a few pass they have a scratchbuilt railroad crossing back in service !
👍😁
You have always preached have your layout tell a story with this vlog you add character, I like when guys look at my layout I want to hear that’s cool.
It is encouraging and complimentary for sure.😉
Nice diorama. I've always loved them versus a huge layout.
Same here!
Just found Ur TH-cam channel looks amazing mate superb
Welcome! Cheeers ~ Boomer.
Cool content, thank you for the mid-week upload! I love the idea of modeling the siding that's been partially removed. On a side note, I don't know why any company would pull those tracks out of their property. Even if they aren't being used they could just work over them. I've designed several industriral spurs and it's SUPER expensive to have rail service added. At least the switch is still in place, that's the lion's share of the cost.
Thanks for the info!
Glad you mentioned "cost". Sometimes modelers make bowl of spaghettis of tracks. In real world it´s so cosly that it´s not always possible. On track like Boomer shows us, it´s not hard. Just the cost. On big mainline it´s a different song. Bigger rails increase cost. Those transitional joint bars that Boomer shows are far more costly than regular one. I remember a railcar storage company with a capacity of 400 cars. It was connected on mainline of railroad A. At the other end was mainline of railroad "B". When they asked for a connection with "B" , the answer was no problem IF THE NEW CLIENT COULD GUARANTEE A MINIMUM OF 3 000 CARS A YEAR !
Oups...no deal was never made. It was double mainline, not even a line closure issue or about maintenance. Sometimes it´s too far for switching crews.
That MP15 is such a cool locomotive. I think I watched a video of you kitting it out back in the Glover Road days? Will go and check the library 😁 I guess they could use these questionable dead spurs for bad order cars
Yes. Bad order cars as well.
Dear Boomer, one of the scenic features of the railroad in general, at least here in the Netherlands and Europe, plus the impressions I got from traveling through other countries, like the US, Canada or Chili, is that even the mainlines tend to travel along the ‘backyards.’ Quite recently we travelled by train from Mannheim, GE, to Amsterdam on the Venlo connection. This spur diverts from Cologne GE into the western direction towards the border close to Venlo. Part of this line is mainly in use for freight. On both sides of the border the line serves large container and piggyback facilities. On the Dutch side, former rail served industries now have turned their backs to the tracks. With most of the turnouts and industrial spurs fully removed. On the German side the situation is different, either industries are still rail served, or when the frequency of service drops, you can observe different removable obstacles, warning signs, etc. Sometimes just a filled dumpster put over the tracks, or the German version of the derail appendages. In case of full abandonment, often the tracks get paved over, and the empty space is simply used for storage of large equipment. Overall the difference between the two countries is significant.
Years ago read a great article on the topic of rail transformation from industrial to passenger service. Especially in the Ruhr area a lot of industrial track has over time been converted to passenger service. When roaming those areas, the former street tracks may still be present, whilst the passenger trains mostly use the grade separated tracks. Overall, just a great way to take another look at history and its contemporary remnants.
Another example from the Netherlands; when I was a kid the former rail line along the southern part of the defensive rind around Amsterdam was still in place, with all its track and signal boxes identifying this rail line. It was designed for military purposes, and in use for several industries along the line. Around the mid 70s it was fully abandoned and stripped in sections. Funny thing is that from the 80s onwards, with all the housing developments around this area taking place, there’s been continuous talks on reinstating this rail line, in order to improve the mobility and accessibility of this area. To me it further underlines the apparent lack of long term vision on rail transport in this country. Over time I have seen several scenes of this line being modeled. Especially those where signal box and adjacent living quarters made a significant scenic impact, next to a low laying polder floor, on which level most structures would have been built. So much for this long story. Love the input. Cheerio
Thank you for sharing. Cheers!
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! 😁
Many of what are called “Abandoned” spur lines, have simply been paved over, in the name of cost effectiveness. I think this is a great Idea. another Idea this inspired, expands on the “Dead Spur”, and works on most time periods, up to the present days. And, it isn’t modeled often either. Many Factories, refineries, breweries, etc.’s Yards, had their own private, self contained, rail systems to service itself, in narrow gauge. We’ve all been in at least one parking lot, where there was a 8’-10’ section of track rail exposed, haven’t we?🤔
Thanks for sharing! Cheers.
