As I continue to refine my operating scheme, I am constantly identifying areas of my track plan requiring improvement. Over then last year I installed a couple new cross overs, and increased the number of industry locations.
Currently, I have one yard that serves as both staging for the entire schedule, and a working yard for my local trains. Until recently this worked fine, as all the trains originated or terminated there.
Then, I added several run-thru trains (NE-84 and NE-87, among others) to the schedule and realized it looks a little funny to the have the run-thrus originate and terminate at the same yard. So now I’m looking to shoe horn in two new staging areas to represent the north and south ends of the Penn Lake Railway.
“The minimum amount of staging needed will be 2N + 1 tracks, N being the number you thought would be enough.”
I don’t recall which of the modeling greats I’m quoting, but the idea is appropriate.
Since my operating scheme is pretty much set in concrete, I think I know how much staging will be required - about three times the amount of to-be-visible track! Even so, I’m building a couple of extra tracks into each staging yard, in addition to providing for cassette storage/staging of seldom-used items.
In fact, I’ve designed so much staging (and connecting thoroughfare tracks) that I’ve been building for several years and have yet to lay a millimeter of track that’s meant to see the light of day…
Staging will be even more critical for my planned layout because all trains originate and end at staging, there being no yard. A run-around track in each of the two towns will be available for switching the local freights. The problem is compounded by my like for long trains (up to 12 feet, 1045 feet in HO) relative to the layout size. Staging will be limited to five tracks which can hold five long trains or four long trains and two short trains, etc. Thus, the number of trains is defined and limited. Simulated helper locomotive activities and a small private industrial railroad will add operational interest.
Chuck, Tony Koester is often quoted for the N=2n+1 formula. And it’s true. I think I’m going to use Mike Hammer’s “surround staging” idea and run two or three track behind a low backdrop on the side of the layout opposite the main yard.
In almost every way, I agree… But my proplem with “change” is the opposite. Everybody always wants/needs more staging, but have no where to need the staging for! Since my whole line is a spur/shortline, every piece of stock has a home, has a series of yards he goes to, has customers, end users, and then back to his yard. And I built into the layout each user and supplier that needs each car. If I add one more, it’s in limbo. 36 cars. No more, but I can go less!
…Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes for fun I go get everybody and run a loop or two with two GP’s and all 36 cars and then don’t put them away… Because there’s no place to put all 36 away unless I put them back one at a time. Who doesn’t love to do that now and then.
I’d LOVE a staging yard… But I don’t have one on purpose.
I’m adding to my layout right now. I’ve got 4 long sidings planned. One will be needed for run-through, but the other 3 will be staging/storage tracks. These will, however, be visible tracks, so I could use the same space as a long double-ended yard.
I’m also putting in a car float, which is a form of casette staging. Additionally, I’ve added two underground staging tracks for the subway trains.
My original layout has no staging. I realize now that this was probably the single biggest mistake in that layout design, and I’m trying to remedy it with this addition.
I hear you. My large layout is a dogbone with the staging yards in the end loops. Each loop has tree tracks capable of holding 2 long trains or 3 short ones. In addition, a number of trains either terminate or originate between the the loops. I thought I had plenty of staging. Then I kept reading about more types of trains that I felt I wanted to add to the schedule and suddenly what I thought was plenty of staging is beginning to look inadequate. It’s kind of like storage space in a home. I don’t think anyone has ever said their house has too much storage space.
I’ve been playing around with a couple ideas, and hit on Byron Henderson’s X-Factor staging.
I can apply this where the main curves around a corner. I currently have a mountain/tunnel here, so by coming off the main each way inside the tunnel I can simulate the Bourbon River Subdivision’s connection to the High Bridge Sub (& New Haven connection) at the north end, and the Anthracite Sub (& Reading connection) at the south end.
Now I just need to find a spot to work in the Delaware & Hudson connection.
Sometimes it is good to take longer to build the layout due to room prep. CR&T is looking to add an “extra level” to the 2-level layout between those two levels dedicated only to Pennsy staging.
The CR&T portion is limited to the lower level and requires very little staging, but; the PRR located on the upper level will helix down in the valley to interchange with the CR&T. The Pennsy portion will require that additional staging.
The above-noted staging formula only confirms the need to add that PRR staging-dedicated level with a few extra helix turns – since there is no room for staging-table additions off to the side of the layout.
