There are frequent posts here asking for comments or advice on proposed yard track plans. The following link provides a very relevant and intelligent discussion on how to plan for a classification yard:
http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html
If people read this article, maybe we’ll have less need to keep on answering the same questions. Or if they aren’t aware of the article, we can provide the link to save our keyboard.
Mark
It works, to. Made my yard a whole lot better.
I’ve been kind of tinkering around trying to design a yard for my upcoming layout. This looks like some good info that will help me out quite a bit! THANKS!!! [dinner]
I just printed it out and it’s going in my design looseleaf. That way when I lay out the yard I’ll hace it as a reference.
Thanks Mark.
Irv
One track as long as a train. It arrives and broken down by switcher. Road engine goes to be taken care of.
Eventually switcher has classified cars for various destinations. Throughs for other places far away go on one track. Local set outs go onto another track. There might be a few local tracks; one for each town or industry group. And a for now track for excess.
That’s about 5 tracks. Throw in a extra arrival/depart track plus 3 more tracks and a runaround at the drill and yer all set.
The best I can do is stage a train on the loop pretending that it’s 2 engines and 16 cars has arrived at the industry to road switch cars and take it back to the yard.
With my new Westport I’ve built a new class yard. And my friends say the new yard is much better.
More at Westport
Wolfgang
I see I’m not the only one to use ‘pulls’ for turnouts. I used lawn mower throttle levers for most of mine, though they’re difficult to mount a fascia if they’re already in place. A straight pull with a detachable head, such as the wood balls shown is much easier to work with.
How do you like yours? Are they still a good choice after using them for some time?
I use this way with push-pull device since 20 years.
Wolfgang
Great Yard primer. I guess I will have to redesign my yard. I was working on a design but was having some problems with it. This solved them all. I just need to find a place for some of the tracks.
I really like the way that your yard looks. I was planning to use something similar so I looked at your website. Turned out that even your turntable was located where I have already installed mine. Anyways, I will steal some of your ideas if you do not mind and will also, while being a reckless thief ask you one more thing.
Is there any problems that you have come across with this design? Anything that you would want to improve?
Magnus