What I'm struggling to figure out is how to go about yard operations. I'm posting this in Prototype info because I'd like to figure out how a freight yard would go about blocking and switching their yards. Here's the backstory on my layout.
The whole layout is double tracked, connecting to itself at each end of the layout so I can do continuous run if I choose to. I have Pitcairn (w/ yard) on the west end of my layout. Tyrone on the east end. Altoona (w/ yard) directly in the middle. I wanted to do a division point type of layout where I stage trains in Pittsburgh and Enola, so Altoona would have a lot of switching to do. Well, because of Tyrone, I don't have that option. Tyrone is a major place on my layout. Not necessarily big, but important.
As it stands now, Altoona and Pitcairn send trains back and forth, with Tyrone having the local train. So Pitcairn and Altoona are the 2 big yards.
One of my questions, is how can I give myself a lot of switching options in Altoona? I have a couple small industries in the Altoona Works area, and the paper mill in Tyrone. But all those cars' destinations are to go west up Horseshoe Curve to Pittsburgh. Currently I don't see the point in having a nice 7 track yard. Everything from Altoona and Tyrone just goes west, so what real switching is there? For eastward traffic, Pitcairn trains feed Altoona and Tyrone, which right now means Altoona Works gets a couple cars, Altoona depot gets a bunch, and Tyrone gets a few. I don't really have any staging or anything at that end of the layout, to be able to simple run cars off the layout. I basically have to have an on the layout modeled destination for the eastward traffic.
I don't have Pitcairn finished yet so I plan on adding a track for Chicago as a destination, and another city. My next question, is how would I go about switching, and blocking cars that are headed to Pitcairn and beyond? My trains are 12-14 cars long, so would I wait till I have 12-14 Pitcairn bound cars to run a train to Pitcairn, and same for Chicago? Or, would I run a mix of Pitcairn/Chicago bound cars on the same train? If I do that, I'm right back to my problem where everything goes west, so what real switching is there to be done, besides blocking the Chicago cars, and the Pitcairn ones?
My final question, is (since I haven't completed the layout yet), if you had Pitcairn and Altoona, as 2 modeled yards, with Tyrone east of Altoona and no room left for another staging yard, how would you complicate switching in Altoona? I have a scrapyard in Altoona, along with diesel fueling, a powerplant and a depot. Tyrone has a paper mill, and a quarry that ships lime, limestone and gravel. Pitcairn can ship anything and everything since I can put cars there that are from "other parts of the country".
I'm just trying to figure out how I can have a lot of sorting and blocking and switching to do in Altoona. Without having a lopsided amount of trains going one direction, and not getting enough cars coming back the opposite direction. Any help would be appreciated, as I'm not overly familiar with yard operations.
One way to get more switching is to build local trains to go the Altoona industries and one to bring the inbound cars to the paper mill and other industries in Tyrone and bring outbound cars back to Altoona You could use a switch engine such as an SW1200 or a 44 or 70 ton engine to move the cars within the paper mill.
Once the cars from each area are back in the Altoona yard, depending on the timing of your locals and number of outbound cars, you could then build your trains to go to Pittsburgh and Enola.
Thanks for the reply! The only issue with switching the Altoona industries is they're all within a few feet of the yard, so I wouldn't have enough of a mainline run to have a local for the Altoona area. I have a scrap yard just a couple feet from the yard and the diesel fueling, freight depot, and Altoona pipe & steel all very close since I'm a bit limited on space. Running stuff to and from Tyrone works pretty well right now, I just need to figure out how to complicate sorting cars in Altoona. Right now since all the industries in Altoona & Tyrone ship cars west to Pitcairn, I feel like I don't have anything I can do in the yard besides connect 12 cars and head to Pitcairn.
