Installing a circular yard to accommodate larger number of cars. Is this practical. Has anyone done it?
Thanks.
Sid
heckersid@hotmail.com
Still interested in starting an N scale club in lower Westchester, Cty., NY.
the alton and southern did it in E St Louis decades ago. actually the cars go around a 180 degree curve to be humped. you can see it on google or bing maps if you use the bird's eye view. the hump lead is on the curve, not the a/d or classification tracks.
i built a staging yard in HO scale that has all the tracks in a teardrop shape (reversing loops) and it works quite well. each track holds a 40 car train with power and cab.
charlie
Sid1425 Installing a circular yard to accommodate larger number of cars. Is this practical. Has anyone done it?
How do you think it will increase capacity?
It actually decreases capacity since it limits the size and creates a guaranteed traffic conflict because at some point the movements into the yard have to cross the path of movements leaving the yard. A linear yard can theoretically expand on either side as much as they want. A circular yard has a fixed limit one side, inside the circle is limited in space and the further in you go the radius becomes tighter. As the radius increases on a model access to the center becomes harder.
There are prototype examples of circular yards (its actually an oval and a large one) and a circular freight house, but there are very rare special cases. 99.999% of yard are essentially linear (with a few curves in them.
You might have a unique reason why its a good idea, but the vast majority of the time a linear answer works better.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Your cars won't couple up on a curved track.