Stations, Depots, and Train order signals

 On the AIR1 there were roughly 12 stations, on the Littlerock Sub-division, but only really three depots. Only six stations had a semaphore train order signal positioned at it. 

Let me see, West Littlerock (West/Lower Staging),  Littlerock, East Littlerock, Athol, Pettigrew , Salisbury, Big Pool, Summit, Wingedfoot, Webster Springs, East Webster Springs (East/Upper Staging).

Procedurally we needed a West Littlerock and East Webster Springs in order to write proper train orders, otherwise no train could exit the layout and enter staging, but they were not on layout locations and did not have T.O signals.

Littlerock was the main yard, and did not need a T.O. Signal.

East Littlerock was the beginning of yard limits and did not need a train order signal.

Big Pool was a siding on the grade, between double crossovers, there was no T.O office there and no T.O.signal.

There was a Depot at Littlerock, Pettigrew , and Webster Springs. These also as T.O.offices. There were also T.O offices at Athol, Salisbury, Summit, and Wingedfoot.

Every station with a Depot was listed in the time table as a station stop for passenger trains, every T.O. office was also listed as a flag stop.

The semaphore T.O. Signals were Tomar and sort of a pain in the ass to set up. They did display at a 45 degree angle, but I only used “Go” and “Stop”. Remember these are not block signals, they only indicate if there are orders for a train, that is, it should “stop to pick up orders”.

 I eventually found that using the kit, marketed by Circuitron for remote signal activation worked really well for the tight clearances of the double headed T.O signals. We did not issue for form 31 train orders, which requires a signature from the receiving conductor, only form 19’s.Each Depot or T.O station usually had a house track, that was treated as a team track. Only Salisbury did not have a house track. 

These house/team tracks usually had Reefers spotted on them, simulating a loading point for local farmers who were shipping fruit during rush periods. Another type of load was livestock, again simulating local  farmers shipping hogs*. An occasional boxcar, express reefer, or MOW cars rounded out the uses for house tracks.

Up until recently, for AIR2, I was pretty much decided on using lights on the fascia for train order signals, but I have decided to go back with the Tomar T.O. Signals. 

I have standardized on several line-side structures for train order offices and depots. Either American Model Builders  (AMB) Springfield depot, I currently own five at least, or AMB’s interlocking tower will fill in almost all of these buildings. I have a larger depot for Pettigrew , and I plan larger still depot buildings for Littlerock and Chatsworth. Foreign road tracks, like WM already have WM structures in those roads colors. So WM Jct will still be the WM tower, but I think I need to round up a few N & W standard structures.

I think it’s important to give your home road, especially on a freelanced road, a unifying color scheme for structures. After reading a lot of Bill Darnaby’s writing on writings on this topic I need no further encouragement.

How do you simulate your roads line side structures like Depots and Train order stations ? If you use TTTO to control your traffic do you have train order signals on your layout? Who controls them?

I prefer the DS to control all TO signals, a pox on Operators!

What are your thoughts?

—————————-

*Hogs. On AIR1 my main livestock product was hogs. I never researched this, I just assumed that that’s what it would be. I was recently the beneficiary of a web site about agricultural production , broken down by county and year, all the way back to at least the Civil War. As it turns out West Virginia didn’t produce very many hogs in 1952, quite a bit of beef, but SCADS of sheep! So on AIR2 we’ll be moving some cattle, but LOTS of sheep.