Turtle Track?

[Texas Zepher]

In my N scale layout plan I have something I call a "Turtle Track." It's a section of track that ... trains go in there and "park" there, out of sight, to give the illusion that the train has gone to some faraway destination.  Anyone have this on their layouts or has seen something like it?

Yes, in my 1980 vintage N-scale Pine Ridge & North River I had three such tracks.  My big mistake was not making them as long as was possible.  Of course they were originally (1974) the "front" of the layout and part of the main yard.  At the time I switched which the "front" of the layout was and put them under the mountains, I just called them hidden sidings.  Since then the term "staging" has come into common useage and I used it on this layout diagram made in 2005 right before it was razed.

[tomikawaTT]

Isn't this commonly called 'hidden staging'? I do it with a set of five full sidings on a double track main.. Bring in one train and bring another out the far end. I think that this is fairly common in either single or double ended form. You do need a way to keep track of what is on the hidden tracks.

Karl

A single short single-ended track sounds like a good spot to park an RDC (aka DMU), which can run either way and still look right.  EMU (rapid transit cars) also work.

The section of layout I'm presently working on will be able to hide up to eleven complete freight trains as well as the EMU cars that generate a substantial portion of my passenger traffic.  What looks like ordinary double track enters two parallel tunnel portals.  If a train enters the down tunnel, the one guarantee is that the same train will NOT reappear from the up tunnel any time soon.  What WILL appear is whatever the timetable says is supposed to run in that time slot: EMU, DMU, through freight, local, empty unit coal train or whatever.

The train that disappeared may (or may not) return in a few full-scale hours, probably the following day.  Of course it could reenter the scene with a different locomotive, or swapped open car loads, or empty cars that were previously loaded with coal - or even at the other end of the mainline, a couple of scale kilometers away on a different peninsula.

Hidden staging provides wings in which our actors can wait out of sight until they get the cue to appear on the visible stage.  The more complex your operating scheme, the more hidden staging you need.

Chuck (whose through trains operate from staging to staging, changing engines enroute.)

[larak]

Isn't this commonly called 'hidden staging'? I do it with a set of five full sidings on a double track main.. Bring in one train and bring another out the far end. I think that this is fairly common in either single or double ended form. You do need a way to keep track of what is on the hidden tracks.

Karl

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I had something similar one time. It was a track that led to a hidden yard. I would befuddle other modelers while they were running their trains on my layout by switching their train into the hidden area and watch the puzzled looks on their faces as a different train emerged from the other end.

[Metro Red Line]

In my N scale layout plan I have something I call a "Turtle Track." It's a section of track that appears to be part of a 2-track main which goes into a tunnel for a few feet but is really just a siding that deadends there. The purpose of it is so I can have trains go in there and "park" there, out of sight, to give the illusion that the train has gone to some faraway destination. Later on I can have the trains come out or back out to also make it look like they came from faw away. Anyone have this on their layouts or has seen something like it?