I am in the process of installing the bench work for my new railroad. It's a walk in and around 20x24 with approx. 80' of main line give or take. I'm using open grid with spline sub-roadbed and homasoate for the roadbed. One thing I didn't figure on was a staging yard. at present I don't have the opportunity aka the room in the unfinished part of the basement for a hidden staging yard so I was contemplating a hidden yard underneath the main level of the layout which will be 48" off the floor. The one thing that making me hesitate is how to get the trains from staging to the main level. A steady grade approach track may be too steep and a helix may take up too much room and also may require helpers to get the trains up to the main level whihc isn't the worst thing in the world I guess. My question is a staging yard really necessary or can I just use my freight yards to stage trains? If I went with the lower level yard it would just be simple plywood covered with homasoate quick n dirty nothing fancy.
Welcome to Trainboard! How necessary?...it depends on what you want to accomplish on your layout and whether a staging yard is the tool you need for accomplishing that job. If you have hopes of bringing a train onto the visible portion of the layout at one end, working various industries and interchanges along the way until it disappears at the the other end of the layout...then at least 1 track for staging at either end will be needed. If you want to avoid trains disappearing to staging areas, you may consider visible staging where the train begins the session on a visible passing siding at one end of the layout, pulls onto the main to start its run across the layout to complete its run at the other end of the layout by pulling onto a visible passing siding on other end of the layout. No staging yard is needed (although it will be necessary to model a passing siding at either end). Suppose you have a big yard at the middle of your 80 foot mainline: If you plan to run trains from the big yard to either end, then you may want to add staging tracks at either end. If you want a longer run than from a central yard to distant staging, you may get a more satisfactory run by shifting the yard as close to one end of the mainline as you can place it and have staging at the other end so you don't have to model a 2nd complete yard at the other end of the layout. In a single operating session, if you are running just 1 train from east to west or west to east (or one train out and then returning to its starting point), then only a single staging track may be needed. For 2 trains (one eastbound, one westbound) or for 3 trains (one EB, one WB, another out and back from the yard to an industry with lots of switching and then back to the yard), a passing siding at either end will suffice...no staging yard needed. For larger operations with multiple trains moving between a modeled (visible staging) yard and a hidden staging yard, you will need at least one more track in one yard than in the other so that, when all staging tracks in one yard are filled, there is still 1 more track open at the other yard to accept the train departing from the full yard. If possible, post a track plan showing how you plan to use the space available.
I think that it all depends on space and your personal taste. As you mentioned you could use your yard for staging. Just designate some tracks as being a different town or simply staging. When you run the layout trains leave your main yard from the staging section, go over the layout and return as arrivals. It might be a way of increasing road traffic through your yard and making it seem more like a busy yard. On my layout I put some long spurs here and there that act as interchanges with trains coming online from other roads as transfer runs and also home road trains arriving from far away cities. It allows me run pretty much any oradname I feel like running and still have semi realistic operations on a pretty small layout.
Instead of starting a new thread, I was seaching staging yards on the forum. For those that have hidden staging yards, is it necessary to have a yard lead? I plan on "manually" manipulating trains in the hidden stagining and wish to use it more for storing rolling stock/engines than a modeled, scenicked part of the layout. I have a long space for the yard 25' x 2'-8", but I cannot afford 12 to 14 feet at one end for a lead and never really considered it. In my first two layouts, I had no staging and this is the first time I'll have the room. Thoughts?
As the poster before stated staging can be how ever you want it to be. As long as it represents a part of the world off of the layout. As my layout represents a branch line, staging is at the top end of the hill coming out of the valley, to the left, where it connects to sub division tracks and an exchange. It is visible and consist of the single track main becoming two for long enough to hold between 20 and 25 cars plus two 6 axle engines and then back to a tail track going another 3' behind a building facade. Even though I do have and use an engine for switching here, I do use my fingers to move cars onto and off of the tail track and siding tracks as necessary. I also uncouple cars and throw switches by hand. This makes me feel as if I'm part of the action instead of just pushing buttons and flipping toggles. Originally I just had the one track end and removed all cars before putting other on. Not quite satisfying so the two tracks and tail track were added.
A yard lead is not required for a staging / storage yard. As Dave pointed out you may wish to make your staging yard 'visible' rather than 'hidden'. If multiple trains are used in an op session then it may make more sense to have trains coming from 'somewhere' and going to 'somewhere'; staging being that 'somewhere'. Jerry
You aren't alone in posing such a question. It isn't necessary...unless. Over the years I've found that my layouts have been nothing but boreing to non-model railroad visitors Ie., Good friends, family and those neighborhood (monsters that can eat your layout alive) kids. I had single track mainlines with trains moving from one yard to another. Locals working various indsutrial spurs and those passenger trains that had to be made up and sent on their way. It was fun for me, as I can get hours of railroad pleasure railfanning a local working the industrial spurs, switching the yards and operating mainline trains. Boreing because, I could only move one train at a time. They all made it clear they wanted to see action. Well, heck we don't race and crash trains. With the above in mind....this time I wanted it all and developed a plan that embraced a mountain railroad and climbs up grades, operates on wide radius curves, grades are 2% on the main, runs through helixii and you can see more then one train at a time running the route. I've had three trains running at once on analog DC. Two on the main while one makes it's way back into the run through hidden staging yard. As soon as it is secured I can start another one and add it to the mix. With six tracks in the HS I can keep trains moving. I also added in one more feature a secondary main that is the Coal District. I can run two trains on it while the others are operating. The fun is, when they meet topside they have to hold-up and wait for clearance. Otherwise I will need to plant a corn field...you know...cornfield meet. Not very funny when it happens...at todays cost of locomotives. Any old way, I enjoy the opportunities a HS affords me and I wouldn't do without it. Today's layout, is alot more satisfying to my visitors as it entertains them. A Entertainment Layout (I believe it's safe to call it that). I can still do all the things that satisfy me and entertain those less inclined. You can see some of it on my YouTube link in my signature. Enjoy!
I really like the David Barrow approach with visible staging. These yards can be the origin and the termination of trains. The movement from the outside world to and from these yards can be staged (not modeled) but can be represented, ie the day starts with the CP transfer sitting in the yard, the train is broken down, the cars moved around the layout and the day finishes with the next days transfer cars sitting in the yard ready to leave. Either which way you choose to handle your staging it will increase the operating potential of your layout exponentially.
hi, you are even taking about yards. Without knowing much more an answer can't be given. i do like staging, having the opportunity to bring a new train with fresh cars to the scene. However if dedicated tracks are really needed in your space is a more complicated question. Yard tracks can be needed for many reasons, using them for long term storage might be counter productive. I would not like my underground area to be the starting point for a helper-district. BTW your layout seems large enough to have a easy grade to the underground area. Pelle Soeberg's plan has about the same length, he found a nice way to get his trains "down under". Paul
