Opinion on Yard

[thomashmaine]

i want to get everyone's opinion on the attached screenshot. Do you think this could work as a function yard? i know i would be limited to smaller trains but i am ok with that.

Thanks

thomas

 

[Rico]

What size is the area, I'm guessing 4x8?
It looks a litte tight as you already mentioned, lots of switches crammed together.
If you could add another switch farther down it might help.
Maybe try another variation of what you have, I'll work on it.

 

[thomashmaine]

Rico,

the main space is a 4x8 with the L portion being 30" x 24".

yeah i thought it looked a little tight but was trying to get the yard at the top and be able to get a circle on the table too that was at least 20r. i could do the yard verticle but then the lines would be shorter. i

 

[tankist]

i don't think the lead on runaround switchback (on the left) is long enough. it is really hard to make a yard and keep the oval in your space.

 

[thomashmaine]

yeah thats what i was afriad of, i was trying to get an as realistic yard and keep and oval but i think your right, i think am going to have to sacrifice something in the yard or the oval

 

[Rico]

I just threw sort of this together for an idea, it declutters things a little.
Do you have access to the side with the yard ladder?

 

[thomashmaine]

I just threw sort of this together for an idea, it declutters things a little.
Do you have access to the side with the yard ladder?

i will have access on all sides except the back wall. i like what you put together, i will go back and take a look at that and compare it to mine.

 

[Beachbum]

A compound yard ladder might buy you a little more space. A rule of thumb is that your yard lead should be as long as the longest yard track so you can pull the whole track clear without doubling. But compromises usually must be made, so...

 

[Rico]

Fitting a turnout into the curve would also buy a little more space.
I used a compound ladder in my yard... major space saver for sure.
I used Atlas mark IV's or whatever it is in Xtracad, someone a little more familiar with the program would do much better.

 

[trainmastr1]

For the what it's worth dept...I put a couple of examples togther of a straight and comp ladder in N-scale using Atlas #4 swithches. The concept can be used in any scale, as well. I saved almost a foot of space using the compound ladder.

#4 Staright

#4 Compound

Hope it's useful...

 

[dave1905]

Lose the arrival/departure track, you are only going to be able to run one train anyway so you really don't need a A/D track or even a lead.

 

[steinjr]

Lose the arrival/departure track, you are only going to be able to run one train anyway so you really don't need a A/D track or even a lead.

To amplify on what Dave wrote: on a 4x8, you are not realisitically going to model a biggish yard where you have engine service tracks, a dedicated caboose track, a dedicated arrival/departure track and a number of classification tracks.

You will not be swapping power on trains heading from the plains into the mountains. You will not be building several blocks of cars at the same time, which will then head out on different trains.

What you might be able to fit is a small auxilliary yard of some kind.

Maybe an interchange "yard" - a few tracks where some cars "was dropped off during the night", and where you will be leaving a few cars at the end of your shift, "to be picked up during the night" or some such thing.

Or maybe a small industry yard - where you can temporarily stash a few cars (either empties or loads) while you are switching your industries.

Neither needs to be more complicated that just a few tracks directly off the main.

You certainly don't need a dedicated A/D track or a caboose track if you are modeling a small part of a branch line where traffic is low - you can do any switching directly off your main track.

A couple of examples of small, but functional yards on H0 scale 4x8 layouts, from Byron Henderson's web pages: http://www.layoutvision.com/id47.html

But I would start by first trying to figure out what you are trying to model, instead of first drawing a generic "yard" with all kinds of trimmings, and then trying to figure out what it will be used for.

Good luck with your design!

Smile,
Stein