I’m just curious if someone can list some trackside structures that you’ll find around a staging yard, or any other details to help model my yard realistically. Any books or web sites would help too. My yard is a simple four track ladder. I have an engine shed for loco storage, as well as intermodal facilities. Any ideas?
John,
MRs The Model Railroader’s Guide To Locomotive Servicing Terminals by Marty McGuirk is a good overall book on items you’d find in both a steam and diesel servicing area.
John, do you work at Mayport?
Tom
Con cor structures makes a couple of buildings that you can use. They are the old Revell structures which are always on Ebay too.
The 2 I use are the yardmaster shed and the engine crew shed. These can be found now by Con Cor in the Walthers catalog.
Also I have the sandhouse and fuel tank for the locomotives. These are made by Revell but were later made by AHM which is now IHC.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Mark
Thanks guys…I wish I could get onto a few yards around here but I don’t think that’s gonna happen…not this day-in-age. They even kicked me off of the interchange of CSX and First Coast Railroad (see this months’ TRAINS mag…kinda neat when they do a story near you). By the way, Tom, I don’t work out of Mayport. I actually work at Kings Bay GA on the ballistic missile submarine USS Rhode Island. I live in Florida though…no state income tax nor reciprocity laws w/ GA. Kinda nice!
John,
The reason for asking is that I grew of in Jax. I read your profile, saw that you lived in Fernandina Beach, were in the Navy…figured there was a connection to Mayport. How far of a drive is it to Kings Bay, GA from Fernandina? Sorry to be off topic…
Tom
It’s about a 35 min. drive. 45 if I have to go down to the water. I only have about 3 weeks or so until I have to get ready for deployment. Kinda depressing…yet it is an honor.
John,
From all of us here at the forum…
THANK YOU!
Tom
Don’t forget a yard office. A locomotive facility at least needs a sanding tower, and fuel rack, as well as an office. If it’s an intermodal or industrial transloading facility, there’s sure to be a gate and guard house.
My yard is a maintaince point for the subdivision, so in addition to the locomotive service center and car shop, we have MOW, Signals, and Communications offices, plus their storage piles.
Nick
One detail usually overlooked is the air supply for airing up the brakes on trains. It’s just a pipe and hose sticking out of the ground.
I would also suggest Kalbach’s guide to freight yards by Andy Sperando. Also the new special edition “How To Build Realisitc Layouts” has an entire article on this very subject (Freight Yard Structures and Details).
Ron
It seems that a lot of people forget that all switches have to have a means of throwing them… whether it’s a ground through, a switch stand or a switch motor operated from a distance. Some ground throws/stands are electrically locked to a remote location. Motors and locks have power feeds and usually a relay cabinet of some sort nearby. Battery boxes/vaults are also associated with this.
Some switches have heaters for cold weather… these have the actual heaters on the track plus piping and fuel supply.
Telephones are also located around the track… especially near switches where access is gained to/from main tracks… so that train crews can contact dispatchers / tower men to get the switch unlocked or thrown… and to report when the train is clear.
These are small details that make a scene much more real.
For positions and appearance spend hours checking pics from the net.
Most of the bits are in Walther’s catalogue.
Just re-checked your Q… a 4 track staging yard… do you have an entry track and an exit from a main? I would look at putting these on motor points as (with track circuits to show the tower where the trains are) these would allow straight in and out running without stopping for the train crew to phone the tower/dispatcher… OKAY… modern could use radio… but if the entry is on a groundthrow (electrically released) the train would have to stop or slow to a minimal crawl to enter the yard. Don’t forget that a crewman on the ground has to be retrieved.
Tracks in the yard can be on groundthrows or motors…
Have fun!