I'm working on the design of my yard and am looking for help. Some background, I started building the L shaped part on the left. I got the mainline, staging & yard built & running, then moved. The benchwork is built in sections, but the track & wiring is continuous. It was also a couple inches too wide for the new room, so there's a fair amount of reconstruction involved. Now I'm extending it along the top & right sides and rethinking the existing yard design. The yard serves an urban industrial branch reached by a ramp starting at the bottom of the yard as shown on the attached plan and an interchange at the top of the yard. Time frame is mid 80's and local freights will use a caboose. I want a small diesel service and a small RIP track. I've currently located both of those at the bottom of the yard, near the base of the ramp. The RIP track is also on a double ended yard track and can be reached from either side. Switching is done from the other end of the yard. The last yard track is notionally going to be used for storing/displaying MoW equipment and for cabeese. None of this has struck me as obviously being right. I had originally thought of the track off the main as the a/d, but also a passing siding. That seems to have potential to become a bottleneck, but maybe it's workable. I've thought the RIP track might be better used as another a/d track or siding to reduce congestion, but it's not reachable from the mainline without new crossovers. I'm not sure I need that or that it's worth the added complexity. The scale & quality of the track plan don't show how difficult it would be to squeeze turnouts into some locations. Then I'd also need to find a new RIP location. The yard tracks are all longer than the expected local trains and could be shortened somewhat if it made sense. There is some "extra" track used to make 2 continuous loops for railfanning that I intend to keep, even though it isn't part of the opertional plan. Thanks for your comments & ideas. Paul
I had a couple of ideas. Make your current A/D into a second main. Turn Rip into A/D. shorten the yard tracks, and use the space above for Rip tracks. I don't know if these ideas would work for you, but maybe it gives you some food for thought. Good Luck
gpa, Thanks. Splitting the yard like that is an interesting idea that may have some potential. That was a long way from my mind. It seems like the new a/d track is also the switch lead for the yard, which may or may not be another headache, but having that as an option may be useful. I'd also need to put in another crossover at the bottom end. That's a tight spot for a turnout too, but maybe the new curved turnouts will help there. I don't have room there to have easements and a turnout arrangement that lets everything run straight in off the main, so it's currently only accessible from the inner track.
Give this link a read before you dive into construction. http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html Nice space.
spidge, Yes, that's an excellent site and I tried to follow all the rules: don't foul the main, don't interfere with the yard switcher, ... I tried to follow them, but something just isn't working as I look at it. I think moving the a/d track in by one and providing some new crossovers to it might be the answer, kind of like gpa drew. That gives me a separate a/d track & passing siding. Then I need to rethink the auxiliary tracks. I posted here fishing for ideas from people who will certainly have different ideas or who might see where I could improve.
Paul, which side of the yard do you want to be your primary switching side? It looks like the upper part of the plan to me. It also looks like your interchange track will be your drill track. How many a/d tracks are you wanting? I'd add a separate drill track next to your interchange track. Also, at the bottom, by where GPA put the red writing, I'd switch places with your crossover and those other turnouts. That way if you are on the outside track coming out of staging, you could cross over to the inside track, and then into the a/d track. Also, what's the green lines? -Mike
pastoolio, The top is the primary switching side and yes, the drill track ultimately turns into the interchange track. The intent on the interchange is it connects to the main. the drill track extends to the interchange only because that completes a 2nd loop for continuous running. I don't intend for interchange traffic to come in over the drill track, it will come into the main, then enter the yard from there. That's the thought at least. I believe there's enough length between the yard tracks and interchange to not interfere with each other. I'm thinking 1 a/d track is going to work. This will be generating local traffic for the industries and interchange. Through freights will drop off or pick up cars, but no mainline trains originate here. I think I can use the passing siding as a 2nd a/d track on rare occasions. I agree 100% with your assessment of the other crossovers. I don't have room to allow the main to crossover, then put another turnout to the branch line and other yard tracks. I've tried. I could already use an extra couple inches of tangent since I swapped the old trimmed #5 turnouts for #7's. I do need a crossover directly into the new a/d track (3rd track in) from the main. The existing switchback is no good, so I'll think about that. I'm looking forward to Atlas' new curved turnouts to see if that helps. The green lines are outlining the elevation differences. The yard is low on the front. The branch climbs a ramp behind the yard to a switching area. The reason for the rise is it's partially over staging and I don't have to fit a couple large industries inside turnback curves. It let me design the industrial area without limiting it to the inside of the staging loops.
