Hi Guys, As alot of you might know ,Im building a extention to my layout,Now i can incorpoate a staging yard into it,I was just woundering how many of you have this in your layout,And is it important?
Thanks Carl…[;)]
I’m putting one maybe two staging areas in my basement layout. How you set the stage, your staging yard determes how your op session will go. Without it, you are sort of starting in the middle of whatever.
For me, the op session starts when a train from “the world” comes into my layout from staging. It is either broken down in the yard or it goes on to another destination. On my layout, it would get broken down just about everytime. Then when freight is collected from the rest of th layout, a train is built that is carried off to points beyond.
The staging areas more than increase your operational ability, they multiply it.
Is it important? I suppose it depends on what kind of RR you are modeling. If you are modeling Class 1 RR then it gives you a connection to the world out side your layout. I am modeling a small branch line & logging RR Located on an island with no Physical connection except by water. All incoming & outgoing commodities arrive & leave by ship. So I have no need for staging.[2c] ( also I don’t have room for it)
On my 2 1/2’x5’ N scale layout, I have two staging tracks for bringing trains on and taking them off. For the way I operate the layout, they are very important.
—jps
First question before building one is, “what am I trying to replicate or do?”. If you are doing the corridor like me where 400+ trains a day went through how are you going to provide that kind of traffic without one or more staging yards? Modeling a shortline with one engine and a slow pace is an entirely different story. In that case a couple of tracks to provide interchange that are “off” the layout is adequate.
My HO layout has a 4 track staging yard that is shared by both EB & WB trains on the mainline. I also have a 2 track staging yard for my C&NW connection trains. Staging allows me to operate 8 ‘through’ trains in adddition to the local and yard jobs that are ‘on stage’. The staging tracks were in the design from the start - If I did it again, there would be even more staging tracks!
Jim Bernier
My layout is operation based. I have approx. 150’ of staging in various forms. I feel that staging is a must if you are going to operate with a plan that includes connections to the outside world. If your plan is based off of trains being built and broken down at locations on the layout, you may not need staging per se but you will need lots of yard tracks and storage sidings depending on train size and frequency.
Another issue you might consider is whether you like to build rolling stock. If you build say 10 boxcars per year in HO that is roughly a five foot long block of cars that will need to be stored. Multiply this by 20 years and you can see the problem. I have a buddy who is not an operator and didn’t make many provisions for car storage on his layout. While the layout is beautiful (the guy is gifted), he is already running out of space to store trains.
My point is that staging should still be a consideration just from the car storage aspect even if you are not planning an operations based layout. You will want to be able to park several trains just to be able to run stuff for vistors etc. Taking finely detailed models off and on the layout is a drag. Stuff breaks etc.
My two cents,
My layout has two, a four-track double-ended yard on my double track main (two tracks in each direction), and another single-ended four track yard below the layout. I wish I had room for more tracks! I think they’re pretty essential since much of my operation is through traffic, and without somewhere to park the trains, I’d be out of luck.
If I ever have more room, I’m going to put as much staging as I can possibly fit, and I think I’ll put some tracks just for locomotive consist storage, too.
My opinion is that staging is critical if you’re going to do any kind of operations. I have staging for 48 trains in numerous locations. Another nice thing about staging - a good excuse to buy more “stuff”.
Tommyr, the car float you would use for over water connection could be a great staging area.
My round the walls layout will not have a hidden staging yard as much as I would like to have one.You see this layout will only be a foot wide so all space is needed for other important stuff. Of course the larger industries will be either 1/2 buildings or flat buildings along the back drop.[:D] I will have a working interchange though as this layout is being built for prototypical operation set in a industrial setting…