Model Railroading > Compact Yard Lead

Decided to build a small yard so I shortened 3 Walthers code 83 #3 wyes and added 2 Atlas custom line #4 turnouts. Curves on outside are 18in radius. This fits on a piece of 1x12 20 inched long. Tracks are on 2in. centers.  Tortoise machines and operating Tomar switch stands are next.

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Nicely done-good job!

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Great job but 89' rolling stock will need to avoid it.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

Since I model SP 1949-59 that shouldn't be a problem

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> Great job but 89' rolling stock will need to avoid
> it.
>
> Cheers, Jim Fitch

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> Great job but 89' rolling stock will need to avoid it.

NAH!  Back 'em up thru that ladder. No problem!

 

I would not use any 50' cars either.

50's have no problem. I use short shank kadees and coupled 50's, 40 to 50, 40-40 all work fine. Same with the six axle Baldwins and anything coupled to them, no problems.


tomstp Wrote:
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> I would not use any 50' cars either.

Posted from Android

Nice work.  I'll definitely refer back to this photo when I get around to building my switching layout downstairs, hopefully later this year.

I'm curious how much each turnout was trimmed by?

Judging by the distance between the frog and the next set of points in the photo, the answer would simply be 'as much as possible'.
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...
> I'm curious how much each turnout was trimmed by?

I trimmed them back to the point where the stock rail for one switch is against the previous frog. The points are as close a possible to the guard rails as I could get. A while back I posted a couple of pics showing other switches I modified for my industrial switching rr.




pennsy3750 Wrote:
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> Nice work.  I'll definitely refer back to this
> photo when I get around to building my switching
> layout downstairs, hopefully later this year.
>
> I'm curious how much each turnout was trimmed by?

Posted from Android

Nice work! Say, what type of power will be utilized for those tight turns? Any Steam Power? 

Javier Cervantes
Castle Rock , CO

I have about a dozen Alco, Baldwin and EMD switchers. Also a few 6 axle Baldwins, all SP Tiger stripe. They all run through just fine. The curves look worse than they are, nothing tighter than 18r. I have a couple of #2.5 wyes and the 6axle locos make those with no issues. The layout is pretty much all industrial switching so tight curves are the norm.



superchief73 Wrote:
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> Nice work! Say, what type of power will be
> utilized for those tight turns? Any Steam Power? 

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/16 17:53 by SP4360.

Looks good to me!!

Posted from Android

For the trimmed ones, are there rail joiners in place, or was some other method used to hold the rails in alignment (and in gauge)?  I can't really tell from the pic.

SP4360 Wrote:
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> I have about a dozen Alco, Baldwin and EMD
> switchers. Also a few 6 axle Baldwins, all SP
> Tiger stripe. They all run through just fine. The
> curves look worse than they are, nothing tighter
> than 18r. I have a couple of #2.5 wyes and the
> 6axle locos make those with no issues. The layout
> is pretty much all industrial switching so tight
> curves are the norm.
>Excited to see Tiger Stripes in action! 
>
>
> superchief73 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nice work! Say, what type of power will be
> > utilized for those tight turns? Any Steam
> Power? 
>
> Posted from Android

Javier Cervantes
Castle Rock , CO

I cut joiners in half and soldered everything. The neat trick was to remove the rail on the back of the frog without breaking the spike heads off. The rail was slid back into place and a little acc and everything is lined up.



pennsy3750 Wrote:
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> For the trimmed ones, are there rail joiners in
> place, or was some other method used to hold the
> rails in alignment (and in gauge)?  I can't
> really tell from the pic.

Posted from Android

Looks like the trackage you would see at the front of a street car carbarn. 

PHall Wrote:
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> Looks like the trackage you would see at the front
> of a street car carbarn. 

I wouldn't want to be the field man kicking cars in that yard.

-LD

LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Looks like the trackage you would see at the
> front
> > of a street car carbarn. 
>
> I wouldn't want to be the field man kicking cars
> in that yard.
>
> -LD

Who kicks cars into a carbarn???

LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Looks like the trackage you would see at the
> front
> > of a street car carbarn. 
>
> I wouldn't want to be the field man kicking cars
> in that yard.

Now there's a realistic model railroad operating consideration.

Not only where do the cars go, but where does the field man go? My guess is that the foreman will look at the list, think about it, then sluff the cars for the high tracks or the low tracks to the other side, whichever way would result in the fewest cars to re-handle, then bang out those into the remaining tracks.

For example, put the 1s to 1, the 2s to 2, the 3s to 3, and the 4-5-6s to 4, then come out with 4 and put away the 4s, 5s, and 6s. If they don't have radios, they'll need a three man switch crew to pass signs because of the switch stands on both sides.


TAW