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Entry 3Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Prototype For my prototype "small agricultural town" I chose the Fergus Falls (pop: ca 13 000) in Otter Tail county, Minnesota. It might be discussed whether this really is a "small agricultural town", since the town has a current population of about 13 000 people. But to me Fergus still has that a small agricultural town feel. Here are two aerial pictures showing the area around the Northern Pacific depot in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, MN, both linked in from the visual records database of the Minnesota Historical Society. http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources/VRDbimages/pf085/pf085508.jpg http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources/VRDbimages/pf085/pf085511.jpg We are looking northwest along the Northern Pacific track. Depot is at left side of photo, freight track center left, elevator at top, concrete pipe plant and fuel dealer on siding at bottom. Image linked from the Minnesota Historical Society online database visual records, a great resource for prototype modelers, which can be found at URL http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources. Givens and Druthers Givens "Givens" are those factors you cannot change, based on the contest rules Layout will be 8 feet wide by 2 feet deep Must be able to be connected to rest of layout on both ends All desired operations must be possible without using rest of layout Grade and curve radius must be appropriate for equipment used Druthers "Druthers" are my preferences - the stuff I would like to include I would like to model a northern Minnesota town I know something about - Fergus Falls, MN or Dalton, MN I would like to switch grain elevator - to be those are the archtypical midwestern train operation. I would like to have some work space for temportary stashing cars while switching I would like to model a local switcher "clearing the main" for a passing mainline train, perhaps a passenger train. Layout Plan Description of Layout Plan Names of streets are mostly prototypical - that is - South Sheridan and East Hampton are actual street names from Fergus, South Pacific is named by me, using the same template for names (it is south of the Otter Tail River - and South Northern Pacific Street got to be too silly ). Names of businesses have a distinct NW Minnesota/Fergus Falls flavor, but are just made up by me. Types of traffic and max capacity for stuff that could be delivered to the various spurs and sidings (top to bottom) : Coop spur: one tank car to the vegetable oil plant (tanks in upper left hand corner), one flatcar or boxcar of machinery and parts to the agricultural machine store, two or three empty boxcars or covered hoppers to the Coop elevator. Manufacturing spur: one boxcar or flatcar North storage spur: one flatcar for end unloading to the agricultural machine store, up to four off spot cars/temporary storage cars North siding: not normally used for spotting cars - used for runaround moves and access to the five north end spurs. Can be used to run around 5 cars on the main, or as a place to duck into with an engine and 4 cars to let a train past on the main. Freight house spur: two flatcars or boxcars, for unloading LCL (Less than Car Load) freight into the freight house (right end of depot) or as a team track - to transload to a truck on the dirt track above the freight house spur. Three off spot cars can be left on this spur east of Pacific Street. Northern Pacific's mainline east-west. Can be connected with rest of layout (or staging) at both ends w/o too excessive curves. South siding: two boxcars or covered hoppers for the GTA elevator, one tank car or an open hopper with coal for the fuel dealer, one or two gondolas or flatcars for the concrete company. Can also be used as a passing siding to let trains (e.g passenger trains) past on the mainline - will fit one small engine and 7 40' boxcars. Other highlights: this 2x8 section could be switched on its own - there is room for three 40' cars and a short switcher type engine left of the leftmost turnout, and room for a short engine and two 40' cars to move cars between the Coop elevator spur and the north siding. |
