Perhaps a perfect pikesized piggyback yard for modelling. Though being high tech, it still shows its past as an another station on a former mainline.
Images here are thumnails, by clicking at the images, ypu will be able to see the images in large size. The images will be opened on a new window.
All images & copyright © 2004 Olavi Ahokas
An over all view with the large loading shed and the boarded up station. There have been decades since the last of the passanger service used the line. The high building housing the crane is nesserery as the winters are here very cold.
The freight depot from post WWII still exists, but is unused and boarded up. The shed is at the west end of the yard.
The loading shed reminds of the old bricked but short engine stall that was razed during the reconstruction. This building would be easily represented from a Pikestuff kit, or using parts from such you can replicate a very close model of it. The odd looking doors would be the challenge to get right.
Grycksbo depot is atleast from the thirties, but probably later. A functional building that offered enough space for the passangers and even house a kiosk for selling refresments and magazines.
The office end of the station, the other end host the enterenace to the waiting room and the kiosk.
While standing next to the former staiton building facing the camera to north, the area around the yard and the loading house is fenced and paved, the latter to able handle and store the heavy trailers and containers. The edge towards the northern track is having a stone edge to give a support if other type of loading devises are used.
Here we are facing to east on the former main line, now a stub ended siding. The passanger platform of ca. 35 - 40 meters in lenght is seen here at right also seen here is the most of the turnouts. Note that the yard trackage consists only of right hand turnouts, none are left handed. The turnout to right, is the former track to the paper plant, now it is only a very short siding enough to handle a T44 diesel used on the line. The trak ends to a safty yellow buffer.
Another look, now facing west at the loading house, not the different height of the ground level of the large rolling door. Noter the well manicured balast and railbed, not only on the entire 13 kilometer long branch, but also on the yard.
Now the look at it from the east end. The track through the building is also serving as the only runaround track, making a slight S curve at the left just out of the image.
Another look at the arrangement of turnouts and the former passenger platfrom.
Now, we are looking west towards the end of the track. Note the slight bow of the track of the runaround track running in to the loading building. Also seen here are few trailers waiting to being pulled by a special tractor to the plant or waiting to be loaded to a Kangaroo type car.
Note at the left of the image, the now no longer connected track and an old turnout used to a loading ramp and the freight shed unseen in the trees in the background. Details like this will give a climps to history on a very otherwise compotery layout and a feature too unusual on model railroads, this could be done by using heavy rail (code 83 or 100) on the modern track and lighter rail (code 55 - 70) on the chost trackage.
A look at the very western part of the yard with a pair safety yellow bumpers. though not accessable by train the track continues over a RR crossing with old barriers and signals, to a curved turnout half buried in dirt and gravel ancontinues a few hundred meters. Note also the runaround track making a S curve in to the loading building.
Another view from slightly diffrent angle showing both of the bumbers.
Looking at the same thing again this time some trirty meters east, note the new chost track of the former main and the unused RR crossing.
Look at the other end of the "ghost trackage" showing the former yard limit of the yard. Thr turnout is now in the middle of a sports field, splicing two soccer fields and used as dump for dirt.
This image which is used as a heme image for this section, shows rather efficently yesterday and today of the yard.
No track exists?
Model Railroader ran a few years back a April fools day joke of new module standard of "Notrack", as old saying says there is a prototype for anything...A pair of photos of the former track to the plant. Today it is paved and secured by signalled and using barriers like on a RR crossing. The now paved heavily ballased right of way is used by a tractor with a fifte wheel used to haul container sledges and highway trailers in and out of the plant.
A note book shot at the construction of the storage area, note the deeply treched ditches for keeping the site from getting undermined by erotion and how well kept this are is, not becuse it is newly constructed, but also shows how well considered the termilal is to its both users.
Alose up of the 40 foot container sitting on a sledge and ready to be used be hauled in and out of the plant area.