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I have an area designated for a small yard. Should I sacrifice the length of the yard lead (off the A/D track) or shorten the classification/storage tracks for bit longer yard lead?
I assume you mean reduce the number of yard tracks and increase the yard lead tail track length? If that's the case, that's what I'd do. You give your switcher an escape track while making up trains, which makes it a lot easier to pull cars from different tracks and spot them without blocking any of the other yard track turnouts. The other option is to have the last track on the ladder serve as your escape track and not use it for storage/classification. Adding a run around track, if you have the room, in either case will give you much better operations than just a longer tail track.
RR's like to make things easy on themselves. A longer lead helps a lot, while more yard tracks just mean more cars that aren't out there generating revenue. Go for the lead!
This is an overly simplistic drawing, but it gets the point across. The main use of a lead is to allow the switcher some room to pull and push cars for sorting into the yard tracks without fouling the main. Sometimes it's part of the Arrival / Departure track (A/D), and sometimes it's seperate. check this out and you'll see what I mean.
I went with the longer yard lead as my RR is switching intensive.
To compensate for the shorter yard I went with a compound yard ladder and saved three feet of yard!
As a bonus my lead doubles as a runaround for the local crews.
I built a switched derail at the end to keep things intersting.
I'll try to get a pic up soon.
Rick
Okay, here's a pic of the yard lead looking towards East Spencer staging.
The lead is the track to the right, with Amtrak 391 West on the main and BN7914 on track two.
Staging used to end at a "dummy" tunnel portal until one day the better half, um, went shopping...
This shot shows the yard ladder looking East towards the yard lead.
By placing a switch on every switch I saved three feet of yard that would have been gobbled up by, well, switches.
Take your switches and make a traditional ladder with all the switches in a row, then do them this way.
You'll be surprised at how much real estate you'll save!
Okay, last pic. I don't want to hijack your thread!
Same location looking West.
The crossover from the main allows inbound trains to enter the lead, or vice versa.
The west end ladder is similar to this one, but it wraps around the diesel shops.
I'm very happy with the design overall, just wish I had a bit more room.
Lots of ballasting yet to go!
By the way, my layout is sectional, mostly 6' moduals.
Hope this helps with your original question?
BN 7914 west out.
Dag nab it, Rico, I wish I could have seen those pictures when I was building my yard. I built a traditional ladder with the ladder made up of one switch for each yard track. I can see how, if I had done it that way you did it, I would have lost a few cars worth of storage but had room for a runaround track that I so desperately need and don't have. Shoot! Now I'm going to be looking at that yard every day and debating about tearing it up after all the scenery is in. {Tapping my foot and wondering how much work this would be} Nice job on that yard, BTW.
Thanx guys, as I said I am happy with how it functions.
Jim... as for starting over... been there done that! (this is my second yard)
A crossover between the last two tracks could maybe work as a runaround?
A little alcohol and water in a spray bottle and presto, a blank canvas!
(grin)
Rico,
I have to post a picture of my yard so you can see my problem. It's a small yard to begin with and I'm hemmed in with a lake and woods on one side and a highway overpass embankment on the other. A crossover won't do me much good as then I have to keep two tracks clear for making up trains. What I really need is to squeeze an extra track in and then have a crossover to the extra track. It's a stub end yard, which doesn't help matters but we work with the space we have. I'm sure I could revamp the yard with your techniques but I'm still trying to vizualize how to do it.