I could technically put a staging yard in for Enola. But because of the only available location being next to Pitcairn but a foot lower with room for just 2-3 tracks, I would have to go through a tunnel for 30 feet just to reach the 25 foot visible mainline track through the Tyrone area, then back the same 30 feet in a tunnel before I pull in to Altoona. So 60 feet out of 85 would be in a tunnel. Is this a big deal? My layout is designed to see 5 specific areas. Tyrone (1), then it hits a long tunnel until it reaches Altoona (2), then Altoona is clear the whole way up through Horseshoe Curve (3), and then you exit the Gallitzin tunnels (4) on your way to Pitcairn (5). I just wonder when people operate trains on my layout, if they will get tired of having their train run 2/3 of the Enola to Altoona route in a tunnel..
If I understand the way you have it set up, there is a big yard on teh east end of your layout that is Altoona, then west of there is a switching area called Tyrone, and finally there is Pitcairn on the west end (not sure if its an active yard or a staging yard.)
The way this works is Enola gets cars from the east, builds west trains and send them to Altonona twho switches them and sends them to Pitcairn who switches them and sends them to Indiana who switches them and send them west. Coming the other way, the western end sends cars to Indiana who switches them and makes trains, sends them east to Pitcairn, who switches them , sends them east to Altoona who switches them and sends them east to Enola who switches them and sends them to the eastern ends of the railroad.
Along the way each yard switches out the cars for its area and the locals that run out of that yard to surrounding areas.
You will have trains arrrive into Altoona (from the east). Altoona will switch them and dig out the Altoonas and Tyrones. The remainder will go west. You can separate them into as many blocks as you want (Pitcairn, Erie, Cleveland, Chicago, St Louis, Indianapolis). The yard spots the Altoonas, builds a Tyrone local and runs as many trains as it needs to carry the rest of the tonnage.
Going the other way, you will recieve a number of trains from the west. Altoona will switch tham and dig out the Altoonas and Tyrone cars. Then it will switch the rest into east blocks (Enola, Baltimore, Wilkes Barre, Phillie, Newark, etc) and build as many trains as required to move the cars. The switcher will spot the Altoona and build a Tyrone local.
The tyrone local will bring back cars to Altoona and there will be pulls from the Altoona industries. The switcher will separate them east and west and send them out on the appropriate trains.
Certain trains will carry cars for certain destinations. The same trains will carry the same cars every day.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
By the way. The next time you build a layout, ask these questions BEFORE you build the layout. Its easier to figure this out on paper and build the railroad to support the operation than it is to build the railroad and then figure out how to operate it.
Thanks! Pitcairn is the west end of the layout, Altoona is in the middle and Tyrone is the east end. I ended up deciding to add Enola staging just off of Tyrone as well. If people don't want to have to run their train through a tunnel a ways, I can always either eliminate Enola for operating sessions, or I can run it myself.
What you had suggested is what I was hoping I could do. Having to sort cars that are headed to Pitcairn, Tyrone and Enola. That way I have 3 on-the-layout towns/cities that I would have to sort cars for.
I've actually had the layout up for the past 9 years and just recently started over. I spent about 8 months designing the new layout, and got everything I wanted in it, except the Enola staging. Thankfully now I can put that in, even though it's a little difficult to get to. Not like I'm going to be doing much switching in the staging yard anyways. I went over virtually every scenario and the only way I could have put Enola in an easy to see place, would be if I sacrificed Tyrone, which I wasn't willing to do. But thanks for the help! I'm definitely going to add a bunch of places west of Pitcairn on the waybills so I have even more sorting and switching to do.
I work out of Altoona, another thing that might make things interesting is adding shortline interchanges, in real life at Tyrone, the Nitany and Bald Eagle interchanges freight with the NS a local out of Altoona picks up and set outs cars, West of Altoona there is another interchanges with a shortline in the Holidaysburg area. also Altoona is an important relay crew change point for trains going to Pittsburgh and points West and Harrisburg and Allentown going East. some of these trains may do set outs and pick ups in the yard.
James Sanchez