I got the brackets removed from the I-beams, and some more stuff cleared out. I still need to get an outlet for the wall.
Today I will take up the track on the layout and remove the river scene. It will be nice to be able to walk straight in. That's one of the things I will like best about the new layout: it will have a lift gate and I can walk straight in! Sort of like when I was driving a semi around the Midwest and the company got me a condo unit instead of the flattop. I could finally stand up straight again to get my pants on!
I've also been playing around with RTS 8.0, the Atlas layout design software I use. It's free and I like it.
As mentioned, I will put a 12" extension onto the rear of the layout. This will make the rear section 36" deep, a bit of a stretch, but there will only be the elevated loop around the very back. The inner loop will be on flat ground. There will be some scenery between the two. This will bring the front edge of the benchwork 12 farther forward, so while it looks like the lower edge of the yard will be like the earth, hanging on nothing, it will really be on the benchwork.
The yard is a copy of Dave Barrow's Mesa and Summit yards on his famous layout, the Cat Mountain and Santa Fe. He diagrammed it in Andy Sperandeo's book,
The Model Railroader's Guide to Freight Yards, Kalmbach Publishing, 2004, page 32. I did make 2 changes from Dave's plan. He only had 3 classification tracks, I added a 4th. I also added a diagonal track to the right of the caboose track to allow an arriving locomotive to back down to the engine servicing facilities without having to use the yard ladder to do so.
The lift gate hinges will be on the right side of the double bridges. The opening will be on the left of the river scene. to the right of the bridges there will be a rerailer on each track and the double crossover will be to the right of the rerailers.
Here's the plan so far:
I'll explain the yard. Across the top of the yard is the inner loop main. Below that is the siding. Below the siding is the arrival/departure track on the left, and the switching lead on the right. Below the A/D track on the left are the 4 classification tracks. Below the classification tracks is the thoroughfare track. This is normally kept open. The diagonal tracks are, from left, the yard ladder, the caboose track, and the locomotive lead to the service facilities, which are on the two tracks at lower right. The crossover on the left between the siding and A/D track allows the switcher to access the siding from the rear of a train, permitting it to take off the caboose.
I like this yard plan. It's fairly simple, but allows the switcher to work unimpeded by trains on the siding or A/D tracks. It's a keeper.