I am in the process of developing a staging yard for my layout (HO Scale). I will be constructing the staging yard on four 18' x 72" dominoes. The staging yard will be open, but I plan on eventually putting the staging yard under the layout. My layouy averages 48" off of the floor so the staging yard can be under the layout at 30" and be managed by a seated operator.
I would like some ideas regarding track center spacing for this staging yard. If I use 3" track centers the yard can have six tracks. If I go down to 2.5" track center spacing I can have seven tracks. I would like this to be a combination staging and "fiddle" yard. I will be using Atlas Code 83 flex track with #6 turnouts and rerailer sections every other dominoe.
JIM
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
My staging yards (2 so far, more to come) will be storage facilities, not fiddle yards, so I chose to go with 50mm (CL-CL) track spacing. If fingertip room is required, 2.5 inch spacing should be adequate for most people. Of course, if the 'fiddle' operator has hands like Magilla the Gorilla...
Do you plan to 'fiddle' all tracks, or only some of them. You could have different track spacings depending on the planned track use. (A unit coal train shouldn't require much fiddling.)
Do I have 'fiddle' arrangements? Yes. One spur off the local staging ladder ends in a 'ferry slip' for removeable cassettes. Cars to be swapped out are switched into a single cut, then run onto a cassette instead of left in staging. Another cassette delivers a similar-length cut of cars to fill the 'hole.' Cassetted cars, mostly open tops and one-of-a-kind oddballs, can be dealt with away from the layout and out of the way of operators.
(My snow train and wreck train are kept on cassette rails unless needed - need determined by, "Surprise!" cards in my car card and waybill system or by actual derailment when, as and if.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Jim,
I think you'd be okay with 2.5" spacing, provided there is plenty of vertical clearance between the staging area and any future upper deck. My yard tracks are at 2.25" centerline and I have no problem reaching in between cars.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
The question is how many tracks do you need? Will one more track make a difference?
Will a seated operator have the mobility to operate a fiddle yard? I would think that the person will end up kneeling most of the time moving between the car storage areas and where the cars go in the staging track. How will the people switch and operate the level above with a person rolling back and forth in a office chair in front of them?
Have you considered putting a return loop on one or both ends of the yard? Then you could have the "fiddle " track in the front on 3 or 4 inch spacing and then put the rest of the yard on 2" spacing. the train pulls into the fiddle track, is fiddled, and then goes around the loop into one of the staging tracks.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
jamnest wrote: I am in the process of developing a staging yard for my layout (HO Scale). I will be constructing the staging yard on four 18' x 72" dominoes. The staging yard will be open, but I plan on eventually putting the staging yard under the layout. My layouy averages 48" off of the floor so the staging yard can be under the layout at 30" and be managed by a seated operator.I would like some ideas regarding track center spacing for this staging yard. If I use 3" track centers the yard can have six tracks. If I go down to 2.5" track center spacing I can have seven tracks. I would like this to be a combination staging and "fiddle" yard. I will be using Atlas Code 83 flex track with #6 turnouts and rerailer sections every other dominoe.JIM
I would lay 2 pieces of flex side by side and rail various type of equipment that you'll use. Find what track center allows the best finger room. I find that 2 1/2" to be a minimum, but I have big fingers also.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
The staging yard operator will sit on an office chair with rollers, with at least 10"-12" verticle spacing between the staging yard and the layout.
The layout is a return loop as it goes around the walls of a large basement. This alows unit coal and grain trains to restage for next run.
I thought about a six track staging yard and and a one track fiddle yard. I like the idea of the changeable casettes.
loathar wrote:What's a dominoe? I've heard this term a few times lately and no idea what it means relating to layouts.
It is a term coined by David Barrow. He had several articles about them over the years in Model Railroader. It originally started out as a benchwork design, construction small sections that could be built and detailed on the workbench and dropped into the layout. If you had to move or rebuild the sections could be dissassembled, reconfigured and reassembled relatively quickly. The design was an open grid that was itself supported on another open grid lower benchwork. A domino could have the track on risers above the framework for open scenery or could have the surface attached to the benchwork (like an N trak module). In the original concept there was no attempt to make a standard location for the tracks at the benchwork edge. (like in a modular layout).
Gradually Barrow evolved the design. His latest design was a flat tabletop one with no sub benchwork, each domino was supported on legs, basically it has evolved into an open grid benchwork system using smallish grids (2x4 ft).
Modelers have used it for any number of things and it now has many meanings to many people. Some people see it as a interchangeable layout plan where you can "unplug" the individual sections and reassemble them like a 'sectional track' layout. Some people see them as only a flat top open grid.
Basically its a sectional layout made of "standard" pieces of benchwork. The sections can be intended for temporary or "permanent" arrangement.
With track spacing there's the difference between staging yard and fiddle yard. I have a staging yard with nearly zero derailment. So my track spacing is very small, 50 mm (nearly 2'') spacing between tracks.
With my new class yard at the new Westport I went more close: 46 mm,
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
Woodland Scenics has a similar system to the domino. They call it mod-u-rail. Same principle.
http://www.woodlandscenics.com/nnb/Mod-U-Rail1.htm
You can, of course build your own modules using lumber yard materials.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I use Atlas rerailer sections at the joint of every other dominoe (6 ft module); which places a rerailer section every 12 feet. On my previous layout I had no problems with derailments in the staging yard. The key is good track work to begin with. The previous staging yard was used to stage unit trains only, so no need to change consists. I still need some space to stage unit trains, but want to also "fiddle" some of the trains so the same consists are not entering the layout each time.
My concept is an operator, assigned to a freight train in the staging yard, will be given a stack of waybills. The operator will need to find cars from the staging yard and/or storage to fill all of the waybills. The train then appears on the layout and the cars are switched to the specified industries. The train picks up any cars that are specified by the waybill to exit the layout through that RR, to the staging yard. Between sessions I pull all of the waybills from the cars in the staging yard. I use one cycle waybills. I have been expirmenting with this process, but have a vrey small yard, one interchange and only a few industries. I am going to construct two more (modular) staging yards and add some additional industries. Right now my industries are card stock signs and the layout is a "plywood pacific", but I want to get some of the potential operating bugs worked out before moving forward with construction.
THANKS for the comments. Please keep the ideas comming.
if you have 6 or 7 tracks to "fiddle" it will probably be difficult to fiddle the tracks at the back unless they have more clearance. it will also be difficult to read numbers etc on the cars.
I remember reading about someone who had the back tracks on a higher level than those at the front [increased by 1/2 inch or so on each track from the front] it seems to me that it would work OK but would be a bit more work to set up properly.
trevor