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My 4yo son and I started out with a simple oval of Bachmann NS HO EZ-Track on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. It quickly became clear that we needed to be able to run two trains at once, and then we needed a yard, but there's only so much you can do with EZ Track inside of a 4'x8' double oval. The junior engineer insists on running large trains, so more variety and space are needed both for running and switching. I also like the idea of being able to reverse direction, since running counter-clockwise all day gets a bit dull.
I've been reading up on yard design and have put together the plan below. This isn't all going to happen at once, but I like to plan out the entire space from the start and then build in stages. What I don't have is enough experience to figure out whether or not this will operate well just by looking at it, so I was hoping some of the more experienced designers around here could point out any potential issues they see.
The EZ Track in the diagram is the white oval and everything within. The colored stuff I plan to do with Atlas flex track and Peco turnouts (all code 100). The turnouts/wyes in the expansion area are "medium" or "large", and I've done my best to keep my radii to 22" minimums where possible in the hopes that some day we may be able to run 6-axle locos and longer coaches.
We're running DCC with a Digitrax Zephyr Xtra, a PR3, and JMRI.
Thanks for looking and also any suggestions you might have!
You have a solid foundation. I would make the inner yard tracks single ended to give you enough length. If you simplify those tracks you can maximize your capacity. Fewer long tracks > many short tracks.Turnouts are expensive space wise. I would make the RIP track a single track.
Captain of Industry
President of Lancaster Central RR
President of Lancaster & Western Maryland Railway
This looks like a nice and very ambitious project. I can see on the layout that there are a few logical places to cut the layout off while you work on the rest.
The big thing I'm noticing here though is that it looks like it's going to be a challenge to reach a lot of those tracks. If those squares are 12" as I suspect, you're going to have a really hard time reaching much of your track. It looks like about a third of the total track area is going to be more than 30" away from the edge, which is going to cause problems when you're doing scenery or rerailing trains. I'm not sure if you're room is large enough that you can have this in the middle of the room or what, but you may want to scale the number of tracks back a bit to allow for access points. You could, theoretically, design that 4'x8' section with the oval to slide forward, but otherwise, it's going to be extremely difficult to reach the back side of that if you don't have at least 2' on the back side and right side of the layout.
I've negotiated an additional 87 scale feet of land rights in the basement and have been tuning the plan a bit. The revised version below addresses RBMNFan's points about the single-ended yard tracks while also giving a bit of a runaround capability at the "south" end. It also takes the RIP track down to a single track.
Frank: This plan is the end-game. Phased construction will be a necessity as the railroad is currently operating on a tight budget, so I've tried to keep that a goal. Also, only the left-hand side of the layout will be against a wall. I'll have enough space on the top edge to get back there when necessary.
You must have a ton of money to spend on switches. Besides think K.I.S. (keep it simple). The "blue" yard on left only needs to be stub ended, i.e. switches on bottom don't serve switching much at all. The double slip switch (yellow) besides being VERY expensive can be a possible maintenance headache (like the real ones ). If the yellow yard lead is connected to the green main on top the double slip isn't needed. If you don't have steam you don't need the turntable & roundhouse. That space can be used for more industries. You have a wye to turn diesels (green tracks to left of white ovals). Plus you have an engine house. Don't forget a R.I.P. track for setting out bad order cars. That adds some more switching activity. You can let your son run on the white ovals while you make up trains on the left. Of course be teaching him about what you're doing & why so he can learn to run the MR by himself!
Have to agree with Andy. Lose all of those switches and crossovers in the lower left, except the one going back to the main. They are all going to be hard to reach anyway. Roundhouse and engine house are redundant, don't need both. Andy is right on regarding the double-slip switch (yellow), and like those in the bottom, it is going to be hard to reach. Murphy's law says that's where trouble will be, not "if", but "when". I think that I am seeing at least three others (double-slip) as well. You will be spending more on switches than on the rolling stock to fill the layout! Still, I like the concept though.
Yes keep the siding on far left of blue yard. Use it for the arrival/departure track. But don't need much less want the double slip switch on bottom end. No RR would ever use it for just a spur anyway. You'll never be able to reach that switch so make it work by electricity or a cable arrangement. But DO NOT put ballast on any track until after it has been thoroughly tested by running trains on it. There's nothing worse than having to destroy track ripping it out to make repairs.
You have to know more about RR tracks. Xings at the double slip locations don't make any sense. In fact none of the double slip switches make much sense since most could be replace w/ regular switches.
Way to many double slips. You could have an escape crossover on 2 of the tracks, but I think the double slips won't add that much to your yard, and they are VERY expensive Maybe I'd keep the one for the yard lead in yellow, but the others, I'd make normal crossovers, if I kept them at all.
