Question about Short Line Railroads

[Nucular]

Does anyone have any information on how a short line running mixed cargo (Passenger and Freight) configure its yard? I mean surely they would not have the capital or the resources to have a separate freight yard from the Passenger Station Terminal. Ideally having two separate yards would not be the most efficient.

A diagram, picture, explanation would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[waltr]

From what I recall most didn't have yards as such.
The passenger cars would sit at the station. The loco would gather up the frieght from the local industries or just have the freight waiting on a siding.
Then back in the freight cars to couple to the passengers cars and off they go.

When they got to the next town, they would drop off the passenger cars at the station then deliver the freight cars.
Try searching for any of the many short lines that exists and existed. Track plans for many are still around.

 

[Trussrod]

Hi Nucular,
The best example I can give is the rural foothill town of Raymond, Calif., which is about 1,000ft in elevation and 11 miles West of me, and one a buddy who lives there is modeling. as part of his layout as best practicable.

According to the the pictures I've seen as well as the Blue Prints from the Southern Pacific their configuration was very similar to your thinking. This I'm sure though had/has a lot to do with easily accessible land not to mention the lay of the land also.

I do know that the line coming into Raymond did run by a separate freight house which I took some pictures of years back as it was on it's last legs but it was a bit to the West of the small Station which may have had another freight section to it also as one picture does show a couple of box cars just slightly beyond and East of the Station area which was not too far from the end of the line and also to the East. It was how passengers and equipment were transported to begin their treck by stage to Coarsegold and the old stage road runs right through my back yard. Also the shay for one of the Lumber companies, I believe the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Co. was transported by the SP into Raymond and disassembled so it could be transported by Ox Cart to the higher mountains where rails were laided for operation.


They used a run-a-round track to facilitate switching operations and I think they even had a siding on the opposite side of the main.

Now the interesting thing on this branch line is that it also served the little town of Knowles via a Right hand switch down the line a ways as and they also had a couple of freight pickups there as that was and still is the largest open face Granite Quary in the U.S.A. and one of the side line businesses was Head Stones that were carved, in some cases were brought to the Stone Mason for carving by flat car or when a number were to be shipped at one time.

There was a Turntable also that was located of to the Right of the station area with a small one engine, usually a 2-6-0 & tender, could be driven onto to be turned as well as the caboose I imagine?

Hope my description has helped?

 

[Nucular]

Thanks for the replies.

Your description helps Trussrod. Thanks waltr for taking the time to tell me how they would work the mixed cargo.