Suggestions on the yard plan I've made?

[k4kfh]

I've got an HO scale 5x9 layout that's essentially a modified Atlas "Great Eastern Trunk" plan. In adjusting it a bit so it fits well on a 5'x9 table, I left myself about 1'x9' on the front of the table to build a yard.

I drew up this plan in xTrkCad, and I'm pretty pleased with it, but I want to get some suggestions from more experienced folks. This is the first time I've ever built a yard (this is my first layout, actually) and I'm not as well-versed as I'd like to be in realistic operations.

In this photo, the track highlighted in red represents the outermost main (the rest of the layout isn't shown because I didn't feel like taking time to put all that in the computer) The bottom boundary is the edge of the table.

Please excuse the virtual train cars and locomotives, I was trying to see how much stuff would fit in this yard and what it would be like to operate.

The general layout of this is:

• The box shape around the two stall tracks (towards the right of the image) represents a locomotive shops area. The box is the dimensions for a Pikestuff engine house kit that I like, but all 3 of those tracks are planned to be locomotive areas (the third one will probably be a refueling area or something else that could be outdoors)
• The seemingly-redundant crossover track with the car marked "#16" on it is the caboose track.
• The topmost main track with the locomotive marked "#38" and "#36" on it is the arrival-departure track. I can't have it merge back into the mainline on the other end unless I can find a curved turnout with a 22" radius, because that other end has some mainline turnouts and then a curve. I'd love to add a curved turnout and fix this, but I searched for hours and couldn't find the correct radius one.
• The curvy track (kind of S shaped...ish) that's going off towards the far bottom right is kind of an extension of the A/D track and also a yard lead. It was basically the best I could do to provide a place for a switcher to back up into when trying to put cars on a train in the A/D track.
• The outline with the exclamation point icon in it (in the top right corner) is the approximate outline of my mountain. I haven't shaped this mountain completely just yet, so this is very easy to modify. The mainline (which is double track, the second track just isn't shown here) will go through this mountain, so I need to leave room for a tunnel to look realistic, but I could "blast out" some more of this mountain if need be.
• I'd like to add a small yard office or something somehow, I would consider removing a track (possibly the third engine stall track?) to get rid of the cramped "nothing but track" feeling I'm afraid this may have...

Can anybody offer suggestions on this? I like some parts of this plan, but I do feel like I need some help balancing function with looks...I want track space but I also don't want there to be a yard with no room for even a small service road to show or a small office building. Ideas?

And lastly, on a more random note: switch machines. I really hate to have 10+ butt-ugly Atlas code 100 switch machines in plain sight in my yard, but I'm not sure I have a choice. I can't mount things under the table because the base of the table is 0.25" plywood (yeah, I know, bad idea, it's useless for mounting, but I'm committed now ) Is there a way to get less-ugly switch machines for code 100 track? I like the look of the code 83 machines a LOT better, simply because they are a good bit less noticeable, but I need to use code 100 track because the whole rest of the layout is built in that. Am I just out of luck here? Is there some way to make the 83 machines work with 100 track? Or is there a company that makes less-horribly-ugly switch machines? I could do something under the track maybe, because I have a 2 inch foam base layer I could cut into.

 

[NSHO]

It would be nice to how this fits into the overall layout. May make critiquing easier. If your layout is just a round and round, I don't think you'll benefit from so much yard. I would eliminate the caboose track and the top most service track. Give yourself longer tracks in the body.

How will the engines enter the yard? Pulling or shoving? The engines are going to get stuck within the yard if the travel is indicated by #36 and #38. No engine escape. I would simplify it down a bit. 9' is a decent space to create a small functional yard. But if 9' is the overall length of the table, then the yard will be roughly 6' to accommodate the curves.

Lets see the overall layout.

