I like the wye (as you may have seen in my picture)… I think a bit of fiddling will get everything to work, and fit… I understand using the switches you have, especially with the cost of stuff nowadays…
This is fun, I hope you take all the suggestions as helpful… they are meant to be that way.
Regards, Greg
Here are a few pictures to help understand what I have to deal with. Understand my land here is sloping. I have to divert a lot of water away from the RR. It has already survived one 12 inch rain, which prompted me to install some drainage systems. Which, of course, get in the way. The area just to the right of the upper switch in the Wye, between the end of the red paint line and the wood “fence”, is a water collection basin.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1030993Medium.JPG)
The water runs under the track into this drainage ditch here. The wooden “fence” itself is there to divert water from uphill around the RR.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1030996Medium.JPG)
Now if I move the yard approach along the straight, I have to cross the collection basin. As well as use a lot more track. I’m going to see how it works. But it will leave me very little track left for the yard.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1030994Medium.JPG)
BTW- Do appreciate the help. That is exactly why I posted…before I started building.
OK, I got it now. The key was changing the Wye to give me the room I needed. Now I just need to solve the drainage issue…a minor problem Thanks for the help. Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1030998Medium.JPG)
The three sidings on the right need to be longer. But that will wait until I find another deal on some straight track. I have another switch so that two can be connected once I extend them. I can also add another track on the left…if and when the rail becomes available.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1031000Medium.JPG)
WAY BETTER!
Too bad you can’t work that kink out of the wye leg, but massive improvement in the lead in to the yard… no way to back the switch on the wye at the upper right? That could take the last kink out of the wye… but it’s easy to talk when you do all the work!
Regards, Greg
The kink in the Wye leg probably could be worked out with some flex track. But I’ll give you a little history in the construction that might make things a little clearer. Both main lines are built entirely using 1 foot sectional Aluminum track. So certain things had to be done so that things would match up in the end. The inner loop which is now operational, began life as a passing siding. Shown here on the left, with just the switch installed. The outer loop, is still incomplete, as I have a long bridge that needs to be built. But all the track was temporarily connected to make sure the “ends” would join. One foot sectional would not be my first choice in building a RR. But I bought a bunch on closeout from Polk’s for $52 a case of 48 feet. Here is a picture from last Spring when construction began. Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/100_0087Medium.JPG)
Jeeze, that was a good price, I think I am paying $52 a foot for SS now, or at least it seems like it!
Keep it up, every new picture looks better!
Regards, Greg
Thanks Greg,
Sometimes I need somebody to stay on my a** so I don’t take the easy way out.
You were a big help.
BTW- Keep stayin’ away fro the Kool-Aid. Although not everyone appreciates it, I do and many others do too.
Ralph
Thanks Ralph, it’s almost like a religious war, ha ha…
I’m anxious to see your next iteration of your layout… I know you can get that kink out…
Regards, Greg
And here is my suggestion
(http:///F-PIX/BergYard01.jpg)
All Aristo WR Turnouts, all curves the same matching 5ft rad
HJ,
What I ended up with was pretty close to what you originally drew. I had to change the wye to make it work.
I figured out where I can fit an A/D track. But it will have to wait until I get some more track.
Thanks for the help.
Ralph
HJ, the only question I have is that your drill track, i.e. yard lead, is on the main line… so switching operations foul the main line…
Regards, Greg
The drill track runs parallel to the mainline. 
While one fouls the yard approach while sorting from the drilltrack, the mainline itself remains clear.
Ahh… I understand, I thought it was the switching lead… as a drill track, you have trapped the loco in normal operations though, most drill tracks are parallel and in the same “north south” sense as body track.
But you still foul the main line for a short bit… If the switching lead could be made independent, then someone could make up cars without fouling the main. A big plus.
Regards, Greg
Great thread…we’ve need some discussion like this for a while. The necessity of a drill track would go along with the theme and scope of the railroad. Lots of narrow gauge lines did switching right on the main…Indeed I have plans for the Buchanann Collery to load cars on the main, necessitating the switch crew to clear the rails for through trains…wait…what through trains? Its just me…Oh well…
My solution for an arrival/departure track. It would have been nice to have it longer and a bit straighter. My trains are usually about 4-5 cars long with a caboose. The A/D track is 8 feet, about 7 feet usable. It will allow the switcher to get back on the yard lead without entering the main line. There is two feet of track below the lower switch before it reaches the mainline switch. Trains arriving/departing from the other direction will temporarily clog the yard lead until the switcher clears it or it is pulled onto the main. The main line being the aluminum track in the picture. All the brass track is part of the yard complex. Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1031004Medium.JPG)
I’ve been hanging out here too much. Starting to get anal about this stuff :lol: Changed things around a bit so I now have an A/D line for each direction. Spur for the engine house now runs off one of the A/D lines. I’m going to have enough track in this yard complex where I could have run a new mainline 
Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1031007Medium.JPG)
Looking good… Maybe I’m too fixated on a yard lead that does not share the mainline… you have only one place where that happens, where the 3 tracks come together before the switchyard… if you could not join one of the arrival tracks to the mainline right there, you would have an independent switching lead that would never foul the main line, i.e. you can do switching while a train is circulating on the main line.
So, just so I’m not all mixed up (as usual!)… the main line comes in from the bottom of the picture, and exits at upper right? Is the mainline also the track exiting on the right side?
I’m so confused… ha ha… I’ll get it yet.
Regards, Greg
Greg, There are two main lines, the aluminum track you see on the right. The brass track you see is all part of the yard complex, not the main line. At the very bottom of the picture is the edge of the switch leading into the yard complex.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1031007Medium.JPG)
Here is a picture from last fall. The switch heading to the yard replaces the 1 foot straight between the curve and the switch on the lower line. A train can pull out of the yard and enter either main line. Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/S1030625Medium.JPG)
This is a great discussion. It’s interesting to see the evolution of the design.
One thing I would HIGHLY recommend is to get some cars on that track and try it out. I didn’t and later found out that if I had only built my tracks about 8" longer I could have held another car on each of my yard tracks. I ended up extending my yard, but it would have been a LOT easier if I had tried to operate first.
So not just cars, but can you put a loco on there and try out some moves?
Here is a new picture. This shows everything a little better. There are two leads into the yard complex…one from each direction. Ralph
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/GRR5007Medium.jpg)
