10-14-2010, 01:06 PM
I am thinking to sacrifice most of the staging yard behind my desks to gain some more industries to be switched.
The "old" staging consists of four double sided tracks (1-4) and two stub tracks (5,6) that can hold an engine and two cars. I use it to feed the scenic part on the other side of the room with six different trains.
An alternative I have currently under test is shown below. Staging has been reduced to one track (5) only that can hold two trains. It will be separated and hidden by some industry (red line) that is served by track 3 and 4. Track 2 is the main and track 1 is a siding and possible run around.
The advantage is obvious, more industry to serve. I am also eager to do some scenery on the today flat gray painted staging area.
The problem is the lost staging space. I am afraid the layout lost it's operating concept. Where are the trains coming from and where are they going to? With only one (long) staging track (track 5) I "need"only two engines to run the operation. The old staging was good for six! engines.
May be I will put some hidden staging in the back of the other part of the layout too when I do the next mayor rebuild?
What is your opinion?
![[Image: stage1.jpg?t=1287081588]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/stage1.jpg?t=1287081588)
A quick photo. Two trains one ofter the other on the left most remaining staging track, track 3 and 4 with two cuts, empty track 2 and the right most track 1 with another train.
![[Image: Img_0372.jpg?t=1287083629]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/Img_0372.jpg?t=1287083629)
Technical remark:
The area (staging yard) behind the desks does not permit to have anything under the layout. The tracks are old ROCO like Kato with ballast. The turnouts are DCC controlled and direct feed from the rails. The area has a separate DCC booster connected by a 2-wire control cable with the DCC controller. The switches are controlled as set of points by the DCC controller (Intellibox).
I have to stay with the turnouts and the way they are controlled (and I like it). But I can get rid of the tracks and replace them with standard Atlas flex tracks. The Atlas tracks will be layed on cork to get the same elevation as the ROCO turnouts. That will give some flexibility and open the possibility to get tracks 1, 2 and 3/4 more close together (e.g. 2") and gain some space in front of track 5 to build a "very" thin industry to hide track 5.
An older photo (track 6 straight) of the right hand part of the staging yard
![[Image: IMGP3729.jpg?t=1287082887]](http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/faraway52/Misc-1/IMGP3729.jpg?t=1287082887)
The "old" staging consists of four double sided tracks (1-4) and two stub tracks (5,6) that can hold an engine and two cars. I use it to feed the scenic part on the other side of the room with six different trains.
An alternative I have currently under test is shown below. Staging has been reduced to one track (5) only that can hold two trains. It will be separated and hidden by some industry (red line) that is served by track 3 and 4. Track 2 is the main and track 1 is a siding and possible run around.
The advantage is obvious, more industry to serve. I am also eager to do some scenery on the today flat gray painted staging area.
The problem is the lost staging space. I am afraid the layout lost it's operating concept. Where are the trains coming from and where are they going to? With only one (long) staging track (track 5) I "need"only two engines to run the operation. The old staging was good for six! engines.
May be I will put some hidden staging in the back of the other part of the layout too when I do the next mayor rebuild?
What is your opinion?
A quick photo. Two trains one ofter the other on the left most remaining staging track, track 3 and 4 with two cuts, empty track 2 and the right most track 1 with another train.
Technical remark:
The area (staging yard) behind the desks does not permit to have anything under the layout. The tracks are old ROCO like Kato with ballast. The turnouts are DCC controlled and direct feed from the rails. The area has a separate DCC booster connected by a 2-wire control cable with the DCC controller. The switches are controlled as set of points by the DCC controller (Intellibox).
I have to stay with the turnouts and the way they are controlled (and I like it). But I can get rid of the tracks and replace them with standard Atlas flex tracks. The Atlas tracks will be layed on cork to get the same elevation as the ROCO turnouts. That will give some flexibility and open the possibility to get tracks 1, 2 and 3/4 more close together (e.g. 2") and gain some space in front of track 5 to build a "very" thin industry to hide track 5.
An older photo (track 6 straight) of the right hand part of the staging yard
Reinhard