I need Some Opinions

[Workingdog1]

So I'm starting a new model railroad layout. I've changed scales, yet one more time in the hopes I can actually finally get one done. I'm going to N scale, since I really don't have the room for On30, or HO scale either one.

I'm going to model the beef industry in the transition era, somewhere between the late 1940s to the early, possibly mid 1960s. Time line is not completely nailed down yet.

I'll have a stock yard on one end and meat processing plant on the other. So to my question. This stock car is a Micro Trains N scale stock car.

Mirco Trains is a high end American owned and operated company that makes true scale model railroad items, so I know the stock car is to the correct 1/160 scale.

These cows I got are "supposed" to be 1/160, or N scale also. I think they are too small. I need full grown, adult cows, as they are gonna be on the way to the hamburger plant.

The first picture is mine with the cow I think is too small. The second is from one of my buddys on the N scale Facebook group. I think the second picture is much closer. What do yall think?

View attachment 1716498978

View attachment 1716498979

Depends on trailer size right ? Are the pictured railcars the same size ?
Hope this helps. Jeff

 

[ch1ll]

Once they don't produce enough milk they become beef or other cow by products.

Milking life expectancy is up 4.5 up to 6 years. Life expectancy is 15 to 20 years. It depends how old the are. Some end up as dog food or other animal feed.

 

[nutz]

Yummy beef byproducts

 

[RustyRatRod]

I've decided on a layout plan. This is called "The Gumstump and Snowshoe Railroad". It's a layout from the late 1950s originally designed by Chuck Yungkurth. I'm building it in N scale. My plan is to stretch it out to fit on a 12" x 8' board.

Then, I will come off one of those end tracks on the right and go on around the corner for another five or six feet. I will freelance that part. The first picture is of a finished Gumstump and Snowshoe. The second is of the actual track plan itself.

It has potential for hours of operation fun. The layout was originally designed in HO scale for a shelf of 12" x 6'. In N scale I will have tons more room on a slightly longer board of the same width, plus "whatever" I design to go around that corner. The layout calls for some steep grades, so short trains are a must, which was my intent from the start. I'll have to do some testing. So far, I've found information that suggests the Broadway Limited SW7 locomotive is capable of pulling a short train up a 10% grade. That's a lot, but I've seen video. lol All I want is a train that's two box cars long with a caboose. That's all I need for my industry. So we'll see when I get some N scale track. lol

 

[FISHYPETE]

I still have my N-Guage engines and rail cars from my younger yrs. Including buildings, switch tracks etc. I should get them out and see what I have. Had a 4x8 plywood layout

 

[RustyRatRod]

I still have my N-Guage engines and rail cars from my younger yrs. Including buildings, switch tracks etc. I should get them out and see what I have. Had a 4x8 plywood layout

That's a lotta room for N scale.

 

[YY1]

Have you considered a "timesaver"?

John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid Railroad - The TimeSaver

 

[RustyRatRod]

Have you considered a "timesaver"?

View attachment 1716514767

John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid Railroad - The TimeSaver

Yup. The layout I have chosen can be considered one, plus it has the action of the elevation. I have "the the other side" of the L to make too, so I can put most anything over there. That's where I'll have a SMALL yard and the cattle farm. Maybe pigs too. There will also be "The Hoochie Holler Trailer Park" where all the railroad fellas can find a little excitement. lol

 

[RustyRatRod]

I found "the other side" of the layout in Lin Westcott's "101 Track Plans For Model Railroaders" Published in 1956. If it's old, it's cool. This is "the other leg" of the N shaped Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR. With that ONE line coming around the corner, it will tie in nicely with The Gumstump and Snowshoe. It will give me a small yard as well as a turntable, which will be a nice addition. I'll likely add a turntable to the Gumstump end, since this is a point to point, with no loops. Much more prototypical than the "watch trains run all day" loop. I'll build it to where the "vertical" red line is, and tie it in with the Gumstump.

 

[lemondana]

A little bit off subject, but interesting- at least to the city slickers on here. Look up the Omaha Nebraska Stockyards, at one time it was the largest stockyards in the world. there are alot of pictures and history online, very worth looking at. There was a little cafe named Johnny's that started early and grew into a steakhouse. They just celebrated their 100th Anniversary in 2022. The stockyards are long gone.

 

[RustyRatRod]

A little bit off subject, but interesting- at least to the city slickers on here. Look up the Omaha Nebraska Stockyards, at one time it was the largest stockyards in the world. there are alot of pictures and history online, very worth looking at. There was a little cafe named Johnny's that started early and grew into a steakhouse. They just celebrated their 100th Anniversary in 2022. The stockyards are long gone.

I looked it up. It bees BIG.

 

[nutz]

Cool stuff
I like history
So recreating some place would be my goal
Even if just a little part of it