New layout with questions

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi all,

I hope all is well. I have a questions I am hoping someone might offer some assistance with. I am in the midst of planning out my new railroad according to the following givens and druthers:

Scale: HO

Locale: New England

Era: Late steam

Type: Freelance, single deck, point-to-point with staging on each end (option for continous run)

Layout height: 56"

Layout shape: Large U-shaped layout

Turnout minimum: #6 mainline, #4 industrial

Minimum radius: Mainline 30" (24" into staging at one end), industrial 24"

Length of mainline run: 48’

Staging: 5 trains in each direction daily (2 passenger, 3 freight)

Here is an image of a rough benchwork layout

Since this is a freelance railroad I am going to piece it together using parts of published plans.

One end of the railroad will be based on the plan by Iian Rice on Peterboro, NH. Instead of making this part stub ended as it was in the plan I will continue past Peterboro into south staging.

Leaving Peterboro I would have a large expanse of just scenery (almost 14’ long) prior to arriving in the next and final town.

At this end of the railroad will be a ficticious town that is not planned as of yet. I can devote almost 20 linear feet of layout space to the 2nd town and in that space I would love to have a relatively large paper mill complex, numerous industrial sidings, and a small stub-ended yard along this space (benchwork here will be 20’ long and up to 30" wide).

After passing through this town you will enter into north staging.

Now for my question and it is pertaining to the yard. What would be your recommendations for number of yard tracks? I was thinking one for each of the following:

  • through freight north

  • through freight south

2

John,

Your small yard will need a couple of through tracks to fuction well. My layout has a similar 20’ wall with a small yard that a town switcher and a local are based out of it. I have a small double ended 3 track yard, house track, and engine terminal.

I arrive/depart road freights on the mainline, and they pick up/set out from the #1 yard track. The #2 & #3 yard tracks are used to build the local and town switcher cuts of cars. The two passenger runs(one has 3-4 cars and the other is a Gas-Electric car) are scheduled opposite the road freights so that they terminal does not get too crowded. I have a total of 6 staging tracks(could use more!).

I have told by the ‘experts’ that my yard tracks are too small(8-10 cars), I need more, or my yard lead ties up a wye leg; but after operating the layout, most folks feel it operates just fine.

Jim Bernier