I don’t understand human nature at all, so I have to deal with it. We all end up with way to many cars, way to much staging and way, way, way,way to many engines.
On your pike they eat up valuable real estate or they are hidden in the dark, at often hard to reach places. The 2000 dollar brass Broadway Limited waiting for its 5 seconds appearance And you need one more for the opposite direction and even more for a proper night train; both east and west.
I am leaning more and more to a moderate amount of staging tracks, but with drawers or cassettes nearby; at least one track should be within really easy reach. We accept manual aid when (un) coupling cars or throwing switches. Why not with staging?
Some of the respondents are probably having great idea’s; a drawing might help a lot for really understanding what they are up to. And Nick make a drawing of your room, maybe some one on this forum can help you find a D&H connection.
Paulus, you make some refreshingly common sense points! I sometimes anguish over the lack of staging room on the small/medium sized layout I’m currently laying track on and am planning for car ferry/cassette staging. On a small layout it does seem to provide more potential jobs for people who won’t fit in the room “proper”, provided they aren’t butterfingers. Pics of car ferry cassettes that aren’t literally part of an on scene layout would be most welcome for ideas. Your point of view here made me feel better about my lack of staging room so thanks for the cheap therapy
you could take a lesson from the prototypes. stack em up on the main line. i saw this on the UP out in Nebraska years ago when they were experiencing their service melt down. had first hand experience in the early days of the PC when we lined up out of time westbounds on the old Big Four between Hillsboro and E St Louis like they were trained pigs. we used so many relief crews Greyhound had to run an extra bus now and then to Indianapolis just to handle our deadheads.
Grizlump, I was wondering if by any chance you’ve read the book “The Men Who Loved Trains” about the Penssy/NYC merger and the Conrail biz. crisis. It’s business/financial heavy but was still hard to put down. It would be interesting to see what a railroad worker thought about it after reading it. It would possibly provide you with some explanations as to what caused all of those “nothing is moving” snafus. It’s amazing that out financial/economic crisis followed pretty much the exact same pattern as the Penn Central/Conrail period. The main point of the book is that this was the end of the period(s) when men who grew up with and truly LOVED trains rather than bean counting ran the roads. Would it be necessary for one to have a fairly large layout to stack 'em up on the main to any really useful degree? I’m trying to run some scenarios in my mind on an 8X17 ft.er without stopping everything in it’s tracks…
Today I stimulated the economy and made a run to my LHS for track. I cut in the mainline turnouts and laid out the crossing and ladders, before running out of steam. So far so good.
I also think I found a place for the D&H connection. I’ll have to see how much space I have left over after I finish the south end staging.
I working on my staging project more this morning…
Looking toward the south end ladder. Main Line runs to the left. With the future north end ladder lower center. Unfortunately, I exhusted my modeling budget, to the electronics to control everything will have to wait until January or February.
My local library was filled with both British and American model railroad design books when I was growing up. So for my current Las Vegas, NM layout I decided to use a British staging method - a traverser table:
The traverser is six tracks wide, double ended and alignment/electrical contact is handled by rail joiners soldered to PCB sections, with notches filed in the side to provide grip. The traverser is 4 feet long, and provides adequate capacity for all the mainline trains I need to run during a session. The main reasons I chose to use this were the following:
Saved the space (and cost) of two staging yard ladders
Allowed all staging tracks to be equal length
Allowed closer track spacing than with a ladder
Could be built to fit my planned operating scheme
Automatically cuts power to trains not in use
Easy to maintain
Allows continuous running
At the top left of the photo, you’ll see a commuter train with two heavyweights and a warbonnet F3A on the lead. This was a purpose-built siding, to hold the train that then runs into branchline staging (on the main tabletop). Having run several operating sessions, I know that the traverser, roundhouse and branchline staging can hold, between them, every car and loco on my layout.
Adding a traverser to your own layout could increase your staging space - a cassette can only hold one track, but by using the space to the sides, you could stage two or three trains in the same or slightly more space. The traverser in the photo above moves in a space only 12" wide.
Below is a slightly out-of-date track plan of my layout - the traverser is at the top, slightly off-centre.
I had to make sure to leave space for it in the benchwork, but a smaller vesion could easily be installed ‘after-market’ in a space designed for a cassette.
