Sorry to post what is probably such a basic question? Can someone point me to either a prototypical or layout example of a wye?
We’re planning to use a turntable on our freelanced “modern” layout. I searched the forums for others’ thoughts. Of course there were discussions of “balloon” turns and reverse loops - which seem to be the same thing.
Many pointed to the obsolescence of turntables as a result of diesels being bi-directional (not that there’s anything wrong with that. )
Then I discovered the “turntable versus wye” discussions. I’m familiar with a “wye” turnout, but get the feeling it’s more than just one switch. But I couldn’t find a clear definition of a “wye” searching the forums. Wikipedia refers to a town in England. The dictionary says it’s a track arrangement with three switches and three legs for reversing the direction of a train.
Instead of thinking of it as a “Y”, would it be more descriptive to think of it as an inverted triangle with a spurs extending from all three junctions? (Okay, I didn’t say it would more concise.) If so, would it work something like this? An eastbound engine would enter from the top left of the “Y”; bear onto the southeastbound spur down to the bottom of the “Y”; back up the northeastbound spur to the right top of the “Y”, where the engine could then head west, young man, on the track that connected the upper arms of the “Y”?
For those who’ve routinely encouraged modeling what makes us happy, God bless you. Our diesels will have a turntable because they’re fun and a challenge to model. If I can figure out a wye, maybe we’ll have one of them on the other end to appease the nitpickers.
Sorry if this question exposes my ignorance, but I like t
If I was at my other computer I could show you a couple aerial photos of real wyes.
But picture 3 wye turnouts forming a triangle with a tail on each one. Now imagine making a 3 point turn in a car to turn around. A wye allows a train (or just the engine) to make a 3-point turnaround move.
Lets see if I can draw one with keyboard characters. Nope, won’t work. OK, lets try this. A wye is a Y that would have a straight line across the top and extending past the ends of the up-rights. If you made one with track sections, you would use three turnouts, one at each intersection. Sort of like a delta or triangle with tails on all intersections. If the tails are long enough, you can turn a complete train around. Also, you need to be aware that the left and right rails will short together unless you provide gaps in the rails. You could possibly do a search on model RR sites for wyes and get a better explaination and more information.
Go to your LHS and look at an Atlas track planning book. Mine (ancient) has a number of different wye configurations in the back, from the most basic using 3 Y turnouts, to some pretty elaborate ones, including a double track wye.
THREE 'Y’TURNOUTS allowing turning of a locomotive or car(s).
In the ‘wilds’, a cheap replacement for a turtable - such as @ Chama, NM.
In Modeling, they take up too much room. The ‘tails’ each have to take what is being turned. Example: 3 #2Y’s (#4 divided by 2) plus ‘tails’. (#3 Y’s for longer steam).
In cities, they do not have enough room, so used turntables
With the emergece of bi-directional diesels and consists, turntables have been filled in.
You’d be surprised just how many turntables are still in use. If you’ve got the time, use google earth, start with an easy one like Cheyenne turntable, have a look at the yard track arrangement, then start searching, hours later you will still be finding them !
Something to think about. wyes and balloon tracks take up much more room than turntables do. While many newer yards are being built with wyes and balloon tracks in liue of turntables, many older terminals still use turntables because the area around them is now built up.
You asked for a picture, and this is the best I can do without a ladder. [:)]
The unoccupied tracks surrounding the tower constitute the wye, with the tail track ending in the corner. The track with the freight cars, parallel to one leg of the wye, is simply a siding for car storage, also ending at the corner of the room. The tail track can hold doubleheaded Mikados, or any one of my locos plus a full-length passenger car, sufficient for my operating practices. There’s no room at this end of the point-to-point line for a turntable, but this wye fits into the corner in space that would otherwise be wasted. It’s also handy, being situated close to the industrial switching district, for turning cars placarded with “Unload This Side First”. [swg]
If you Google St Louis Union Terminal and poke around in what comes up, you may find photos of The Mother of All Wyes.
The actual station was a back-in, on the stub end(S) of two interlocked multi-track wyes.
Unfortunately, while the building (and most of the train shed) still exists, a present-day aerial view doesn’t even hint at the former glory of the track arrangement.
They are not always used for turning around. Sometimes they are the intersection of two perpendicular single track lines that allow the train to go in either direction on the intersected line.
On a model, of course, they are treated electrically like a reversing loop.
I modelled mine, shown in the picture above, as a former such junction, hence the presence of the control tower. The supposition is that the tail track is all that’s left of a former line that was abandoned and torn up.
