I need your help for small yard

[Harry]

I am building a small yard layout in Z scale and see visually, whether this is correct? :?:

[Harry]

your Plan:

[scubadude]

Harry, this is not to scale, you will need to edit for your plans...this is one of the small yard plans I have been looking at...good for east/west thru traffic to "points beyond" and local freight for nearby industries, plus a lot of movements in the yard itself...

[steinjr]

What kind of place are you modeling? What era? What is the yard supposed to do? Any prototype inspiration?

Those 43 inches of Z (1:220) scale is roughly the equivalent of a 9 foot long yard in H0 scale. Or a yard a little less than 800 feet (about 250 meters) long in real life. That is not a big yard.

That's more the size of a small auxiliary yard (a place where cars can be stashed temporarily during switching, or a few cars be left for another train) - say this one in Menasha, Wisconsin (http://binged.it/NB3Skj) more than a place which has a dedicated caboose track, engine service etc - unless you are modeling a small short line.

But it comes down to what you want to model.

Smile,
Stein

[Harry]

okok Steinjr

My plan :

[steinjr]

Hmm - so staging length is (without the dotted optional extension on the right) about 65-70 centimeters (25-27") long - call it about the equivalent of about ten 40' cars (at just under 6 centimeters/2.2" long each in 1:220 scale). That's also consistent with the length of the passing siding by the window and the siding in the tan town on the lower half of the peninsula.

So say a typical inbound train from staging to the yard may be a diesel(?) loco, six-seven 40' and 50' cars and a caboose (you had a caboose track in several plans). Or are you are planning to double trains into or out of two or more staging tracks, so inbound trains may be quite a bit longer?

You have three obvious routes out from the yard:
- End of Line Town at lower right
- Peninsula run with two towns
- Back towards staging, past window

What's your planned overall traffic pattern? Have two or three locos live at the yard, and then start the day with one inbound train from staging, take the inbound loco to servicing while another engine sorts inbound cars by destination (peninsula run or end-of-line town), then have the loco that came in from staging take off again with outbound cars, before two locals leave the yard - one for the peninsula towns and one to switch the end of line town?

Or do you plan to have several inbound trains arriving at the yard before any outbound trains leave the yard? Or have several outbound trains leave the yard first, then have one or more inbound trains arrive?

I am just trying to get a rough idea about of how many cars, how many blocks of cars, and how many locos and cabooses will need to be in the yard at the same time.

In your original plan - is the straight 110 cm (about 43") long edge along the front/fascia and the long side with the slanted edge along the wall?

Which track are you planning to use as your yard switching lead - blue line toward window, green line to lower(?) double track section, or main track through end-of-line town?

One or several operators? Will you need to be able to have a train pull into the yard while switching, or is it acceptable that trains sometimes will have to wait on the main before entering the yard, or that switching has to stop while a car pulls in?

Is there a clear preference for a double ended yard ?

Sorry about all the questions - I am just trying to understand how the yard will function.

Smile,
Stein

[steinjr]

Hmm - wonder if I scared Harry away by asking too many questions?

To give a shorter answers - I like your sketch no 2 the best, but the two things that give me pause is
a) That your yard seems pretty small to have engine service (and possibly have several engines stationed at the yard) - I would recommend trying put in more tracks.

b) I am uncertain about using one of three double ended tracks as a dedicated caboose track.

Seeing what I could fit into a H0 space equivalent to your Z scale layout, one could e.g. do something like this:



I have made the assumtion that arriving engines will be at the left end of the train, and that cabooses can be pulled last from the arriving train and attached at the end of the departing train last.

It would of course be possible to park cabooses on a double ended track.

Prototype inspiration from Lakeville, NY: http://binged.it/QsAH34

Smile,
Stein

[steinjr]

Hi Harry --

We discussed the Jack Gutsch yard from his Minneapolis and St. Louis layout:


How about combining the double ended yard with some industry spots right off the yard - say something like this:


This last one has five yard tracks - of which one (track 4) is single ended. Even if you use the shortest double ended track as a caboose track, you still have four yard tracks. Total yard capacity (when 80% full) is about 24 forty foot cars - or about the equivalent of three staging track length trains.

I've tried to draw the local industries (the factory and team track) so they will be switched from the left end - while most trains will arrive and depart from the right end of the yard. That also makes it possible to e.g. split tracks 2 and 5, so the left end of the track holds cars for the local industries during switching, while the right end of the tracks hold cars being sorted for outbound trains.

Smile,
Stein

[Harry]

hi Stein,

many thanks for your effort

good idea > Harryville Yard

here is my Z.plan:

[steinjr]

Like your Z scale version - putting the engine house at the back and having the two extensions in front works well - the two extensions at the front can either be used for extra industries, or you can use the center plus one extension for an extra yard track, and leave the other e.g. for maintenance of way cars or stuff you don't need to access often.

Smile,
Stein

[Harry]

I seemed to have a trial setting with and fits well.

[Harry]

hi Stein,

many thanks for your effort

good idea > Harryville Yard

here is my Z.plan:

No Harryville Yard > Steinjrville Yard

Thanks Steinjr und machs gut :cry: