My Dad has a 10"0" x 12'8" layout that I put work in on periodically. We just finished the roadbed last weekend and started to lay track, so it's getting close to being operable. Thing is, there's no yard. There's just a burrowing junction that dips down under one of the dogbone loops and falls off the edge of the layout, where we've resolved to put a yard at some point. So I've started thinking about the design. I want to make use of kits we already have, namely, a Pikestuff engine shop, an IHC fuel tank, some small yard buildings, and a Walthers 90' turntable that's been sitting new in box for 15 years. Length is constrained by the wall it's on to 8'. Depth is limited to 2' so we can use Caboose ground throws. I figure I'll build it in two 2x4 modules so it fits in a car. Here's my first go. Operations-wise, I'm thinking a train pulls straight into the yard, the engine decouples and uses the turntable to switch to the servicing facility. At that point an SW or a GP comes out and starts shuffling cars around. Once a new train is made up, new power comes out of the shops, couples onto the other end of the new consist, and you're off.
Interesting. I'm not certain a prototypical version of that would exist, but I can't say that I'd rule it out. Your system has it so that a locomotive can bring cars head-in on any track and still shuffle the engines off to any other track without a long system of zig-zagging through crossovers. Neat! Now with that said, without seeing how this connects to the main layout, I can't see if there are any other potential operational problems. Can you show us how it'll hook up?
That's a pretty nice first go! Figuring 1 track for Arr/Dpt and the outside tracks as runarounds, that gives you 3 tracks holding 6-7 cars each (5-6 if all 50's). Do you have two 'destinations' out on the main layout? (figuring 1 track would be for the Warehouse & Team track). I think you will get lots of operation fun with this module! Smooth rails!
The yard lead is a long burrowing junction that climbs up to the center of a four-track main. It's probably 7'-8' long from the edge of the table to the interlocking.
I'm also thinking about rejiggering the crossovers on the left half of the interlocking so that a train coming out of the yard can cross directly over to the outside track.
Layout looks great, but I see a potential bottleneck in that single track feeder. Any chance of squeezing a second track in there?
It was in the original design but got killed during construction due to clearance issues. I've contemplated relaying the yard lead with a steeper grade down to bring it back, but after realizing how little space I have to work with for yard design I'm inclined to leave it as-is. If it turns out to be an annoyance, foam isn't too difficult to cut into.