I'd also eliminate the caboose track, and turn the run around track, into the caboose track. On a real rr, this would be a very small facility, and a shortline wouldn't have the money for all the redundancy or the traffic to use it.
I've been reading up on yard design and have put together the plan below. .., so I was hoping some of the more experienced designers around here could point out any potential issues they see.
Thanks for looking and also any suggestions you might have!
I agree with the others. Both the original and modified plans seem to have too many turnouts and double slip switches are annoying on a couple of levels. Rather than repeat what others have said, I just whipped up an example. Rotated so it would fit better on the screen.
1. The whole thing can be modified to adjust between yard capacity/classification and other yard operations. Personally, I find drilling a train to classify its cars gets monotonous really quickly.
2. I didn't feel double ended caboose track justified the extra turnout or wasted space. Two extra moves will make it more "fun" to build a train anyway.
3. Use multiple entrances to the turntable. If nothing else one entrance and one exit. That way one track can be used for a "ready track" when a loco is all watered/fueled up and ready to go to a train. A loco facility can be quite enjoyable to operate all by itself if made elaborate enough.
4. I removed the RIP track (although the label got stuck on a turntable track - oops.). One could use the last yard track (just above where the label is) as a RIP if desired, or you could just add it back in close to where you had it in the 2nd take.
Well here it is:
If you don't mind a short caboose track and really condensed rails you could put the caboose track between the ladder and ladder bypass.
I've started working on the next revision of the plan given all of your insights.
Genuine question, though: What are the issues with the double slips? Is it reliability or cost? I like the space savings that they afford and understand that it comes at an increased cost. If it's reliability, are there brands that are generally more reliable than others?
It's both. They add alot of complexity without much benefit.
On a small yard I try to get the longest tracks possible. Because once in operation you always wish it was 2 cars longer. If you use up too much space on the ladder your yard tracks are going to be shortened. At some point it's useless to have a yard. You look at 12"marks and think that looks like a decent length track. In 3D on the layout that 12" equals about 2 40' boxcars
. For a modern layout it's even smaller, about 1-1/2' 60' boxcars. The other tracks are basically extra.
Captain of Industry
President of Lancaster Central RR
President of Lancaster & Western Maryland Railway
Genuine question, though: What are the issues with the double slips? Is it reliability or cost? I like the space savings that they afford and understand that it comes at an increased cost. If it's reliability, are there brands that are generally more reliable than others?
It's both cost AND reliability! They cost about 4 times as much as regular switches & because of all the extra parts they are very prone to breakage & not easy to fix. That's the reason the real RRs didn't like them either. In fact they only used them where space was very limited like passenger terminals but not in freight yards. Do a Google search for prototype RR yards & you won't find them very often if at all.
Genuine question, though: What are the issues with the double slips? Is it reliability or cost? I like the space savings that they afford and understand that it comes at an increased cost.
I actually think they look cool, but for me, and the other fellows an operating group, the main issue is that they are harder to glance at and know what route they are set for. As they have eight moving point rails, it is easy to miss judge. They are sometimes referred to as "puzzle switches". The name is well earned. One should rely on control panel indicators for knowing the set routing.
I think I'm closing in on a final plan. Well, "final" meaning that it's what I'm going to ride into battle with. I'm sure it'll evolve as time goes on.
I've given two of the double slips the slip so the plan only has two in it now. The first one at the yard lead is a definite. I'm interested in seeing how they work as well as the wiring project. It will also be controlled via a fascia-mounted panel with a track map and LEDs, so visual representation will be taken care of. We'll be building this in phases as budget allows starting with the loop and working our way in towards the roundhouse. That way we will have had plenty of time to evaluate this first double slip by the time we're ready to install the one that makes up the far end of the yard ladder. If the first one is problematic, we'll re-work the depths of the facility to get rid of the second.
Thank you all, especially Iron Horseman for taking the time to work up that track plan. You've all been a big help. We're just starting out, so being able to bounce these things off folks with more experience is invaluable!
I think the new plan is much better than your earlier ones. The second double slip I could go either way on, but I see its functionality where it is-I'd probably use ground throws on it, not switch machines, just to reduce complexity.
Besides think K.I.S. (keep it simple). The "blue" yard on left only needs to be stub ended, i.e. switches on bottom don't serve switching much at all. The double slip switch (yellow) besides being VERY expensive can be a possible maintenance headache (like the real ones 
). If the yellow yard lead is connected to the green main on top the double slip isn't needed. If you don't have steam you don't need the turntable & roundhouse. That space can be used for more industries. You have a wye to turn diesels (green tracks to left of white ovals). Plus you have an engine house. Don't forget a R.I.P. track for setting out bad order cars. That adds some more switching activity. You can let your son run on the white ovals while you make up trains on the left. 
Of course be teaching him about what you're doing & why so he can learn to run the MR by himself!
