Are you talking about the diagram Elmer posted (which Rob quoted) - i.e this one:
If so, it is not clear rom the diagram whether the arrow on the yard lead just signifies “lead continues for one train length to the right”, or whether it signifies “lead connects back to main somewhere off to the right”, but I expect that the first interpretation would be the right one.
The significance of the length of the lead track is that it limits how many cars can be moved between the mainline/AD track and the yard body tracks.
There is no particular point in having an engine escape track in the body tracks at lower left, as any road engine at the left end of the train will (or should be) b
I have been studying this yard for awhile trying to put it inside an elongated o-27 oval.
I have figured out how to do the simplified version that you show including the caboose service but not sure if it will function.
What I can not figure out is how the switcher can grab the caboose as you recommend from the a/d track before grabbing the train without going on the main line. Am I missing something here.
Wouldnt it make sense to put the caboose service at the end of one of the yard tracks and build the train in front of it?
I am a novice but am coming up to speed quickly. But a few things still do not yet make sense to me.
using the main for a few run-around moves is not a problem. Chances are the switcher has to wait till the main is cleared. Parking a train for quite some time is not allowed however.
Placing a caboose on the end of a track could be done in theory. But cabooses need service too, so they were placed on a dedicated track. It would also mean they had to wait a day or so before the yard track was filled and the cars pulled. Just before a train was about to depart, the caboose and engines were added to the consist.
I’ve tried duplicating this yard ladder using the Atlas RTS and just can’t get it down to the length shown here. Do you have anymore info on this design? Are those turnouts handlaid? Would that explain why I can’t get it done with the Atlas templates in their library?
It’s frustrating me, because this is almost exactly what I’ve been trying to design, in the same area. And here it is, but I can’t prove it out with the software I’m using.
My suggestion would be to have your yard begin about two car lengths past your lift out bridge starting with one long siding that curved around the corner which would also serve as a switching lead on that end of the yard. You could have three to five yard tracks coming off your siding with the last track closest to the isle including a switch to reverse back to a couple of shop tracks. One could be an engine track and the other could be a rip/material track.
Having your yard set up in this fashion you could run a mainline train around the layout on “auto-pilot” while you switch the yard with your switch engine. The mainline train could stop and drop a few cars off while picking up outbounds. Then the switcher could go back to work classifying the new inbounds. You could even build a local served by an extra engine parked at your engine terminal to serve your industies on line.
With the yard set up in this fashion, one to two operators can have hours of enjoyment.
I don’t know what actual turnouts Robert used on his layout.
I just used Peco code 70 tracks when I drew my version of his plan in XtrkCad. All turnouts (except the curved one at the entrance to the yard) are Peco Medium turnouts (SL-195 RH and SL-196 LH). The curved turnout is a Peco SL-187 Curved LH).
The Peco No 5 turnouts are physically shorter than the Atlas No 4 (or 4.5) and have a slightly broader effective curvature. Probably just enough to make duplication of the design harder (used WinRail for the comparison, RTS is previous generation WinRail, limited to Atlas track).
