The ROCK 3.0: Progress Report 11.04.13

This morning before work, I assembled 29 Caboose Industries ground throws for the remaining turnouts to be installed.

I ordered a scale house for Ottawa.

I need to purchase a Micro Trains scale test car next.

Operations Update:
I learned over the weekend that Belrose Silica did not have a scale.  During the days of the RI, they weighed their sand at the small yard in Utica.  In 1980, when purchased by Unimin, they converted to a weigh-in-motion scale under the loader.  Majority of the sand went east to Chicago connections.

So, that mystery has been solved.....but....the flaw in the slaw for this operation is that I don't have the room for a small yard at Utica.  So, I will have to modify the operational plan for the crew to take all the sand loads back to Ottawa to be weighed there.  In reality, Ottawa did have a small scale track in the yard.  I never noticed it before, but after going back looking on Bing Maps I found the evidence of where it once was located.

So, another gantlet track is in my future.  I can't say that I'm overly excited about having to build another one, but it must be done.  Speaking of weighing cars, since I will have a scale in the yard, we need to expand on this idea.  I would assume coal bound for the Peru Power & Water plant will need to be weighed before it is delivered.  It is my understanding loads like this were weighed sometimes twice (near the source and again near the destination).  I would also assume that chemicals being shipped via covered hoppers from PQ would be weighed outbound.  I don't think the tank cars would have required weighing.

I learned that Ottawa Yard was referred to as West Yard by crews looking to talk to the yard clerk.  Otherwise, they called for Ottawa Ticket when contacting the station agent.  All crews will address the yard as such.

I found out PQ had some of their own covered hoppers and tank cars.  I need to see if I can find someone to print up some decals for me and see if there is a model that would closely represent the prototype.

On the RI: Illinois Division, I knew of some of the freight train numbers from a 1972 guide, but locals I had to guess at.  I knew the range for the most part, but not the actual number.  I learned this past weekend there was the Joliet to Bureau Local #113 (evening extra #115 on occasion) that would shuttle cars between various switch jobs, distribute empties for loading or move outbound cars into blocks at Bureau (cars for Peoria and West), Ottawa or Joliet for pickup by road trains.  The train arrived in Ottawa around mid-morning and returned east through Ottawa around mid-afternoon arriving back at Joliet by dinner time.  This train will be staged out on the mainline in Ottawa at the beginning of the session.  At it's "arrival" time (I will create a random formula to generate a true arrival time) the train will enter the yard to swap cars and then head west with its outbound cars.  Later in the afternoon, the train will return to pick up loads headed for Chicago.