Trains of The Little Rock Line

I have had some questions about the cars that were left behind on the junction in the video from the previous post.  So I figured a good way to answer the questions was just to go through all the trains that run during a typical session.

I've thrown my modelers license on the table and renamed and renumbered the trains from what actually ran on the Little Rock line.  I did this so they would be easier to remember during a session for those who do not know much about the line or have a hard time keeping things straight, myself included.

There are two locals or turns that are the stars of the layout.  These both originate out of the yard at El Dorado, AR.  One works North and returns in the same session, the other works South and returns in the same session.  90% of the work on the layout is done by these two trains.

The Winnfield Turn

It leaves El Dorado Southbound and works the towns of Dubach, LA. Ruston, LA. and finishes up at Winnfield, LA. then returns to El Dorado.  The train only works trailing point turnouts so it does work in both directions.

Dubach, LA

Piggly Wiggly Distribution - A grocery chain in the south.  Boxcars, insulated boxcars & mechanical reefers.

A&A Cement Works - 2 bay cement hoppers and open hoppers.

ARKLA Distributing - A plastic pellet company  -  4 bay covered hoppers. The turn will work ARKLA on the return trip

Ruston, LA

An interchange with the ICG - Tank cars and pulpwood cars.

Cars from the turn are dropped off on the way to Winnfield and the outbound cars from the ICG that are bound for El Dorado will be picked up on the return trip.

Winnfield, LA

Union Scrap - Gondolas

 While in Winnfield, there are several older boxcars that need to have their journal boxes or bearings exercised so they don't freeze up from just sitting there unused.  So the turn has standing orders to move the last car to the the front of the string and then replaces the cars to the end of track.  This is a move that Quin came up with after volunteering on a local short line where they had to do the same thing.  It's  unique and interesting operation that isn't often modeled.

The Haskell Turn

It leaves El Dorado Northbound and works the towns of  Calion, AR. Fordyce, AR and Haskell, AR. then returns to El Dorado.  The train only works trailing point turnouts so it does work in both directions.

Calion, AR

Calion Lumber Company - All door boxcars, boxcars, bulkhead flatcars, GSC flatcars and centerbeam flatcars.  The turn will work Calion on the return trip.

Fordyce, AR

Dixie Woodworks - Boxcars and All Door boxcars.

Flappers - A chicken processing plant much like Tysons - Mechanical reefers, tank cars and livestock cars - the reefers will be worked on the return trip.  Loaded livestock cars that are dropped by the Shrimper will be picked up as empties by the Haskell turn on it's return trip.

Haskell, AR

Riceland Mill and Elevator - 3 bay grain hoppers and air slide hoppers.

The Four Manifests

LRMP-W, MPLR-W

MPLR-H, LRMP-H

LRMP - Little Rock to the Missouri Pacific [Alexandria., LA]

MPLR - Missouri Pacific [Alexandria., LA] to Little Rock

These four trains deliver the cars to El Dorado from the main yard. 

The "W" designates it has cars for the Winnfield turn & the W&OV.

The "H" designates it has cars for the Haskell turn and also cars bound for the industries at El Dorado.

These four trains come from the main yard, but leave it from different direction so they enter the layout as a Northbound or Southbound.  After making their runs they return to the main yard, to the same track they left from so they're staged and ready for the next session. 

The "W" trains runs before "H" trains do.

Through trains

There are eight through trains that make an appearance on the layout during the session.

MKT coal train

CNW Intermodel

MoPac Freight

SBD Auto rack

RI Frieght

RI Grain train

Amtrak's Rebel - Makes one stop in El Dorado.

The Shrimper - This is a Redball intermodel, the hottest train on the line.  It's a Refrigerated intermodel that hauls frozen seafood to points north, however on the layout it runs as a southbound empty.  To retain the Redball classification, it will deliver loaded livestock cars of chickens to the Flappers facility in Fordyce, AR. It's the only stop on the line that this train makes.

These eight trains come from the main yard, but leave it from different direction so they enter the layout as a Northbound or Southbound.  After making their runs they return to the yard, to the same track they left from so they're staged and ready for the next session just like the four manifests do.

In due time some of these trains will change from what is listed above to Rock Island trains as I get new locos chipped and/or painted in Rock Island colors.  The CNW, MKT and Amtrak will stay on the schedule as they have trackage rights from helping to fund the track revitalization.  For some variety from time to time I can swap out the power of some of the trains so I can say they are detour trains. 

The Illinois Central Gulf

It runs at the same time as the Winnfield turn does so they can meet at Ruston, LA.  Cars from the ICG are bound for or from the W&OV in the town of Malvern.  The Winnfield turn just delivers them to El Dorado where the W&OV picks them up.

Riceland Industries

The plant switcher pulls the cars and spots them at the beginning of each session for the Haskell turn.  After the Haskell turn is done working at Haskell, the switcher will spot the new cars that Haskell turn dropped off.

The W&OV  [Warren & Ouchita Valley RR]

The W&OV crew gathers up the outbound cars from the industries in Malvern, AR.  Once their train [The Razorback] is made up they will deliver them to El Dorado [via Rock Island trackage], exchange the cars and return to Malvern with their string of fresh cars. 

All in all there are a total of 17 trains that run per session.  In some of the session all the work wasn't done, so we have started over with the through trains until the last job is done.  A normal session will last between 3 1/2 to 4 hrs.

I've also added a link to a picture of the layout plan and a schematic, you can find it on the right hand column just below the layout overview.  
I hope this helps to explain things a bit better?