NSHO

 

[k4kfh]

I took several pictures, but my phone takes pictures with an absurdly high resolution, so they tend to create problems when embedded in this forum. I've embedded what is probably the most useful one, and the rest can be found on this imgur album. http://imgur.com/a/a756s

This shows the entire layout. Excuse the mess, I'm in the midst of several projects involving under-table wiring and all sorts of good stuff.

The 4 cars lines up along the front are to indicate where the railyard will be. There is a single turnout already installed, which is the red highlighted turnout in the track plan screenshot.

The pile of junk next to the half-built mountain at the end isn't going to stay there I also plan to shrink that mountain down quite a bit; I was very liberal in cutting the foam for that so I would have plenty of ability to shape it/form rock faces and whatnot.

One thing I didn't think about is the space on the very end of the table. I suppose I could have a piece of the yard curve off into that area, but I'm not sure what I could use it for.

Let me know if you need additional explanations or information for the pics.

Also, I figured there was an issue with my current A/D track. You're right, the engines will get stuck, I just don't know what's a good way to solve that...do you have suggestions? I can send you the xTrkCad file if you'd like.

 

[kjchronister]

NSHO is right. Your layout is too small for so much yard. Just do a simple ladder, or better yet use the space for a nice industrial siding.

 

[Iron Horseman]

I want to get some suggestions from more experienced folks.[/B] This is the first time I've ever built a yard (this is my first layout, actually) and I'm not as well-versed as I'd like to be in realistic operations.

That is a pretty good yard design for the given space, assuming that it will always be worked with a switch locomotive. I don't know what you could do to operationally improve it. Adding a locomotive escape track would eliminate the longest and best classification track. As for aesthetics it is a whole bunch of parallel track, boringly parallel to the edge of the layout.

And lastly, on a more random note: switch machines. I really hate to have 10+ butt-ugly Atlas code 100 switch machines in plain sight in my yard, but I'm not sure I have a choice. I can't mount things under the table because the base of the table is 0.25" plywood (yeah, I know, bad idea, it's useless for mounting,...I could do something under the track maybe, because I have a 2 inch foam base layer I could cut into.

I would think 1/4" plywood would be just fine for mounting things, so it is wasn't for the foam....

Looking at your layout, you already have a locomotive storage facility and a yard. Why do you want another one?

 

[k4kfh]

That is a pretty good yard design for the given space, assuming that it will always be worked with a switch locomotive. I don't know what you could do to operationally improve it. Adding a locomotive escape track would eliminate the longest and best classification track. As for aesthetics it is a whole bunch of parallel track, boringly parallel to the edge of the layout.

I would think 1/4" plywood would be just fine for mounting things, so it is wasn't for the foam....

Looking at your layout, you already have a locomotive storage facility and a yard. Why do you want another one?

To put it simply, I want another one because I need space for larger locomotives, and because the tiny interior yard is almost useless (you have trouble putting more than 1-2 cars in any one of the stall tracks except the longest one)

I like my turntable storage facility, but it's really not useful for larger locomotives. Anything over about 1.2x the size of an F unit and you're screwed. This means I have no good storage area for things like E-units, larger Geeps, and many SD-whatevers. I also like steam, and I plan on acquiring a lot of the mainline steam that I've seen/want to see. This includes #4501, #630, #844, #611, and of course I already have #3985. These are obviously not ALL going to be in the yard at the same time, but right now I have a hard time even finding places to put #3985 other than "aaaaah whatever just shove it on this half of the mainline and we'll use the other half."

I would like to shrink the littler yard once I get the new one in. I wasn't thinking clearly when I planned it out; I should've adjusted that to be a simple industrial spur, which is what I would like to do in the end anyway. If I knocked out the two shorter yard tracks, then I have a spur for where I was planning on putting the mining company, and another spur for a small industry (maybe lumber? I dunno)

I know the layout is small, and I know the idea of two yards seems redundant. I want to address that, but I also want to make sure I have yard space for things I want to store. I am working on adjusting the plan a bit to make it less "just a bunch of straight tracks" and leave a little more room for scenery, but I still want to have a relatively spacious yard.

