Where to put car weighing scale on layout?

[Maletrain]

I am designing a layout depicting a short line railroad that interconnects with the B&O.  I am thinking about putting a car weighing scale somewhere in the short line's yard, but don't know what would be realistic. 

I am thinking that having the scale in the classification yard lead would be really handy, but only if it could weigh cars while in motion, or at least without uncoupling them during a brief stop.  Otherwise, the car weighing process would seriously impede the car sorting process if theyused the same track.  But, my short line has been around since the 1800s, and I don't know if it is realistic to depict it as having acquired a "weigh-in-motion" type scale by the early 1950s. 

So, what would such a line have done?  Make a dedicated siding with the scale in the middle, so that a switcher could slowly progress  a cut of cars across the scale while another sorted cars elsewhere?  Or, maybe such a short line would not have its own scale?  Maybe major bulk cargo producers (e.g., coal mines) would be responsible for weighing their own loads, and an agreement with the B&O to weigh other cars could allow the short line to avoid owning a scale?

Prototype info and thoughts, please.

(Also, I am not sure where this thread really belongs, so mods can move it, if they must.)

[wcfn100]

I wouldn't put it on a main or heavily used track, but beyond that anything goes.

If you had a drawing for what you're thinking for the yard, it would be easier to give ideas.

If you really want to research, I think you can get yard diagrams for most railroads.  While these are simple schematics, they will show the scale track locations.

Jason

[Cajonpassfan]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] Track scaleswere such an indispensable facility, yet are so rarely modeled. Great to see you modeling it.
The one I'm familiar with, in San Bernardino, was located between the lead and the classification tracks and parallel to the approach track, see drawing above (lower right). Cars could be pulled, weighed, and placed on an appropriate track fairly quickly, with the scale track doubling as a lead in that instance. This ATSF one was double ended, for more flexibility, but I'm sure other railroads had their way of doing it.
Otto K.

[jmlaboda]

Unless you have a lot of cars originating on your shortline I wouldn't bother because they are labor intense, requiring a locomotive to be busy most of the day doing nothing else, and not necessarily the sort of thing shortlines would be doing (cost between maintaining the scales and dedicated equipment usually would involve more money than a shortline would be able to carry).  Class Ones have them at major yards and all the weighing could be done there.  The one exception would be a shortline that has a number of mines on it (Southern Railway's Interstate subsidiary had a weigh station on its line so hoppers from the mines could be weighed, typically with a locomotive being tied up for just this sort of operation) or a number of grain loaders.  Also, if it is originating other commodities such as aggregate, cement or sand, where a lot of cars are being loaded and shipped out.  Otherwise they would be weighed at the Class Ones' yard and the billing being completed once this is done.

[Rossford Yard]

Not really familiar with many yard layouts, but good question.

The B and O, at Rossford Yard, when the coal docks were active (up to 1946) the scale was right on the lead to the docks, for more or less automatic weighing in line.

When the dock closed, and weighing was more for local freight distribution, the scale was moved to a short through track in the old north end yard, which would be convenient for weighing cars heading out the north end for the downtown freight house, but did involve some switching.  As a kid, I recall some switching on those tracks, even though the main yards were further south, which I attributed to weighing and sorting cars for downtown.

So, I guess the constant is a through track, hopefully on the typical cars most direct path, or perhaps with a detour to a side through track.

[Missaberoad]

Missabe weighed trains as they came into Proctor yard off the iron range.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/114805/

On one of the approach tracks into a yard would seem appropriate... Obviously somewhere that wouldn't affect switching... 

[drgw0579]

A short line might have its own scale, especially if you originated loads of coal or other bulk material.  Having one in a small yard might increase the amount of "work" a switch crew does as an older scale would require each car to be uncoupled at each end to get an accurate reading.  While not a "short line", the existing scale in Chama, New Mexico on the ex-Rio Grande narrow gauge might be a worthy modeling exercise.  I believe it dates from the 20's or earlier.  Trains from the west that picked up coal could have them weighed before leaving town, if for no other reason so there was an accurate tonnage number before they started up the 4% grade to Cumbres Pass.  The scale was located on the north side of the yard, off a passing siding.  An eastbound train could easily perform the weighing or a switch crew could do it.  In reality, there probably were just a few cars needing weighed.  Of note is that the scale house was close to the depot.  No need for the agent to hike a ways down the yard to do that work.

Several of the model railroads in the area have Boulder Creek Engineering's WeighStation track scale that simulates the weighing exercise. http://www.bouldercreekengineering.com/weighstation.php  The website also provides some references that you can check out even if you don't use that product.  Disclaimer: I have no ties to this company, but Jim is a good guy and makes some neat products.