An old dead spur is a great place to store MOW equipment. The neat thing about it is you could change the scene by changing out the cars from time to time. It could also be worked into an op session. Imagine what could be done with an old rundown flatcar loaded with RR maintenance junk.😉
Love it! ;-)
Great looking scene as always. I'm modeling in 0 where real-estate is a premium. Location location location and turnouts are not prototypical, at least the ones on a budget. but I really enjoy seeing how well it can be done and how it adds realism to the track plan.
Happy rails
You bring up a great point regarding the Prototype vs Realism. I think they are both mutually exclusive. I am influenced by the prototype but prefer to try and model and realism at the cost of the former. I think they are both two different aspects to the look of things. Realism is more about one's impression of the scene and how they choose to represent it, opposed to legalistic prototype modeling which can stifle the look of things if you get bogged down with it. Cheers.
@boomerdioramas Exactly. That's why those of us modeling in 0 have more challenges pulling both aspects off due to limited space constraints. I started my layout over 3 different times because what I envisioned in my head and on paper mathematically was feasible but didn't work so well once the track was laid. Especially with my B6 steam switcher over turnouts with their extremely low clearances of the front pilots. There is very little to no clearance with any inclines or tight radius curves of turnouts. It's not something that one expects to occur if you plan to use them for switching in a yard with tight radiuses. The dreaded third rail curse.
The IC mainline (now CN :( ) is 100 meters out my front door. There is a small grain elevator and feed mill that used to be rail served 300 meters south of my house. The feed mill gets an occasional car, maybe a couple a year so I guess it's not completely out of service. The railroad often spots MOW equipment on that spur. There are two gondolas sitting there now. It's also a place where they can spot a bad order car. I say model it. It gives you some more operational flexibility.
I agree! They look cool as well.
Also did a faser river back slew and drainage ditches from the pulpmill.
That sounds cool!
Thanks for sharing. I got my book on trees I asked about the day before yesterday. I see why you used it. I got it on sale for $8 American.
Yeah. It's a great reference book for building model trees.👍
I am already putting it to use. Thanks again.
I think in a lot of cases it costs more time/money to remove rail or switches than it's worth doing. Here in Portland, there's a lot if street track and industrial spurs that haven't been used in decades. No one (not the railroad, the property owners, nor the city) want or need to bother with it. One would think there's at least the scrap steel from the rails, but it may be too costly to make salvage viable. So it just sits, but it provides some interest and imagination for history-minded railfans or (more grandly) industrial archeology. Personally, I've never seen a scene (urban or rural) that wasn't made more interesting by the presence of tracks--in service or abandoned.
I like that term "Industrial Archeology." It makes things more interesting and provides a unique historical perspective to model. ;-)
I can see that last "dead" spur being one that the RR might use for a 1 car storage area. Put something to keep the car from rolling off of the track and have a storage spur for a seldom used car.
Yes. They do that on this short line all the time. Good observation. ;-)
Wow, code 40! I tried code 40 for sidings and spurs on my n scale layout. Looked good but nothing ran on it. Wheels are too big in n scale. Like you I had an “abandoned “ spur which was covered in grass but still usable in a pinch. Beautiful modelling, that slum lord building gives me the creeps with all that black mould all over. It’s excellent modelling when it not only catches the eye but also triggers the other senses into action.
Code 40 is tricky in N Scale for sure. It's doable in HO but you need to keep spikes on the outside rail, etc. The Slum Landlord scene should look good when I install the light for ambience and mood . . . ;-)
Great video 👍
Over all your thoughts on tie use and description of tie spacing and type of ties your standards of lite weight tie balsa and glue and spikes every 4 to 5 ties actually is a higher standard then the ups industrial tracks worked for up for 28yrs as both engineer and yardmaster .. saw the standards first hand . Modeling track standards could be a lot of fun but very time consuming angle bars every 8 to 10 ft could be very time consuming
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Yes. The angle bars. I thought of this in O Scale as well.
Great video. I enjoyed. Ideas too
Awesome! Thank you!
I too find sidings and siding history interesting. Sometimes only the grading remains. What was once there? I modeled a local scene once on a previous layout where a bean cannery had been served. Single switch off the main divided into the cannery. The cannery is now an apartment building, the main line switch is gone, but some of the rails between the main and the cannery property remain. Now inhabited by a prairie dog town. I did as you just did, I walked it a couple times till I was sure how it had been in the heyday. Keep them coming. cheers, Rob
Cheers Rob!
Boomer, thanks for correcting me. I appreciate not just that you did it but also how.
Thanks. scott
No worries!
