# The Model Railroader's Guide to Industries Along the Tracks



## Late4Dinner (Feb 20, 2020)

As one who is just starting out with little knowledge of trains, I have abandoned my passenger train idea, after you helped me realize the problems if I were to take that route. I am now thinking about making a N scale layout set in a smallish town New Jersey in the late 1940s or 1950s. I am more interested in having destination points, not an origin. That is, I don't want a coal mine, gravel pit, logging, etc.

I am open to suggestions. My background is in newspapers and healthcare. Other than trains bring in rolls of newsprint, I don't see much there.

The real point of this post is I am looking at The Model Railroader's Guide to Industries Along the Tracks, but there are four books at $20 a pop. I have tried to find out which industries are covered in each book, but Google/Amazon/Goodreads are not helping. Can anyone list or direct me to a list of which industries are covered in each book? That would help me decide which, if any to purchase.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

while trying to check into it a bit to see if I could figure out what book has what, didn't come up with it...

but I found this and since you said your open to suggestions...
this is free... and HO and N layout.. DL it and see if it has anything good..

It will ask for your email and that you are signing up... i used a "Junk" email address I have... and it didn't need verification so who says it needs to be a real email...

https://mrr.trains.com/rapid/2019/01/8-great-track-plans-for-small-spaces


also a full list here..
https://mrr.trains.com/rapid


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Apparently, those books are out of print, because only Volume 4 is listed on the Kalmbach website. There are a couple of used copies of the older, one volume version, which might be useful, as well as smaller books on individual industries.

However, I was able to find the contents of the books from sample pages, reviews, and the front covers of #3 and #4
Vol #1-- Grain, Gas & Oil, Automobiles, Produce, Meat Packing
Vol #2 -- Coal, Milk & Dairy, Breweries, Paper, Iron Ore, Packages & LCL Traffic
Vol #3 -- Ethanol, Cement, Sugarbeets, Canning, Transloading, Piggyback Traffic
Vol #4 -- Coal Gas, Salt, Brickyards, Quarries, Lumber, Waterfront Operations.

I also found a couple of reviewer who commented that these books were excellent resources on how the REAL industries work, not so much on modeling them.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Coal & oil dealer?*



Late4Dinner said:


> As one who is just starting out with little knowledge of trains, I have abandoned my passenger train idea, after you helped me realize the problems if I were to take that route. I am now thinking about making a N scale layout set in a smallish town New Jersey in the late 1940s or 1950s. I am more interested in having destination points, not an origin. That is, I don't want a coal mine, gravel pit, logging, etc.
> 
> I am open to suggestions. My background is in newspapers and healthcare. Other than trains bring in rolls of newsprint, I don't see much there.
> 
> The real point of this post is I am looking at The Model Railroader's Guide to Industries Along the Tracks, but there are four books at $20 a pop. I have tried to find out which industries are covered in each book, but Google/Amazon/Goodreads are not helping. Can anyone list or direct me to a list of which industries are covered in each book? That would help me decide which, if any to purchase.




Late4Dinner;

You might consider a coal and/or heating oil dealer as one of your freight destinations. New Jersey has cold winters, and in the 1940s-1950s era, most homes were heated by a coal, or oil, burning furnace. Unlike the massive coal mines, and oil refineries, that shipped these fuels out, the small town dealers that received them were often pretty small establishments. I have a model of a coal & oil dealer planned for my N-scale layout. The structures shown in the photos below will be used for this little industry.

A lumber yard/store is another fairly small, but rail-served industry. Your time period predates the mega stores like Home Depot or Lowes. Back then, most local contractors and residents would have bought their lumber from a small, local, and often family-owned, lumber yard.

The files below are some I've written for new model railroaders. Look through them if you wish. They don't have any more specific industry recommendations though. What they do have is a lot of information on model railroading in general, and some guidance toward building a more satisfying first layout.

Good Luck, & Have fun!

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:

















View attachment WHERE DO I START rev 4.pdf


View attachment 1 How to build a better first layout.pdf


View attachment 2 How to build a better first layout.pdf


View attachment 3 & 4 How to build a better first layout.pdf


View attachment 5 How to build a better first layout.pdf


View attachment 6 How to build a better first layout.pdf


View attachment All AboutTurnouts rev 5.pdf


View attachment A lot about couplers.pdf


View attachment MODEL RAILROADING ON A BUDGET.pdf


View attachment Model Railroad Terminology 3.pdf


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## Late4Dinner (Feb 20, 2020)

Great and useful responses. Thank you!


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