I bought the MR track planning guide for 2004 yesterday and I love the article on X staging.
I’m planning on doing a small 2x12 shelf layout, and I think X staging might allow to include staging on my small layout.
Is anyone else using this concept?
I’ll have to say that I’ve never heard of X staging. Can you explain or post a photo?
Yes. please enlighten us!
I always called it “bowtie” staging. Catchier name.
Take a point to point RR with staging at each end. Put a staging yard on the west wall of a rectangular room. Run the main line around the room and put the other staging on the east wall. The two leads to the staging yard cross to make an “X”. Assume the X is on the north side of the room. Put a connection on the north side of the X and you can restage trains by simply shoving trains out of the east staging yard into the west staging yard (or vice versa). Put a connection between the two leads on the south side of the X and you now have a continuous running connection.
Dave H.
Sorta like this:
or click here for enlarged:
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/track_plan/image/opt_4x8.gif
Just a thought
Harold
I havent used it but it looks pretty cool
Its planned for my layout. But thats a ways off yet.
James
I authored the “X-factor” staging article in MRP 2004 and Dave H. explains it pretty well, although of course you don’t need either a continuous run or loop to make it work.
The original layout that was built from the plans in the magazine worked very well. You can see that layout on my website at:
http://www.modelrail.us/gallery/id20.html
(As you can see if you have the 2004 MRP, the Kalmbach artists made a much better-looking track plan.)
Restaging for most trains is very fast, since one can simply back them across the X. The original layout was in N scale and we built the staging tracks on a slight downgrade to make it easier to back-in longi***rans with truck-mounted couplers.
One of the keys is to make sure that the trackwork is very reliable. The other is to have some rules regarding the “dispatching” across the crux of the X so that you don’t have an unexpected collision between trains that are supposed to be dozens or hundreds of miles apart.
Regards,
Byron
if i am right then this is just an end to end layout with staging at either end. yes?
if so then it is qute popular for exhibition layouts over here. i cant help thinking that you end up with alot of staging and not alot of layout. also unless you do have a continuous running line then 2 operators are more or less compulsary.
Peter
Peter
Byron,
Thanks for authoring the article you are a godsend to my layout, because previous to my reading of your article, my layout was going to be without staging.
I’m planning a 2’x12’ N scale shelf layout, and don’t really have room for staging. Now I plan on having the backdrop set about 6 inches away from the wall, and using X-staging I will be able to stuff two staging yards with atleast 3 tracks each behind the backdrop.
No, that’s not what I referred to as X-factor staging. The throats of the two staging tracks are close enough to one another to allow backing quickly between them.
This configuration is often loacted at a corner of the layout and the “X” may be hidden or visble (representing a crossing). The page I linked to in the earlier reply has an example in the corner with the X hidden.
Here’s the very crude rendering I submitted to MRP … their artists made this much more presentable in the article.
And here’s a way to use the concept in a loop. I used this on a layout design recently and it worked really well, offering most of the flexibility of true “loop” staging but in less tunrback “blob” width.
Regards,
Byron
http://www.modelrail.us
I’m glad it helped. That’s a great way to add the staging.
As I said in the article, I’m certainly not the first to use the concept, but sometimes it helps to be reminded of different ways to use something “basic” like stub-end staging.
Regards,
Byron
Byron:
Your x staging concept is very clever!
For those who may not know, Byron was the editor of the Layout Design SIG publications from 1998 - 2002. Byron is also one of the key people on Rick Fortin’s Santa Fe layout, helping Rick with his marvelous layout. Byron’s been a real godsend to Rick, helping flesh out Rick’s operating concept on his layout.
And finally, Byron does trackplanning and layout design for folks, somewhat akin to what John Armstrong used to do. See his website for lots of great layout planning tips and ideas: http://www.modelrail.us
We’re fortunate to have Byron on here giving us some of his great insights!
Joe,
I agree whole heartedly Byron is an incredible assest to our community and hobby. I wish I had the means to aquire his valuable time and wisdom to my own layout.
Great Info Byron… Keep it coming we can use it all [:)]
Peace Coyote