Yard Layout - Can this be made any better ?

[Tom_Bryant_MR]

Tom,

What software did you use? I love your trackplan and am not ashamed to say I plan on using elements of your design.

Chris

I use XtrkCad. XtrkCad is free track planning software available at http://www.sillub.com/

Be sure to see the link for the free registration if you choose to use it. And, do the demos available under the Help menu.

Regards and thanks,

[rayw46]

Tom, I have a question, and it’s also for anyone else who is proficient at layout design. It’s about something I’ve noticed in a few other layout plans. It has to do with the location of the Yard in relation to the Engine Facility. Why did you locate the Engine Facility at Smithville so far from the Yard at Taylor rather than locating it at Elgin where the locomotives would have more convenient access to the yard? If this was a decision based on the prototype having the Yard and the Engine Facility located in these areas I can understand it. But otherwise it seems that it’s a long run for a light engine to make from the Roundhouse to the Yard and visa versa.

Please note that this is a question. It’s your layout plan, it looks good and I don’t think I’m in a position to critcize it.

[Tom_Bryant_MR]

Dave, I’ll need until tomorrow to digest your latest. You’ve obviuosly studied the plan and I thank you for your effort.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Tom, I have a question, and it’s also for anyone else who is proficient at layout design. It’s about something I’ve noticed in a few other layout plans. It has to do with the location of the Yard in relation to the Engine Facility. Why did you locate the Engine Facility at Smithville so far from the Yard at Taylor rather than locating it at Elgin where the locomotives would have more convenient access to the yard? If this was a decision based on the prototype having the Yard and the Engine Facility located in these areas I can understand it. But otherwise it seems that it’s a long run for a light engine to make from the Roundhouse to the Yard and visa versa.

Please note that this is a question. It’s your layout plan, it looks good and I don’t think I’m in a position to critcize it.

I feel that it’s the availible space that dictates the location of the Roundhouse, Turntable etc.

If he had the room against the Taylor Yard Wall, the facilities certainly would have been located very near the yard.

But in the space provided in the plan, the only place to fit any kind of roundhouse is right there in the middle blob.

I personally never thought about trying to run an engine “Light” from one town to the next before it actually goes to work, we used to deadhead “bobtail” all the time without our loads from the house to the trailer before actually putting the load on the 5th wheel.

Looking at it from a operational view, I can understand how the light engine move would make things a little bit interesting.

Bottom line, the availible space dictated that the engine area goes right there into the middle of the room. There is NO room for it anywhere else without trashing the whole plan and re-drawing it.

We could probably attempt to bridge the facilities into Taylor yard by way of the 18" walkway to the right and tie into one of th

[Tom_Bryant_MR]

Tom, I have a question, and it’s also for anyone else who is proficient at layout design. It’s about something I’ve noticed in a few other layout plans. It has to do with the location of the Yard in relation to the Engine Facility. Why did you locate the Engine Facility at Smithville so far from the Yard at Taylor rather than locating it at Elgin where the locomotives would have more convenient access to the yard? If this was a decision based on the prototype having the Yard and the Engine Facility located in these areas I can understand it. But otherwise it seems that it’s a long run for a light engine to make from the Roundhouse to the Yard and visa versa.

Please note that this is a question. It’s your layout plan, it looks good and I don’t think I’m in a position to critcize it.

Rayw46, SafetyValve is correct.

That is the only place in my space for a facility of this size. It is also that way in real life … or was way back when.

Taylor is a real place with a real yard today - maybe not exactly laid out as depicted but close enough for me.

SmithVille is also a real place and has a yard today … and way back when … it had a turntable and a roundhouse.

Elgin did not to my knowledge have engine service facilities.

Regards,

[Don_Z]

And let’s not forget the man behind the benchwork…who doesn’t want to make anymore changes…[:-^]

Don Z

[rayw46]

"That is the only place in my space for a facility of this size. It is also that way in real life … or was way back when.

Taylor is a real place with a real yard today - maybe not exactly laid out as depicted but close enough for me.

SmithVille is also a real place and has a yard today … and way back when … it had a turntable and a roundhouse.

Elgin did not to my knowledge have engine service facilities."

Tom, you’ve answered my question. I rather suspected that it would be a case of compromise between being true to the prototype and the reality of space available but I am not familiar with the towns and the rail facilities involved so I had to ask.

Thank You

Ray

[Anonymous]

Glad we got that settled. LOL.

Prototype or Model Space considerations, Id agree that question got taken care of but good.

Cheers.

[Tom_Bryant_MR]

… One way to fix that would be to make a 4’ difference in height between La Grange and Smithville, bring the main at La Grange toward the rear of the benchwork, putting more of the curve there and make the Colorado river bridge more straight across the aisle than at an angle. After crossing the aisle the main would go under the main lines and curve around to connect near the right siding switch at Smithville. That way a MKT train would make the circuit Taylor-La Grange-Smithville-Elgin-Lost Pines-Taylor. That way every train could get to both Taylor and Smithville. Having a grade coming out of the Colorado river valley is entirely prototypical.

Dave H.

Dave, last night I entered the twilight zone of the Dream-Plan-Build saga thinking about this post. It wasn’t that I was not aware of your astute observations. It was more that I had reconciled myself to using the Wye to turn the train if needed.

I google’d Smithville a long time ago and the wye in my current plan, albeit in Elgin, was an element I kept from my original plan.

And the interchange, well, let’s see. SP crosses MKT in Elgin but then I have MP in Taylor. How to make it all fit ? I admit it, I compromised.

Now, to your suggestion on how to fix the “turn the train once going clockwise”. I like it [:)]. While I do not have the four inches (my “benchwork man” is threatening revolt [B)]) between La Grange and Smithville, it made me think.

So, consider the red dashed line in the following and let me know what you think. This is something I can add later. Oh yeah. That red l

[Tom_Bryant_MR]

… You have room out toward your door. I would extend staging as far as you can (but don’t extend the whole shelf, just enough for the tracks you have.

I just want to thank everyone for the inputs to my posting a few weeks ago. I finally finished extending the staging yard as suggested. That extra 23.5 x 10 inches got me thinking about my operating plan and the difference this small space has added to it.

Original

Current

Again, thanks for the inputs.

Regards,