With regards to the locomotive working the yard, I plan on using a small switcher almost all the time. I'm eyeing a BLI NW2, and I already have a GP15-1 that could be used if need be (since F units kind of stink for switching).

Appreciate the feedback guys!

 

[santafewillie]

The original yard design isn't bad except no escape from the A/D track. If you curved it up to run parallel to the main, you might increase the capacity by 1-2 cars and just leave the engines there until the switcher removed the other cars. Depending on how you start, any trains starting there will either have to back out or back in after their runs. Reconnecting to the main would eliminate both issues. Eliminate the shortest engine track and put a yard office there. You could then have sanding/fueling facilities along the middle engine track leading to the service building. Eliminate the small interior yard and use the space for additional industries. Looking at the picture, it appears that the turntable might be the limiting factor for engine length, not the storage tracks. It may just be the picture. Regarding the switch machines, the whole yard area looks like it is readily accessible from the control station, have you considered Caboose Industries ground throws?
Willie

 

[Beady]

I like my turntable storage facility, but it's really not useful for larger locomotives. Anything over about 1.2x the size of an F unit and you're screwed. This means I have no good storage area for things like E-units, larger Geeps, and many SD-whatevers. I also like steam, and I plan on acquiring a lot of the mainline steam that I've seen/want to see.

I've got the same problem. The solution I'm considering is to position the "large unit" facility directly behind the roundhouse and laying the access track such that the large unit enters the turntable at the 6 o-clock position and exits at 12 o-clock. Alternatively, It may be simpler to position the roundhouse behind the large-unit facility so that the smaller units pass by or through it on the way to the turntable.



Oh crap!

 

[k4kfh]

The original yard design isn't bad except no escape from the A/D track. If you curved it up to run parallel to the main, you might increase the capacity by 1-2 cars and just leave the engines there until the switcher removed the other cars. Depending on how you start, any trains starting there will either have to back out or back in after their runs. Reconnecting to the main would eliminate both issues. Eliminate the shortest engine track and put a yard office there. You could then have sanding/fueling facilities along the middle engine track leading to the service building. Eliminate the small interior yard and use the space for additional industries. Looking at the picture, it appears that the turntable might be the limiting factor for engine length, not the storage tracks. It may just be the picture. Regarding the switch machines, the whole yard area looks like it is readily accessible from the control station, have you considered Caboose Industries ground throws?
Willie

Yes, you're right that the turntable is the limiting factor. The tracks are about 2 inches or so longer than the turntable itself.

I would have used Caboose ground throws, but I need as much of the layout as possible to be computer controlled. I have friends who frequently operate remotely using a webcam and VPN with me, so it'd be a major deal breaker for them if they couldn't control points in the yard...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[k4kfh]

I've got the same problem. The solution I'm considering is to position the "large unit" facility directly behind the roundhouse and laying the access track such that the large unit enters the turntable at the 6 o-clock position and exits at 12 o-clock. Alternatively, It may be simpler to position the roundhouse behind the large-unit facility so that the smaller units pass by or through it on the way to the turntable.



Oh crap!

Yeah, I like that idea a lot, but there's no way that would work with my track plan. I'd either end up with a 3 inch space for the turntable or stall tracks the length of a dime...

I think I'm going to make some small modifications to the plan later this week and post it again.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[NSHO]

I guess it's ok to do this, I'm going to reference an outside website by Byron Henderson, www.layoutvision.com Look at the section Layout Design. There are a couple of examples for sheet round and round's with yards. This may give you some inspiration.

NSHO

 

[Iron Horseman]

With regards to the locomotive working the yard, I plan on using a small switcher almost all the time.

As designed above, it will need a switcher to clear the AD track for the road locomotive to escape.

Another thought. I presume you already realized that by removing the second yard, a train will either need to back in or out of the new yard.