I've got something like this that I'm looking at modelling. The line that goes through town is just a single track about a mile long that's only there for one industry, or maybe two, but I'm not sure. I've got pictures from when there used to be two tracks, but there's just one now. I've got pictures where there used to be switches between those two, but they've just taken it out and crossed the rail over without a switch. Then there's an old foundry that's been leveled, and you can see on Google Maps how it used to have a spur that's been taken out. Now you can see the ties where they used to hold the diverging route. Now that foundry lot has a decent amount of solar panels. I'm actually thinking of turning it into a solar panel factory but I have no idea how those would look or really how they would get goods delivered. I want to model the area through town, but I don't want it to be a single business, so I want to revive a couple of the industries and add the second track again so it can be used as a runaround.
Your ideas sound awesome. A little more research and imagination and you are on your way. A nice little four-axle switcher with some character boxcars, flats, etc., and you really have something there. ;-)
The "abandoned" spur, while no longer serving the customer it was intended, can be used for the railroad to park a MOW machinery overnight or over the weekend while working on the main track in the area.
Yes indeed!
Interesting. Spurs somehow have a life of their own. It makes the mind go back. What was this like? How was it configured? Wish it wasn't dead. They evoke emotion for sure.
You nailed it! ;-)
All of my frogs are dead as I only have the cheep switches that have plastic frogs. All my DCC engines have the "come along" chips inside and the one engine has battery power so I don't need any power in the track at all.
Yes. Good plan. I find the "power routed" frog help prevent the "sneaky" stall or flicker. They are also good if you want to install signal restriction as well. But having said that, dead frogs are fine. ;-)
bro,i thought this was real and suddenly BIG HAND
🤣
Lol . . . Cheers!
Hey Boomer on that switch by IPEX was it spiked at the points? Usually a OSS switch is spiked and locked. A neat fester you could use on river road is when you use that track have a MOW truck in the slum lord lot when a OSS track is used MOW usually has to unlock it then lock it back up after the move.
feature*
I can't remember but I will have to look again when I am down there.
A pile of partially burnt ties, an old steel and fiberglass straight chair
and a lovely mattress (complete with critters?)
In our modern hi-tech world, modeling some garbage might actually be apropos (?)
...but would it be "ART" ?
Some towns are littered with garbage in the back alleys, etc.. On the other hand, I don't see it very often around here in most cases.
Modeling a spur that used to be. The main line track now it ends. And the new main line it next to it .
Nice!
Should the dead spur have some type of sign? I know it’s not a “Blue Flag” situation for men and equipment within a work time frame but what about a stop sign or derail ? Thank you! 👏🏻
No stop sign or derail for a spur that is out-of-service. Unless they still use it for MOW or parking a car though.
Yay! A tour on the prototype! 😍Thank you very much Boomer!
Where is the place shown at 5'12?
That spot is just behind IPEX Plastics. It is one of the SRY Rail Link spurs that leads to a small bread factory. Sometimes, they park the switcher there overnight.
@@boomerdiorama Thank you. I can see it now, on Google Earth listed as a KCS plastics on my side?
This spot in Langley could be a layout it itself: mainline with passing trains, a few spurs to reactivate, and a place to park the switcher.
I came across Second Session Railroad with YOU as a guess. Excellent broadcast. How come you never talked about it. I am sure most people watching your channel would want to see it. Missed Dusty in it.
Next time!
OK, thanks for the feedback.@@boomerdiorama
Thank you Boomer , all in the details , do you have a video/s on your atlas MP15 and how you made it into the performer it currently is ? I remember you mentioning it's your go to locomotive over all your others
Cheers Boomer..
There is some stuff here but they run this good out of the box.th-cam.com/video/XFF1jwRNU4E/w-d-xo.html
@@boomerdiorama thank you , cheers Boomer .
You tell them Boomer. It's better to have a buffer area between the track and the end of the bench work. There are to many layouts especially online that do this. It will only end badly once and they will learn.
Yes indeed. I see it all the time as well.
Are all the tracks welded rail ? Even yards and spurs ? Around here in kansas most branchlines , sidings , and yard tracks are still jointed rail. There are several model companies that make joint bars . If you want total realism then you need to model those every 39 feet.
No . . . of course not. Those details are way down the list for me. Cheers!
Top rating for realism
Thank you!
Love your videos
Thank you for that. You are very encouraging!
I don't favor modelling a dead spur coming off the main with points and frog in place--that's just another derailment waiting to happen. it's possible to fake the points and frog while having mainline rail running through the turnout, and that's what my club layout has done at several points, with a "work train" sitting on the fake siding at one location. Modeling an abandoned spur or yard track leading off a siding is less of a problem because all movements would be at low speed.
