I can’t seem to picture this in my head and have not found any diagrams or photos to help me with what it should look like.
My layout deck is 4’ x 8’. It is single oval track with 18" radius for each curve. I am using Bachmann EZ Track.
In the middle will be the yard ladder. I need as many sidings as I can fit within the oval to be connected together as a yard ladder. The sidings need to be as long as possible leaving enough clearance between one another and the oval that makes up the main line.
The ladder will start from the main line. So far I have one turnout with the straight section connected as part of the main line. I am using a 18" radius piece with short, straight connecting pieces that connect to the longer 9" straight sections with a Hayes bumper at the end. The siding is parallel to the main line with enough clearance from the straight section of the main line and where the end of the Hayes bumper piece terminates near the radius corner of the main line.
I do not know what the next piece should be to connect to the first turnout and so on and so forth to continue with as many sidings as I can fit inside of the oval and making each one as long as possible.
I do know as I go across with each section of the ladder the sidings can be longer and longer until I get to the other side where I need to leave enough clearance for the radius corner of the main line.
Can someone please help with some clear, detailed diagrams, drawings or photos showing this so I can get a clear picture in my head?
I’d like to connect each siding to the next. Is the way I am trying to design this possible? Or do I have to connect each straight section of the turnouts as part of the main line with the radius section of each one being the start of that particular siding? If I do that all of the sidings will be at an angle and will be too short. I only have the inside of the oval to work with on the 4’ x 8’ deck of the layout.
Is this 4’x8’ layout to be an Island layout, or a Peninsula ? With this size layout table you must have 28" reach, to any part of the layout. It sounds like you are intending to go for HO scale. With this size layout you would be better with N scale. As far as layout ideas, you should type in “Atlas Model Railroad layout track Plans”. Then click on the 100 track plans option. It sounds like you want to fill the layout table with track. You should make cardboard templates of the industries, towns, roads, etc. to plan how and where they will be placed. The following photo shows how I made two templates of Hulett iron ore laced. Click on the photo to enlarge it. Then. click on “Previous” or “Next” to see other views of my 24’x24’ HO layout. Their prices are ridiculous. You should be able to make your entire set-up for much less. LOL Bob Hahn I really like this 4’x8’ layout.
It will strictly be an island. This layout will be nothing but advertising pieces. The original train set is an HyVee grocery train. I have since added more cars to it. After i am done laying out the track and yard ladder i am going to add even more cars. Some of the advertising is local to my area, some is not. I just need a place to park the cars i am not running with turnouts, switches incorporated into a yard ladder so i can easily and efficiently switch when i want to ruin other cars. For example i may want to ruin only the cars with the kraft advertising, then change to only running tankers with the caboose.
I assume your first siding has a curve section that connects with the curved side of the first turnout in a direction OPPOSITE to the direction of the turnout curve, so that the siding parallels the outside main line. Remove that curve section and replace it with a second turnout that curves in a direction OPPOSITE the first turnout. If the turnout on the mainline is a left-hand turnout, you will want a right-hand turnout as part of the ladder between the first siding and additional parallel sidings. Each additional siding takes one more turnout just like the second one, and the last siding will have a curve section instead of using the curved leg of a turnout.
Here is a sample you will have to “translate” because it is drawn using the Atlas Right-Track track planning software and has a different layout objective.
This is a plan for a 5x9 layout. Take the track arrangement labeled “Nueces Bay Yard” and move it to the right so it just fits inside the oval at the right end. I used a partial curve track section for the siding labeled “tank rack” to KEEP it f
If you are using the “standard” EZ Track turnouts (track switches), it makes for a very inefficient yard ladder because of the way the curve is built into the turnout. Simply connecting one turnout to the next (as one would typically do) results in track to track spacing of over 4", about twice what you need.
Using instead the EZ Track #4 turnouts will allow you to build a more normal yard ladder.
Yes, i am using a curve in reverse to make the siding parallel with the main line. So i under stand this and whether i use #4 turnouts or stick with the standard turnouts out will take a total of 3 turnouts to create the first 2 sidings. After that it will be one turnout per siding connected t each other. Am i on the correct line of thinking?
That seems a little harsh, Paul. Yes, strictly speaking, one turnout gives one single-ended spur, but the Original Poster was not thinking of the last track – which is why I pointed that out that the last yard track requires only a curve, not another turnout.
Cuyama, don’t sweat it, (cause i don’t) when it comes to paulus attitude. Since I’ve been on the forums here, as a total noob to the model railroad hobby I’ve already figured out paulus I’d a bitter purist who does not seem to like it when guys build layouts such as the one i am building. That is something that I’d not and will never be anything you’d find in full size reality.
That’s unnecessarily harsh, as well, IMHO. Paul helps a lot of newcomers. Not everyone wants the same thing, of course – but then again, not everyone is gracious about receiving suggestions for which they’ve asked, either.
