Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
Capt. Grimek wrote:Hi Trax,I'm also just beginning my planning and trying to understand how yards work, should be designed, and how big I'd need. Check out housatoncrr.com/yard (maybe add_ des.html) for an excellent and easy to understand guide! I think you'll find it very helpful.If anyone else has similar online info (or books) to recommend I'd like to learn more! Beside's Koester's book and Armstrong's Operations for realism book is there any thing else the OP and I should read?
http://kalmbachcatalog.stores.yahoo.net/mrpdf035.html
Stein
Here's mine on my 4x8. Three through tracks, three stub tracks:
It all depends on your operations to me.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Thre is one simple rule of thumb to keep in mind. No matter how big you make it, it won't be big enough.
Ron
Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado.
Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy
Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings
The link CAPT Grimek was trying to give you is http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html. Make sure you read the last paragraph entitled "Last Thoughts". It tells what parts can be condensed for a small yard, without too much loss in operating efficiency.
There are different types of yards, and different purposes for yards, especially in model railroading. If the yard is primarily used for storage of your excess cars, switching efficiency is not particularly critical. Staging yards are normally aimed at storing and retrieving whole trains, so their design is different, too.
The "Ten Commandments" are based on creating efficient yards that quickly make up and break down trains for use on the rest of the layout. That may or may not be your purpose for the yard. Adjust accordingly.
Train length is a critical element in many aspects of small layout design. Train length determines (or should determine, IMHO) passing track lengths, length of main line between towns, staging yard track lengths, and yard arrival/departure tracks at a minimum. Efficient classification yards would also have at least 2 yard tracks the length of the train minus locomotives, and a yard lead that is a train length long.
Now, not all this is practical on a small layout. But it gives you some idea of the impact on operations when you don't have these lengths. You can quickly design/build in enough inefficiency on a small layout with too short passing tracks, distance between towns, and yard tracks so that just watching a single train run or switching with a single train is all you can practically do at any given time.
Designing for reasonable operations is much harder on a small layout than on a big one.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
If you are asking how much space is required for a yard, that will depend on what your operating plans are. My yard is still in the "development" stage. I started off trying to make it work in a single 2 x 4 module, but that proved to be too restrictive for the switching operation I envisioned. (I'm running HO BTW) The design as it stands right now is roughly 2 x 6+ and feels like it might be about right FOR ME. The yard ladder eats up a healthy amount of real estate in short order, and the length of the yard seems to grow exponentially with the number of tracks in your ladder. My goal is to be able to do a fair amount of classification and switching, so I've sized my yard accordingly. Your 'givens and druthers' are likely different, and will ultimately determine the right size for your yard.
just my