Modeling municipal waste trains, Part I: a transfer facility
Transfer stations that move loads from trucks to rail-borne con- tainers vary in size from facilities loading a few cars (top and above left) per day to facilities that load entire unit trains. Through the use of selective compression a transfer facility can
and trains later. Let’s start with
adding a waste transfer facility to the layout, one suitable for use with both the available container and flat car models of the Atlas Trainman line, as well as kitbashed recycled equipment. Waste transfer facilities vary in de- sign and size with the single purpose of taking waste material from trucks, condensing it, then loading it into con- tainers or rail cars. As many facilities have been constructed within the last 15 years, their design is generally more functional than aesthetic, often very spartan with an emphasis on compli- ance with regulations on ground and air pollution. Facility sizes can range from a medium-sized structure loading a few cars per day to a large building capable of loading enough containers to fill an entire unit train. Some facili- ties even have their own switcher or a trackmobile for shunting cars around the facility or to an interchange track for pickup after they are loaded, a bonus for those who favor operations. The BRI Transfer Station in Bridge-
water, New Jersey, is an example of a large-capacity transfer facility using
58 NJ Transit tracks
Waste transfer building
be made as a credible model. MSW service is ideal for modern operations-oriented modelers (above right), as each container is fully enclosed and most appear identical. This eliminates the loaded versus empty dilemma common to open top cars.
Equipment storage area
Guard shack
BRI facility: Somerset, N.J.
20-foot MSW style containers and ca- pable of handling multiple cars simul- taneously. In addition to the actual transfer facility, a drop yard for dump- sters, garbage trucks and other equip- ment involved in the pickup of residen- tial and commercial waste is located on the grounds. The facility is comprised
of a large lot bordered on one side by the NJ Transit Raritan Line and on two sides by industrial roads, one lead- ing to the driveway of the transfer building. The grounds are dissected by two tracks used to spot the trash cars, with one portion used as the drop yard while the other is the structure used for waste transfer as well as the offices. While a facility this size may seem problematic for a home layout, it can be selectively compressed using a little creative placement and kitbashing. Similar to a coal mining operation, most of the action at a waste transfer facility takes place out of sight, allow- ing one to include only the minimum visible on the layout with the rest im- plied. Using this theory, one may con- struct a transfer facility representative of a high capacity operation while us- ing only a small amount of layout real estate. Let’s begin with the main building,
which is pre-fab steel construction and easily replicated by combining several Pikestuff two stall enginehouse kits (No. 541-8). The basic Pikestuff kit is rectan- gular, with a footprint of 5¹/₂ ″×11″ and
MAY 2012
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