2014 MRP's Extra Booklet on Yards

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Just got a copy of Model Railroad Planning and high enjoyed the free booklet on yards. Real nice job with this extra MR. I particularly liked the article about different types of yards, but it did also raise some more questions. I am looking for more information on junction yards and industrial yards. The article really didn’t include much information about them, understandably so, and now I am wondering all about these two protoype concepts.

I have run some trains around a rather large layout, and while it is fun to run a train on the mainlineI get more joy and entertainment from switching. I will only have a small area to use, 7.5-ft long, and will hopefully get that nice little N scale MP15 I also eyed up at the hobby store. I thought a junction yard or industrial yard would be good for this, as I like yard switching but wouldn’t want a particularly large yard. I don’t know enough about these prototype concepts however to start a layout plan.

So again, in summary, I am looking for information both prototypical and modeling wise, about junction yards and industrial yards. Thanks for any help, information, suggestions, or ideas.

-Berkshire_284

2

A industrial yard is used mostly for holding empties and overflow cars for industries and is usually switched by “cherry picking” since the customer may want a certain inbound car for unloading.These industrial yards can be part of a larger terminal or near the industries that it serves and is usually switched by the local.

A junction yard is where cars bound for(say)Melville is left in the small yard for the Melville train to pick up.This save back tracking the cars to the (say) Huntsville yard and then having to back haul them to Melville.The train from Melville will leave (say) eastbound cars bound for (say) Gainesville at the junction yard for the next Gainesville train to pick up.

My suggestion would be the industry yard since those require a lot of switching…