I realized it was impossible to follow all the rules at once... in two dimensions. You need at least one flyover track to make a "perfect" yard. Then I discovered http://users.iafrica.com/c/ca/caroper/tutorial/advanced.htm Well, actually I'd seen it before, but I looked at it more closely, and realized the stroke of genius. Putting the engine terminal between the A/D track and body tracks allows easy access to both ends of trains. It's that layout (and the Ten Commandments page) which revolutionized my thinking about yards. Previously, I'd fallen into the trap most modellers do, and not drawn enough distinction between the A/D and body tracks. Remember, the reasons for double-ending are different for the two. A/D tracks should be double-ended if at all possible, but double-ended body tracks are only really useful if you have two switchers working at once - thus, a large and busy yard.
I am also working on a HO scale layout design and struggling with a yard layout. I will be utilizing a pole building for my layout and I'm planning on reserving one entire wall for the yard, anywhere from 24-40' long. The sidings on this layout will be 20' long(net) allowing for trains in the 35 car range. I want to make my yard double ended-no dead end A/D or Classification tracks anyway. If I'm understanding this right, I'll need a 20' yard lead which then breaks off into several tracks with a couple of run around tracks?
I wanted to add, that I've found the best way to see some yard layouts is using google earth and looking at the real thing. The downside is you then see how huge they are and that you'll never be able to model the whole thing, but oh well
You generally want to keep the ladder(s) away from curves, so try centering the yard on a corner. Since trains won't be entering of leaving the body tracks directly, the only reason to access them from both ends is if you have a yard lead on both ends. And then you'll realize my rule of thumb: a double-ended yard with full-length leads on both ends takes at least 4 x the length of a train.
"""Yes, that's an excellent site and I tried to follow all the rules: don't foul the main, don't interfere with the yard switcher, ... I tried to follow them, but something just isn't working as I look at it. I think moving the a/d track in by one and providing some new crossovers to it might be the answer, kind of like gpa drew. That gives me a separate a/d track & passing siding. Then I need to rethink the auxiliary tracks. I posted here fishing for ideas from people who will certainly have different ideas or who might see where I could improve. """ Oh how I wish the prototype would follow those rules. I routinely have to wait for a yard job to clear up at most of the yards I've gone into. Also the "suggested" lead length seems a little long, keep in mind that prior to radios hand signals were used. So the headend needed to be able to see you so a lead where your 70 cars apart frome each other wouldn't work really too well. Even with receiving tracks too it's not uncommon to have to "hold the main" while waiting to get permission in (the yard). Once your in there too 9 times out of 10 you'll have to wait on the humper to clear before you can take power to the house or if your too long make your set over. Currently the district I'm on is 1/2 single track so often if we're going to be delayed we get put in a siding until the yard gets "about ready" for us. Even then we cut away with our set out and the remaining part of our train is left on the main. Now true where we block the main is double tracked through town but we still tie up a main sometimes for a couple hours waiting on yard jobs to get cleared. If the pick up is big, we have to get head room on the main to make our double. So you see sometimes "unprototype" model yards are actually more real than "prototype model" yards are. From being out here working, waiting for other trains is a very big part that hardly ever is modeled. Instead you get the model layout where the powers always ready to go, to your train which too the scale car dept always has ready, so you can tie on and depart right away. Think about it, when was the last time we as modelers got ready to leave our yards but had to set out a bad order, or switch out our "ready" train so a hazmat car was farther back from the headend. Or set out a car that wasn't on out consist. I've been in yards Chicago-Pittsburgh and the day I get to pull right in and go off duty without dying due to HOS I'll update this. I've even died due to HOS without ever leaving the yard. Now please don't think I'm saying 1 ways right or wrong, to me it's what works for each of us, I'm just giving you another view Duane
80' Arrrrggghhh.... I'm thinking I'll have my yard lead start around the corner, so only the main and yard lead end up on a curve. That way it should fit. Probably looking at a yard lead on one end and single ended class tracks, I had to do some more research and understanding-and google earth'n- to get that all figured out. Some more questions, is it possible to use the magnetic uncouplers and a real "hump" to run your classification yards and have it actually work well? Having the hand of god uncouple everything seems like a pain in the butt and very time consuming if your sorting a large amount of cars. My last ? for experienced HO guys, say you build a 20-30 car train on a classification track and go to move it onto the A/D track...is a single switcher going to be able to move all that weight on it's own?
