Transload Facilities

[Nilmadic]

I did a quick search and didn't turn up specifically what I was looking for, so here goes....apologies if I didn't look deep enough. 

I installed a transload track on my new module. I was having trouble coming up with an idea for an industry and a few people said transload would be good. I liked it for two reasons mainly, It was simple, and it was a modern industry. It can hardly be called an industry.

My questions are as follows:

Would there be an office or small shed or trailer or container at a site like this?

Are forklifts and equipment for unloading cars stored at the facility usually?

How would access to the site be controlled? Would it be completely fenced or no fences?

Also, has anyone built a transfer conveyer of any type or know of some good prototype photos?

Her'e the transload site, I will be adding some more light poles. They are scratched from 0603 LED's and a piece of 1/16 brass tube. They will work.

[John]

Look here - 

1545 Andre St, Baltimore, MD 21230
http://binged.it/ZrQ9iu

[mu26aeh]

The link I had posted for you in the weekend update used an old train station as an office.  Others I've seen have a job/mobile rental trailer.  I remember a forumite from Atlas that was in HO, and found him here on his own website http://lawleystreet.com/model-rail-roading/exchange-avenue-march-2013/ This layout has a transload building (fourth from bottom), and "Harrington" layout also had one (third picture down)

[Hyperion]

Well.  It depends.

There are some 'transload facilities' that are nothing more than a paved lot next to a track.  Only good for taking a flatcar load off with a crane onto a flatbed trailer.  Some others have a permanent concrete dock for getting forklifts into cars.  Others have portable steel ramps that can be wheeled up to an open boxcar door.  Equipment isn't stored there, the customers just have to bring their own cranes or forktrucks to get their load off the car onto a truck.

And then there are some that are actual 3rd-party companies performing a service.  They'll have a small office, sometimes be fenced (or have a fenced area), and usually at least a small forklift and/or crane but they may have larger equipment readily on-hand if they're a large facility.

[packers#1]

here's the one in Augusta, GA; it's also where they park the business train during the masters; it is fenced.
http://binged.it/11Tq5nR

[Nilmadic]

So it seems like there are all types.

Who actually operates the smaller sites where it is just a lot next to the tracks? By operates, I guess I  mean who payed for the lot to be paved?

[nkalanaga]

In many cases the railroad paved it in order to attract the business.  In relatively dry areas it may not be paved at all, just gravel.  Most simple sites had no equipment of any kind.  If you needed loading/unloading machinery, you brought it with you.  The early team tracks were literally that - a track.  You brought your wagon, and a team to pull it, and enough strong arms and backs to move the goods.

The Pasco, WA depot's team tracks were a little fancier, in that they had a platform and ramp available, but you still had to do your own loading and unloading.

[Nilmadic]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the info! I think that is one of the best things about TRW!

As for my little transload track, I suppose that it is definitely one of the smaller ones. Even though, I'd maybe like to add some third party managed equipment such as a forklift ramp, which I just built and maybe a conveyor. It also only offers access to one side of a railcar. I can only see that being an issue for unloading centerbeam flats. Otherwise, it seems like most types of cars could be unloaded there without too much issue...?? The module is set in a rural area on the pacific coast so I suppose the 6 car capacity could be believable? (I will be changing out the trees with cypress and gum trees eventually.)

I would like to fence in the facility and I am still up in the air about an office. I like the mobile office kind of thing. I need to get scratchin'

Here is the loading ramp I built. (Thanks for the idea Hyperion) Obviously, I need to finish the forklift. The ramp will fit the 1:150 Tomytec one too. I know at least Ed will appreciate the color choice for the ramp. 

[John]

The nice thing about these facilities - you can put lots of different cars into that "industry"

[auburnrails]

I did some work for a shortline several years back and we had a few different transload opportunities that presented themselves.  One of them was transloading silica sand from 2 bay covered hoppers into trucks.  We had a small, double-ended three track area ("main" and two sidings) and we simply put gravel down along one of the sidings so that a truck could pull up alongside the cars, load up, and go.  We used some sort of augur to unload the cars - very simple operation.  The rough address to pull it up in Google Earth:

7411 NE St Johns Road, Vancouver, WA  98665

We also purchased a three acre lot to make into a more marketable and capable transload property.  This property had an old home on it that functioned as an office.  We simply laid a siding up alongside the "main" and away we went.  The rough address to pull it up in Google Earth:

9727 NE 61st Ct, Vancouver, WA  98665

Either would be easy operations to model. 

-Dave

[jpf94]

My company runs several transload centers.  One in Lakeville MN operates several tracks for a variety of commodities.  Currently we are loading lumber, offloading aggregate, aluminum, and several grades of chemicals liquid and solids.  Traffic will change weekly it seems, seasonally as well.  Summer sees the most open top cars with aggregates.  We use an auger to get the material either direct into trucks or into storage piles.  Winder we handle a lot of road salt and mag chloride products. 

The photo of the ramp to the boxcar door is a perfect example of how we handle brick and super sacks of fertilyzer at our facility in Wisconsin.  We've also done canned goods and shingles with that type of ramp operation. 

Transload facilities are also good places for my logistics group to work with for offloading/loading the transformers, boilers, and large manufacturering pieces we handle when the source/destination do not have rail access.  For modelers that means you can use some of the heavy duty cars available.

FWIW

Joe

[nkalanaga]

Any type of car I know of can be unloaded from one side, or from the end, except the centerbeams.  That said. you may get a car placarded "Unload From This/Other Side".  In that case, it may need to be turned for unloading.  If you have a wye, loop, or turntable, that makes an interesting change of routine for the crew.  If you don't, it's a problem...

On a model, it's unlikely that you'll find one, unless you make the placard yourself.

[pennsyfan1361]

A centerbeam car must be unloaded from both sides.  Or the car will tip over if you don't unload from both sides.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Rich 

[jpwisc]

I have a bunch of photos of various transload facilities around me. You see a lot of plastics hoppers unloading, scrap metal loading, lumber, tractors, even steel coil unloading.

Great choice for a versatile industry!

[jmlaboda - RIP]

How about a transloading facility that would be a natural for a model railroad... plastic pellets.

You have a track where covered hoppers would be parked for unloading and a truck to haul the pellets.  Such trucks are equipped for unloading the hoppers.  Also additional tracks elsewhere that are not otherwise needed would be full of cars waiting to be unloaded (varying grades as well as simply buying in bulk)... but then again, maybe that is what the track that you have is for... storing cars until it was time to unload them...