Hello fellow Railroaders,
I am almost to a point where my railroad needs a yard. So, I need some design help with mine. I have read some information on yard design and tracks to include, and have simplified it to what fits in my around-the-edges railroad. Please see the below photo (current plan) and make suggestions as see fit.
Thank you!
~ John
On the right side I think I would have a crossover from southbound to piscine loop before the yard.
Then your A/D track is longer, not interrupted by another switch, and the crossover will take from southbound to the Piscine loop and also then the next switch can take you to the yard or stay on the other main.
What I would change. My opinion only.
I have a few helpful tips here, compiled from several sources:
https://elmassian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=72
Greg
I don’t see a drill track. So you are going to be using the southbound main as your drill track, that ties up the main, a no no for most railroads.
So, what if I only had one A/D Track (to piscine loop), then a 3-track ladder with a drill spur (I believe this is also a yard lead, no?). Just a note, the triangle is one of the corners of Piscine Loop, so the train wouldn’t have far to go if it picked up rolling stock on the Piscine A/D if it was ultimately headed south.
Greg, I am going to move the crossover as well. I did find your site and info a few days ago. It’s what encouraged me to modify my yard at all (it was just a classification ladder).
Chris, thank you for pointing out the obvious improvement on moving the points so the A/D track can get to the wye. Really, it doesn’t make much of a difference since, as said above, the loop is right there, but in terms of operating possibilities, it’ll be more interesting. This way I could turn a train around using the wye.
I will redo the plan when I’m home from work and post a photo.
David, can you give me your definition of “drill track”… I thought a drill track was to a set of industrial sidings as a switching lead is to a yard.
Yes a switching lead is missing from this design. I don’t know where the 2 “vertical” tracks go, and I assumed this “T” is an interchange, i.e. those 2 tracks cannot be used as switching leads.
I’d advise making the southbound A/D track continue parallel to the mainline to the right, use that off the ladder for the switching lead… on the other side, you only have the single A/D track, so no real need for a switching lead. This way you follow one of the golden rules, “thou shall not foul the main line”…
Greg
Drill track is another term used for yard lead. Simply extending the south A/D track won’t work as you have no place for the yard job to escape when trains are moving in and out of the A/D. I would completely eliminate the north A/D as it requires you crossing over the main. Basically, you would end up the graphic below which was featured in the link Bob provided.
Keep in mind, the philosophy of a yard lead and no fouling the mainline is a fairly modern practice (1930s and up), and used primarily in larger yards. I live on a heavy traffic UP line that used the main as it’s switch lead right up to the point the yard was removed and tracks relocated in 2005. Look at the design of smaller yards and they rarely have a switch lead, and most the A/D track doubles as a siding.
Okay, so this may provide a better idea of where I am working.
EDIT: The other spur behind the shed is going to be a loco shed. After looking at it, the double cross may be the right option because it’ll allow either loco to come pick up a train easily. If the train is headed southbound then the loco will just proceed forward. If it needs to round the Loop then the loco can turn around at the T.
So I’ve updated the yard design to reflect your suggestions, but am having a problem with the point work at the top of the T. See the three options below… Personally, I don’t like the Double S curve. It’s going to cause problems. My favorite would probably be the longer A/D version.
Move the rightmost switch on the southbound a/d track to align with the yard ladder, or have the right hand end of the yard lead come back to the main.
Greg
Greg, ok, I should have said “yard lead”. I am a train watcher, not operator. But I am trying to get a workable yard on my HO module pair. And the Yard lead that is long enough to pull out all the cars in one of the classification spurs (so I can get the last car in he spur into the train I am building) became painfully obvious as to its necessity, while I was playing around with it one night.
I was just trying to be accurate and understand too.
I read a lot on yards, from that early article by John Armstrong on yards (which is worth the $5 that Kalmbach charges for the article reprint)
Greg
Yea, somewhere around here I have a book for reliable track planning or some such title. I forget, it has been a few years since I read the thing. It shows how to place switches, tame S curves and such. It has a chapter on yards. Interesting read, even if one doesn’t model yards.
this article is solely on yards… really good…
Greg
I am going to go with this yard design. It changes the traffic pattern departing the top A/D track, but since Piscine Station is planned to be constructed just North of the yard (below photo), it makes sense to have all passenger trains depart the top track into the Loop. In the same way, there are not freight operations in Piscine Loop at the moment. So, all freight trains should leave the yard on the Southbound A/D. Both train types will return on the opposite tracks they departed from.
I changed the length of the A/D tracks to reflect the longest trains I plan to model. Greg, I did see your reply about having the yard lead come back to the main. I plan to do so, depending on how the yard actually looks when it’s down. However, I do want to ask why? Is that prototypical? Also, I removed the caboose siding, as I only plan to have 1 caboose on my line based on what I’m going to model. I may never even acquire this caboose, as it’s very hard to find.
Let me jump in, here…
Keep the caboose track…ya never know. You might even bash a couple of crummies down the line. Most caboose tracks are double ended, so first in, first out.
The yard lead must be at least as long as the longest yard storage track, so you can pull them all out, to get that last car.
Once a yard is half full, it’s full, time to send some cars down the line, or add more yard.
John, the length of the yard lead is really too short, so my suggestion to tie the end of the yard lead back to the main line is pretty much compensation, and a “safety valve” for when you use all the capacity in the yard. Also it might help with long trains that need to cross over the main.
Alternatively, just lengthen the yard lead.
Is the normal direction right hand running… i.e. the southbound track goes left to right in this drawing (or from the right hand track up)?
Again, I’d move the switch that goes from the southbound a/d track back to the main to the right so you could drive a train right out of the yard onto the main…
Regards, Greg
Other helpful Yard and Trackwork information:
http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=Yards--freight_and_passenger
http://www.scenicexpress.com/Cat-17_PDF/Roadbed%20%26%20Track%20Installation.pdf
Thank you both for the clarifications. It all makes sense. Unfortunately I’m running out of space. The gray space was originally going to be the entire yard (it was going to be a simple ladder originally). Now I am running with about 12’ left before the tracks have to turn. At some point I need to have space for plants or the committee won’t approve my design. (The committee is the 10 other members of my family who live here. If the back of the garage - where the yard is going - is all track and no garden they will complain relentlessly.) I have to make some unfortunately modifications where I run my yard differently. The yard lead is long enough for my longest car + switcher to fit comfortably. The switcher will have to build on the A/D track.
I just checked. a 3-track ladder is cutting is VERY close to the edge of the garden. I may run out of room.