LARGE switchyard Planning

[Anonymous]

Just want to say first off, great site, and I appreciate any responses. I'm just getting back into the hobby as an 'old' man (38) having not touched anything MR related since my early teens. Now, I found myself with a son, and many, many boxes of HO scale locos, rs, etc and the desire to use them.

Fortunately, I have a basement, but want the main focus of my setup to be a rather large switchyard. I'm thinking 9'x3', with a Northbound,southbound mainline, which is going to go off the 9x3 onto just wide enough down the walls, to a 5x5 'turnaround' of some sort. But, I want to get the switchyard complete first. (Oh yea, I'm also doing everything in Norfolk Southern, since I grew up in Ft. Wayne, I'm most familiar).

Any tricks, tips, good layouts, pictures? :D

Thanks for your time.

Rich

[cwclark]

http://community.webshots.com/user/bayouman1 I have a picture of my yard in a couple of places here...I did a curved yard because I get more yard in a smaller space for it than if i just did one long straight track yard...the yard consists of two mainlines...a track for making a train, 7 yard sidings, a locomotive storage track with engine service, and an engine repair shop...there are a lot of things you can do with a yard..even have a track specified for local deliveries or a siding for industy deliveries....Chuck

[CBQ_Guy]

Here's a couple links on yards which may help:

http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html
http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/~smithbf/BFSpages/LDSIGprimer/Yards.html

[turbine682]

Check out Track Planning for Realistic Operations (Armstrong) for prototype info - good resource to have in your library

--Ed