Bill Kepner

[GN63]

As an old (heavy on the OLD) car checker (yard clerk, mud hop) on the Great Northern and Northern Pacific, the scales in the yards that I worked have always been away from the main yard lead, and close to the yard office.  My first night on the Northern Pacific the switch crew was going to play a trick on me, but I had been warned about it in advance - they placed a torpedo (a charge that would create a blast and noise when it was rolled over by a car or engine) on the scale track in front of the scale shanty - it did go off, and it did create a big bang, but the crew was a bit disappointed in my non-reaction - it would have scared the holy @@@@ out of me if I had not been warned.
Byron

[railnerd]

As I've found researching for China Basin, if your prototype uses a car float, you'll also want a scale track.  It is important to keep those barges loaded properly to keep them from listing too much.

In the case of China Basin, one of the shorter "class tracks" in the float yard had the scale, with the bottom most track being a runaround:



-Dave

[randgust]

Of the five scales I'm most personally familiar with, there's not much commonality.

GE in Erie has theirs right on the 'main' for the plan before the CSX interchange switch, as they waybill outbound locomotives for interchange.

LTV steel in Cleveland had theirs off to the side of the outbound interchange yard, with the scalehouse inside the yard office.

PRR in Warren, PA has theirs right in the middle of the yard, with a dedicated scalehouse.  House is gone, but pads and rails are still visible from Google Earth.

E-L in Jamestown, NY had theirs all the way out in Falconer at a single-purpose passing siding at Tiffany Ave, nowhere near the yards.  It actually had a 'hump' up to it on both sides, never sure why, long gone now.

Flagstaff, AZ had one inside the "Y" (that is still there) on a dedicated short passing siding.   Area did a lot of outbound lumber.

The only commonality I can say is that it was usually put where it could be easily accessed from both ends on a passing siding, wasn't boxed in with any other purposes or industries, and was a single-purpose track.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Also, remember, many scales can't handle the weight of locomotives, so if it's a through track, you'll need a set of bypass rails.

Take a look at http://www.bouldercreekengineering.com/scale_ops2.php

[Rossford Yard]

For major and most operations, I think the arrangement at San Berdoo, show above, works best.  If a car needs weighing, it can be done in line, but if it doesn't, use the main lead for switching.

Just for my own curiosity, when and where do cars in the post 2000 era get weighed? Has the basic process changed much from the steam era?

Are some covered under commodity rates and weighing not required?  When required, they get pulled from industry to be weighed at the first yard, and then the waybill is made out?

Thanks.

[Blazeman]

.

Just for my own curiosity, when and where do cars in the post 2000 era get weighed? Has the basic process changed much from the steam era?

Are some covered under commodity rates and weighing not required?  When required, they get pulled from industry to be weighed at the first yard, and then the waybill is made out?

Thanks.

Rates now are flat charges. Weighing of cars requested by shipper/consignor performed on motion scales and assessed a charge of usually $500 to obtain that information. Cars moved over scales in bigger yards to look for any overweights which then parked for shipper to lighten or obtain permit from FRA to move car for that work.

[Maletrain]

Also, remember, many scales can't handle the weight of locomotives, so if it's a through track, you'll need a set of bypass rails.

Take a look at http://www.bouldercreekengineering.com/scale_ops2.php

Understood.  I plan on making a gauntlet set-up with the "live" rails for the scale off-set toward the scale house enough to provide flange clearance for all N-scale equipment.  I don't think I will actually make the points move and actually put individual cars on the live tracks, nor go through the efforts of uncoupling and recoupling each car to be weighted, much less use the Boulder Creek psuedo-scale to get a psuedo-weight and make my waybills need a weight entry.  That seems like a lot of work for not much enjoyment, for my tastes, at least.  I will probably put the scale on the track between the interchange and the classification yard, maybe on a dedicated siding, but probably not.  In "operations" I will just stop cars to be weighed in front the scale for some period of time as they go by to the interchange, leaving it to my imagination that 1/160th scale folks are moving the points, uncoupling the cars, recoupling the cars, etc.  After all, running everything just like a real railroad would make this a real job, instead of a relaxing hobby.

[OldEastRR]

I came up with a track scale as a way to disguise a rerailer track, and put it in my medium-size industrial area. I really didn't try to justify it, I just wanted to hide the rerailer, but one of the tracks in the switching area winds off and disappears between two buildings and could be used as an interchange track, so maybe prototypically they'd need to weigh some cars for that (my era is mid-'50s). [ Guests cannot view attachments ]