Ok, I truly prefer through yards for ease of operation. With operations in mind, what are some prototypical designs for stub end yards? I am thinking at least one track for inbound trains, one for out band and the rest for classifaction. What are some methods of engine escapes. If I were to go with the stub end yard, I was thinking of double cross-overs for engine escapes. I am still leaning on a through yard. Just wondering if anyone is using a stub end yard and how they incorporate that into their operations. Thanks All
Are you asking how the prototype does it or how modlers do it? From what I have seen on layouts stub end yards are the norm with a single crossover for an engine escape (if anything). On the Grey and Grandure there is no escape: 1) For the most part cars are pushed into the various tracks. 2) If an engine is stuck at a stub end a 2nd engine, (the yard goat) will a) Pull the cars off b) Let the engine escape c) Put the cars back Fouling the main is not acceptable. The GN would Not take kindly to this action Using this for example as it is the same track arrangement as the GandG, (except that there is no crossover): In the above design: Cars are dropped off from the main on the shared track The yard goat picks them up and stores / makes up trains for the industrial area Local engines arrive drop off cars and pick up cars destined for the industrial area [ March 09, 2006, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: Grey One ]
I am planning on a stub end yard. NO loco escapes. justpull in and wait for the switchers to pull your train off to another spur. Perhaps not prototype,but it will add more operating fun.
I am also plannig for a stub-end yard to represent the NP "Tidewater Flats" Yard in Tacoma. I do not plan for an engine escape but for a dedicated arrival / departure track (basically just a siding of the mainline). Trains will arrive, uncouple the road engine, the yard engine pulls the whole train into the yard lead and the road engine can move to the roundhouse. So the bigger road engines will never need to go into the yard tracks. The plan looks something like this: Cheers Dirk
Thankls for the input guys. I am thinking of a stub end yard just because it provides more storage space in a given amount of real estate.
Oh, this is exactly what I was trying to figure out for my yard! I guess I just didn't know how to ask. So until my small railroad is busy enough to warrant expansion to a large double ended yard, it will have to operate like Geeky and Dirk.
I don't have any photos but do have some maps and satellite images. Marion, Ohio is home to one of the former Erie railroad's major yards as you can see from the topomap provided below. The following link is a topo map of the Erie/Erie Lackawana yard in Marion OH from 1981. http://www.geocities.com/nw_powhatan/1981TopoMap_MarionOH.jpg By 1994 the following satellite image reveals that the yard is now for all practical purposes a stub ended yard and a shell of its former glory days. By this time Conrail has removed the former Erie Lackawana main west of the Marion yard and reduced the capacity of the yard. http://www.geocities.com/nw_powhatan/1994SatelliteImg_MarionOH.jpg CSX still uses the remaining yard and from my visits there seem to switch it as a stub ended yard. I've seen eastbound trains arrive from Indy pull past the diamonds on the former C&O (CSX Toledo line) and Pennsy (NS Sandusky line) mains and back into the yard arrival tracks. This is a very rough schematic of what I can tell from my visits remains of the yard. Hope this provides a decent example of a prototype stub ended yard even if it wasn't orginially built as one.
I did a quick google: Superb article: http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html A site about "The Interstate Railroad" which at one point had a stub end http://www.interstaterailroad.net/id72.html Edit I sent a note to the site owner ask of the state of this yard today. He explained that it was never stub ended. oh well. So much for my reading comprehension skills. [ March 10, 2006, 03:09 PM: Message edited by: Grey One ]
So here is an idea based on everyone's feedback. Have a nice long yard lead where an inbound train can park, mainline locos cutoff and head for the service facility, yard locos pull the train into the yard. As far as outbound trains, that would seem easy, just have the mainline locos pick up the cars directly from the yard. Thoughts?
Here is a pic of the very very rough draft of Canton Yard from the Canton Divison 5.0 (version 5.0 is the current version being drafted) The yard is a double ended yard, but I think a stub ended yard would achieve the following: 1. More room for sorting and storing cars 2. less expensive than a double ended yard (less turnouts) 3. Enjoyable and believable operations are still possible with a stub ended yard. Here is a pic of the current double ended yard as drafted......I dont like it.
Here was the yard plan in version 4.0 Huge yard but I am thinking may have been overkill. (the benchwork is much differnt in layout plan 5.0)
I think that the first yard you might consider having the first 2 tracks double ended and the rest be stub ended. The 2nd one? < low whistle >nice. If you want to model a yard that would be really cool but if not, then yes, it is overkill.
The biggest issue I have with the large yard from plan 4.0 is well...it's huge. It eats up allot of real estate on the main level of the layout. ug....I am going to have to fiddle around some more
