In a space just beyond the lower-level yard recently featured in Spaces to Places VII, is where our host Gerry Leone now turns to make a place for a locomotive servicing area on his double-deck, HO scale (1:87.1) model railroad. Follow along as he first plans and plots out the trackwork and structures needed to form a credible site on the Bona Vista layout!
Want to see more of Gerry’s work on a classic, familiar format? Look for his Turning Spaces into Places Vol. 1: Rural Scenery DVD, available from the Trains.com Store!
Hey Gerry, how is the ash pit op going to work? Looks like if you spot a gondola at the pit it will foul the caboose track. Will the crew clean the pit and move the gondola clear of the caboose track until need again?
You’re exactly right, Chris. Either that, or when a new train is being made up, the yard engine moves the gon in order to pull out a new caboose. OR, if the yard engineer is lazy, he can go around and use the “back” entrance to the caboose track and grab it from there.
Great video! This is really going to help me setup my small service yard.
Love all your content.
Thanks much, Robert! I appreciate it!
Well done. John Armstrong’s book is great. I have the older edition that has been with me for almost 50 years.
There are two books that I consider the best books ever: Armstrong’s Track Planning book, and Chubb’s Operations book. I could toss out all my other books and magazines, and if I kept those two books I’d still be able to build a decent model railroad.
Great explaination of the workings of a service facility. Thanks for pointing out the different car spots and what each car type would be. Remember: 1 goose, 2 geese.
1 caboose, 2 cabeese! BTW, what is a locomotice?
Keep up the good work sir!!
No idea what a locomotice is, or why I even said that. Brain frat, I guess.
Gerry:
I see someone else noticed your turntable controls. I’ll have to dig around to see specifically how you do it (previous video?), but wondering how I’m going to do my O-Gauge turntable and roundhouse. Using BCP-2 lionel TMCC control for energizing tracks and made a TMCC motor control for the turntable, but have yet to see how this is going to work. Fingers crossed.
I believe I may have mentioned (somewhere), John, that the turntable is the first generation of Walthers auto-indexing turntables. I bought that in probably the late 2000s when it first came out. I don’t know if they ever made an O-scale version. But the thing sure is handy: push a button to set the stops and you’re done!
Also true for me as well Gerry. Your features are far and away the best things on Trains.com. And yes, the bloopers are great!!
Is that a 90 ft turntable in front of your roundhouse, and is it DCC indexed or manually operated? At some point I will be adding a Servicing Facility to my layout also and your “educational” video is very much appreciated.
I remember the white building with the peeling paint being a way to conceal how your layout at that time blended into the ledge in your room. I’m curious to see how you re-purpose it.
Keep ’em coming, please. We all look forward to your peerless contributions!
Thanks Jeffrey! Not every episode has bloopers, but this one had enough to be its own episode!
Thanks Jeffrey! Not every episode has bloopers, but this one had enough to be its own episode! The turntable is actually a Walthers product — the first generation of their automated turntable (pre-DCC). I’ve used the DCC version on other modelers’ layouts and honestly I think this one is easier to use. I’m surprised, amazed, and tickled that you recognized that building from my “up against a wall” article — that was a while ago! And here’s a spoiler alert: the re-kitbash turned out pretty well! That’s next month’s episode. Thanks for watching!
Love the overhead shot and explanation as I try to rework my 3-rail o gauge area to include a turntable and roundhouse.
The bloopers are fun. This series is my favorite thing to view on trains.com. ?
Thanks a million, John! Glad you like the series — I appreciate your watching!