12-21-2014, 02:04 PM
Hmmm... I guess you need a small yard with a run around tracks so you can have some space for coming traffic and the traffic that is leaving. We tend to forget when we plan layouts using these wonders of Google Earth that the prototype has a yard or some extra siding to store the cars before they are added to a main line freight of the branch or the town. That is why many of the terminals having some extra trackage or near by. Protoypes are in to saving money and tend to use just enough trackage to save money and time. Maybe you can add another self with a three track yard close your layout?
I recently restudied The Beer Line books track plans and noticed this, in every major switching track was pretty close to a small yard and some yards where pretty close to one other but served different purposes. This was the case with Commerse Street yard and Chessnut Street yard and these were not far away from Humboldt yard. Today the yards may closed and lots of the tracks removed or paved over as with the Beer Line, but todays trains rely much on their operations with a yard somewhere.
I recently restudied The Beer Line books track plans and noticed this, in every major switching track was pretty close to a small yard and some yards where pretty close to one other but served different purposes. This was the case with Commerse Street yard and Chessnut Street yard and these were not far away from Humboldt yard. Today the yards may closed and lots of the tracks removed or paved over as with the Beer Line, but todays trains rely much on their operations with a yard somewhere.