Large Scale Central

Building Pearce Yard

Track and Trestles
#1

Ok…I’m really needing some fresh perspective and ideas, Pearce Yard was orginally going to be just a staging yard to move trains on and off the layout…but with the evolution of the railroad, and the establishment of a ferry service at Port Lavender, th Ferry will be that interchange point, leaving me with the need to design and build a working yard. First some visual aids to give you an idea of the space I’m talking about…

Thats Port Laventer in the distance…with the ferry slip off to the left, and The Cutoff form the loop going off to the right…

This is looking the opposite direction down the fencline. What I orginally intended was a curve off the end of the current benchwork, and a three track yard running parallel with the fenceline. Now this is becomeing a run through yard…as the WV&K’s River Division will begin at the far end running paralell to the fence. And I want an engine terminal…TT, cooal and water, and a roundhouse…ready track would be nice as well…

I orginally thought to arrange the turntable so that there was a lead going towards Port Lavender and a lead going towards the yard…with one of the leads long enough to support coal and water facilities.

Ok…lets hear some kooky ideas…

#2

Sell it all and model Amtrak!

#3

Looks like you have lot of options there Bart.

Here is what I have done at the end of a leg coming off my WYE.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/capecodtodd/_forumfiles/yarddesignfinal.jpg)

The table is 30" wide and 18 feet long. The main enters from the top left. I thought to put a 2 bay engine house at the top right but now I’m thinking a turntable since it is a long hike back to the WYE to turn a engine. On the bottom right is the 2 service tracks where a water spout will go. There is already a elevated tank for the diesel fuel.

keep us posted on what you plan.

#4

We knocked around some options in chat last night…pity you weren’t there to join us… heres some more visual aides to get the ideas flowing…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas01.gif)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas02.gif)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas03.gif)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas04.gif)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas05.gif)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas06.gif)

DISCUSS!!!

#5

Well, the first thing that I notice is that you have no “drill” or switching lead track. Are you planning to foul the main while switching cars?

Do you have arrival and departure tracks? Or even a combined arrival/departure track?

Stub yards make for difficult switching, double-endedness is a good thing. Even if you have no plans for a mainline that goes beyond this yard now, you will thank me if you design a double ended yard with a mainline or drill track out the back for switching. A passing siding really doesn’t qualify as a double ended yard.

Caboose track?

RIP track?

Engine service tracks? Ash dump? Coal, Water? Fuel oil? Yard Office? Railroad YMCA? Wicked Wanda’s?

Any industries to switch? Division points attract industries like my dog attracts fleas.

You axed me to discuss, so I did.

:wink:

#6

OK…first off…yep I’ll never have the traffic density that would prohibit switching on the main, and yep there will be a whole other division of the railroad built off the other end sorta a water level route…as opposed to the maontain theme of the current bits…

so the mainline through the center will prolly b the A&D track as well…

the engine service facilites are the stuff leading towards the tuntablish areas, just not sure how much of the ancillary tracks are actually NEEDED as opposed to being wanted… Engine terminals ARE industries! But the local indutries are in Port Lavender just off to the right of the drawings…and prolly more along the future main to the left…

Another idea occurred this evening…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/trackideas07.gif)

#7

Bart

What you have drawn reminds of Bob’s layout look at trainops 2013 pics. then you can ask him

what he likes.

#8

Neat space ship drawings Bart

#9

I see aliens…

#10

Richard Beverly said:

Bart

What you have drawn reminds of Bob’s layout look at trainops 2013 pics. then you can ask him

what he likes.

Funny you should mention that…thats and idea based on his Franklin Falls/29th St Yard schematic…He’s the one that convinced me to go with the mainline in the middle…

#11

Is the main the horizontal track, or the angled track toward the turntable? I’m hoping your not planning a main that crosses a table!

#12

Bart, I think your “on track” (ha ha ha) with last idea. Putting the TT at the end of the servicing facilities allows you to pull out the loco and up to coal, water and whatever else. The small stub track off the service facilities could act as a caboose track as well as coal car storage. It would require a little switching to get a caboose at the back, but you have a small railroad and it allows you to “play” a little.

Couple things, is it possible to connect the stub track running along the main so it is double ended? Also how much storage is needed here? Can you add a stub on the other side next to the top double ended track? This could be the location of an industry or two.

#13

In the begining there was…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/pearceyard01.jpg)

And then came…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/pearceyard02.jpg)

And then there was…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/pearceyard03.jpg)

And finally we got…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/pearceyard04.jpg)

Yes Jake…its supposed to be a run through yard, with a three way turnout at each end, I didn’t notice I hadn’t connected that back, and yes that little track next to the TT is sposed to be the Cabin Track. As you can see the far track is right up against the fence, so no room for industries, but there weren’t plans for any anyways…the industries are over in Port LAvenderthis is where there switchers come from and go to for the working day,there will actually be a whole division off the other end of the yard, this is only approximately 2/3 of the benchwork…another 8 ft section to be built when reasources allow, but this is more than sufficient for the current level of rolling stock

One small change made in the plans though…the geometry of the No6 switches I build made it so that if I put down the three way, and then had the switch to the engine facilities…anyone switching the yard woulkd ave to walk all the way around the engine service peninsula to throw the three way and back again…so I’m seperating the engine service from the yard proper, the switch to the TT lead will be before the yard throat three way…

#14

Bart,

Interesting exercise. Can you point me to the story line of the railroad? What’s the history, purpose and future? I’ve got a good idea of the equipment, but is today or 1930? Could your rail floats interchange with Bob’s?

#15

Sure basically the layout is a NG operation owned by a standard gauge railroad during WWII…Serves several online industries but the main reason is hauling coal. The current connection to the outside world is by ferry only due to a bridge washing out on the River Division line cutting off Port Lavender from the Standard gauge interchange…And since both Bob and I have cary ferry operations on the Great Inland Waterway…sure we can interchange…

#16

So what industries are going to be beyond this yard on this new mainline/branchline?

Is the yards purpose to serve these industries or is there more?

#17

Well theres another 8 feet of yard to be added and its will be a double ended yard, with the River Division coming off the other end. There is going to be industrial switching at both Port Lavender and up the branchline at McCown, Port Lavender a more Industrial theme with McCown catering more to the lumber industry. Buchanan is the end of the line and its a coal camp generating coal and coke loads and recieveing general supplies and such…I guess a trackplan is in order for those without a program playing along at home…

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/trackplan01.gif)

#18

So this yard is for marshalling, sorting and blocking?

Too how many industries?

A yard would be off the main and a service facility would be seperate or at one end.

Will the main be the yard lead or drill track? Maybe from either end.

Track plan one is stub tracks with one being the main and the lead to turntable basically needs to stay open, so little value as yard.

Track plan two all switches.

Plan 3, understandable, but think siding should be on turntable side and main against the fence, so all expansion is toward you.

others about the same, but some have turntable activity fowling the yard.

#19

I['ve pretty much decided that engine service is going to be a separate peninsula from the Yard…and it will prolly undergo its own yard evolution. I don.t figger that I will ever have the traffic density for switching on the main to be a problem, specially with a 8 car capacity car ferry…I’ll need three times as many freight cars as I currently have to carry through the operating pattern…I gotta build some stuff…

#20

Evolution is the key, in my thoughts. Build like the real (bigger) railroads do. Build your mainline and then passing sidings, yards and service facilities as needed. If you like switching, keep the main out of the way. Just my thoughts.