I would recommend modelling the turnout as removed if the portion of the siding beyond the fouling point is shorter than your most-common-length car (as was the case with your example of the abandoned siding off the IPEX main).
The code 40 spur I modeled off the siding on my layout is not off the main. It's a spur off a code 55 siding just like the prototype I show. It is not even close to the mainline on my layout. But who cares anyway . . . lol. It's just a model railroad and I'm the boss. Cheers and thanks for sharing. 😁
I was reading the other day that in Canada railroads pay taxes for the amount of track they have so in many cases it benefits them to remove the track even if they put it back in a year or two.
I believe that is true. Although the SRY Rail Link does not fall under some Federal Regulations like class one railroads do. Not sure if that has any bearing on unused spurs or not. interesting though. Cheers.
An interesting subject that too seldom finds its way to a layout. Those dead spurs tells the history of the railroad and the area, I guess we tend to compress as much as possible and these things are amont the first o be out of the window. Still a bit of fle track leading nowhere, as on your video to a chain link fence and a new street tells it well. It has not to be that very epensive addition as everyone will end up with bits of flex that does not be needed on the layout. I saw this a lot in older industrial areas while living in Stockholm and while typing this, there are a lot of abandonned track on the mainlines too here in Scandinavia, where the no longer track have lost its turnouts but nobody bothere remove the rest. By the way I find your uses of different codes on rail is very interesting way to tell the story and the result is very realisitc! Cheers!
Abandoned spurs are everywhere around the world. Makes for great adventure.
It looks more real than any I've ever seen
It's a very immersive scene . . . ;-)
Μπράβο μπράβο μπράβο ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Cheers.
Technically if something is "OOS" out of service it usually isn't used at all until repairs, or the person who took it OOS deem it usable. Typically this is used for maintenance of way storage or repairs that may take a few days.
Sounds good! Thanks for sharing!
Nice music, it’s Christmas time.
Happy holidays!
Yes! . . . and Happy New Year!
I forgive you for the weather...
Contrary to what many believe we don't get much snow in the Lower Mainland. Just lot's of rain @ 55 degrees.
11:15 Sorry I'd have to disagree about the mattress. I know many working homeless that had to result to this. They had decent jobs but greedy property owners forced them out.
O.K. I can see that. I stand corrected. I knew a homeless person who worked and she lived under a hedge near her work location.
Nice video
I never expected it to be, but thank you. I hope it inspires. Cheers ~ Boomer.😁
code 40... wow!
It is doable in HO Scale. ;-)
That's the best track the spur
It was the first rail I installed on the layout. ;-)
Hey Boomer! Challenge accepted, i will model a dead spur that has the frog removed :)
Sounds awesome! I bet it looks' awesome as well. ;-)
@@boomerdiorama you will be the first to see, when i finish it :)
I tried to post here the link to the google photos album of the 'dead spur' but it's being deleted all the time :(
Need an abandoned shopping cart by the side of the track.
Oh yeah . . . for sure! Need to build a photo-etch one. Cheers. ;-)
I've always liked abandoned things, but I find this community's constant push for the current to be a mental drain. When I model ships, tanks, planes, & the like I do so to GET AWAY from the current, not recreate it. For example, my Shokaku, and (soon) Prinz Eugen are modeled as if they've only been rained on. Not everything has to be this pessimistic representation of real life, or how it was then. I think this is gonna be a very unpopular opinion, and I apologize. The whole burnt out ties due to the homeless, and the trash everywhere just triggered something in my mind.
I get that. I model what I see in the real world. Modeling (or collecting) a perfect world is just a fantasy and an excuse not to model or paint anything to me. Cheers.
What is current? Look at how in disrepair some of the struggling class 1 railroads were in the sixties and seventies. Rust, litter, and weeds all over the place. And tons of active industries with really grimy old facilities. Even in the steam era there was soot and grease everywhere.
Railroading is essentially a gambling enterprise since the 1830’s. Hundreds of railroads vested into hundreds or thousands of miles of track just to go bankrupt. It’s not a landscaping business, just a business.
Shokaku and Prince Eugen both fought in one of the most horrific and destructive wars mankind has ever experienced, so I would rate the 1939 -1945 period to be infinitely more depressing than pretty much any other period of human history.
Both of those ships fought for regimes that perpetrated unbelievable acts of barbarism, yet I wouldn't call anyone out for modelling them, so I'd cut other modellers some slack.