Yard structure placement

[jacon12]

Where in the yard is the interlocking tower located? Common sense tells me it is usually at the yard throat, but I'm in a pickle because of lack of space on my layout in that area.

As you can see in the picture below.

there is a 2 inch drop between the yard tracks to the rear and the passenger siding up front. To complicate life more, I have to cut away some of the raised area that the yard is sitting on to at least have room for a passenger platform. This would all have been a lot easier if the yard and the mainline, where the passenger siding is, were all on the same level.
I have to glue in a section of 2 inch foam in the spot where it comes dangerously close to the edge. The raised area goes on around and the switcher track is up on it also and the mainline is a 0 inches on that big curve.
I guess I could put the tower between the mainline (furtherest track in the back of the photo) and the yard tracks. That's about the only place I have up near the yard throat.
What'cha think?
Jarrell

[orsonroy]

Actually, most yards didn't have a tower, except for hump yards. Flat yards usually only have a yard office, located near either throat. Interlocking towers are for interlockings; eg: where two lines physically crossed. The nice thing about only needing a yard office for your yard is stat the vast majority of them were basically stretched section houses: small, narrow, and would fit anywhere. That small open space between the yard throat anf the rear mainline on your layout, for example.

But, if you want to have a tower for your yard, it should be near one of the throats.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Actually, most yards didn't have a tower, except for hump yards. Flat yards usually only have a yard office, located near either throat. Interlocking towers are for interlockings; eg: where two lines physically crossed. The nice thing about only needing a yard office for your yard is stat the vast majority of them were basically stretched section houses: small, narrow, and would fit anywhere. That small open space between the yard throat anf the rear mainline on your layout, for example.

But, if you want to have a tower for your yard, it should be near one of the throats.

Thanks Ray. No, I don't need a tower and really don't have space for it. That passenger station is crunching me. Well, at least now I know what size passenger facility I can work in there because I can cut that raised 2 inch foam back away from the lower passenger siding some enough to work in at least a passenger platform.
I appreciate the help!
Jarrell

[tstage]

Jarrell,

In the picture, how much space do you have there between the main line and the yard? (f the large square are 2', then each ndividual square would be 3". That would make that green area between the two sets of track about 4-1/2" wide.

Jarrell, the reason for asking is that I have an American Model Builders (AMB) Interlocking tower that is only 2-1/4" wide - including outside staircase.



From my guess, I think it would fit in there quite nicely, with plenty of room, and make a very handsome yard tower for you. ASM also makes a yard office and storage shed. (There's a pic of one on my llayout ink below, too.) Course, you can just kitbash one out of an old and neglected box car that you have laying around.

Tom

[tomikawaTT]

Interlocking towers are used where there is a LOT of traffic, too much for switchmen on the ground to handle. They were used in a lot of places, pre-CTC, but are now almost extinct - except for some busy yard and terminal throats. (These days, there is a crossing of two major railroads in eastern Tennessee that is controlled by CTC ops in Sarasota, FL, and Roanoke, VA.)

Incidentally, 'interlocking' has nothing to do with the pattern of the trackwork. It refers to the mechanical action of the sliding bars and dogs in the old 'armstrong' machines, which prevented signals from being cleared until the switches were aligned for the desired route, then locked the switches until the signal was reset to STOP. More modern machines (and my control panels) do this electrically.

More than a few yard offices in smaller yards like yours were 'detrucked' WWII troop sleepers, box cars, cabooses and even passenger cars, usually with doors and windows modified to suit.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

Jarrell,

In the picture, how much space do you have there between the main line and the yard? (f the large square are 2', then each ndividual square would be 3". That would make that green area between the two sets of track about 4-1/2" wide.

Jarrell, the reason for asking is that I have an American Model Builders (AMB) Interlocking tower that is only 2-1/4" wide - including outside staircase.



From my guess, I think it would fit in there quite nicely, with plenty of room, and make a very handsome yard tower for you. ASM also makes a yard office and storage shed. (There's a pic of one on my llayout ink below, too.) Course, you can just kitbash one out of an old and neglected box car that you have laying around.

Tom

Right Tom, the smallest squares are 3 inches so I have between 4 and 5 there. Thanks for the tip on the AMB tower. If I decide to install one I'll check that one out.
Jarrell

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomikawaTT

Interlocking towers are used where there is a LOT of traffic, too much for switchmen on the ground to handle. They were used in a lot of places, pre-CTC, but are now almost extinct - except for some busy yard and terminal throats. (These days, there is a crossing of two major railroads in eastern Tennessee that is controlled by CTC ops in Sarasota, FL, and Roanoke, VA.)

Incidentally, 'interlocking' has nothing to do with the pattern of the trackwork. It refers to the mechanical action of the sliding bars and dogs in the old 'armstrong' machines, which prevented signals from being cleared until the switches were aligned for the desired route, then locked the switches until the signal was reset to STOP. More modern machines (and my control panels) do this electrically.

More than a few yard offices in smaller yards like yours were 'detrucked' WWII troop sleepers, box cars, cabooses and even passenger cars, usually with doors and windows modified to suit.

I just happen to be the proud owner of a troop sleeper.. how 'bout that! I almost never run it so it just may end up pulling that duty.
Yes, I had read an article somewhere explaining how the towers worked. I thought they were very neat structures. I would love to see the inside workings of one.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Jarrell

[DSchmitt]

Sometime the prototype had to fit a tower into a tight spot. Scroll down for pictures of Southern Pacific's 4th Street Tower (San Francisco) on this site

http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/san_fran/3rd/townsend4.html