Hidden staging?

I read a lot of information out there while designing our 26x17 track plan and decided against the hidden staging yard. We also had to decide what was more important as far as having a visible yard, or an engine facility. Ultimately we went with the engine facility because it will be the focal point of the entire layout. Cars are cars, and they can be displayed on shelves around the room. Engines however, are massive, and draw everyone's attention, not to mention, the majority of the cash flow of the layout. We have 3 mainlines, 3 different levels, with a few sidings long enough to park a complete train, but didn't have the room to do an adequate yard and didn't want to hassle with hidden staging for several reasons. Just my opinion of course.....but no regrets so far.

 

Now if we had a room that had 40-50 feet on one side..........oh yeah, double ended yard with a yard lead for switching and building trains.

I suspect the reason that one wouldn't want staging under the main level, is it makes switching more difficult. If you're doing switching, you need to see the car numbers, and be able to access any derailments.

I have one massive "staging yard", and am going to build a second smaller one. The big one has 5 tracks that are 120 feet long each. It wraps around under half the layout. I don't use it for switching, it just holds complete trains. Each track can hold 5 or 6 trains in the queue. Switching will be done when trains arrive "on stage" at one of the yards.

The yard is double ended, but inside a reverse loop. The access is via a double track helix, with a single crossover that funnels all trains onto an arrival track. From there they enter one of the 5 tracks.

The helix



below: the entrance from the helix is at the right, all trains go to the track near the wall where the yellow hopper is.



The entry ladder at the far end of the arrival track. The tracks in the foreground are about 60 feet from the ladder, after looping around.



240 degree hairpin turn.

Paul,

 

My PRR Panhandle (check it out on the Photo forum) has a hidden storage yard.  The intent is to use the yard to store short trains entering / departing the steel mill.  Cabeese (cabin cars in PRR speak), come off the train up top on the main layout.  The Weirton Steel Alco S-2 moves short cuts of hoppers and iron ore jennies into the yard.  It also takes coil covered gondolas, empties, and slag cars out.  The plan is simply to grab short cuts as the slope is too steep for more than 4-5 cars.  At some point, I will put a cheap camera down there.

 

George

Hidden vs visible staging yards would depend on the overall size of your layout and the volume of trains that you want to run. Also trade-offs of scenery area vs track, etc.

 

On some of the bigger HO layouts I prefer the idea of visible staging yards, which can represent a division point yard where trains stop anyway to change crews. I use this idea on my modest-size HO layout. I like to have my trains on display; it's not a huge collection.

 

If the space is available, visible yards are much easier to work with. They could be masked from the main part of the layout behind a scenic divider if space is available.

 

Stacked yards could help save space if they can be fit into the track plan and arranged for good access. Hidden yards with poor access are a possible problem area, although John Armstrong had an "inverted loop" arrangement that required back-up moves into a small hidden yard and he made it work reliably.

 

I think it depends on how you run your trains. I have 6 lower level storage tracks that are pretty much a necessity for the way my railroad is run. 

 

You need to keep lower level storage tracks simple and easily accessible. My guess is most layouts fail in this regard and why people don't recommend it. I left plenty of room to get to the trains. I'll probably cover the lower level sides with curtains. There is one point where I can see the operation of all of the lower level and watch the trains move in and out even when the scenery is done. I haven't had any trouble in 8 years or more.

 

 

Thanks for the replys everyone.

 

Eliot: Wow! A 120' staging yard! That's awesome. I wish I had that kid of space but just like you I don't want to do any switching in the staging yard. It isn't for that. It is a place for whole trains to go when they go "off the layout". Like a northbound passenger train goes into the staging and later on comes back on the layout in the opposite direction.

 

Ace, you're right in that HO layouts that have staging yards do not usually do not hide them but this is O scale where space is it at premium. So I guess I have my answer. As long as I can make it accessible it isn't that bad to have under the layout staging. I'm thinking a 4 or maybe 5 track yard. I feel that if I leave out the staging yard I will regret it later and then it would be really hard to add it in.

 

Thanks a lot.

We have an 8 track hidden yard directly under our main yard.  We have the throat switches located where they are easy to reach.  I have never derailed a train on a piece of straight track so that is not an issue.  To monitor the switching into and out of the yard we use a Harbor Freight b&w tv setup.  The current price is $89 but if you are patient it will be on sale at your local store for $49 to $59 during one of their parking lot sales.  Have fun!    Russ

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/b...s-monitor-66556.html 

 

 All I have right now is basically a big loop around the walls built on my old G gauge benchwork. Looking at you guy's layout, I'm thinking now I could build on top of it and use that as staging? I already have an engine yard and car yard attached so I wasn't crazy about tearing it out. I wanted an upper level. I'm not crazy about double decks. So I'm thinking just have the mainline track rise up and run over the existing modular benchwork?

 Christopher and Elliot, Is there any post or site that has your track plans??

Joe,

Here is the plan. First are the visible and planned scenic levels of the layout. It is basically a twice around with a lobe.

 

The green lines in the second image show the route to lower level storage from the visible levels. There have been a few storage tracks added since this plan was done.

It is 24'x26'.

 

My staging yard is in the next room at the same level as the main layout so I can just walk in there and see what I am doing.  If your layout is in your basement you can just put a hole in your wall and have a yard along one wall of your furnace room.

.....

Dennis

 Wow Christopher, I must be stoned. I'll have to stare at that one for awhile to grasp it, but thanks!!!

Joe, my track plan is in the forum topic link in my signature. It is hand drawn, and kind of hard to read because it is a photograph of a printed sheet. That doesn't show the hidden level though, just the two main levels. The lower level track work is getting closer to completion, and I'd like to have it done by fall. Then it's on to the upper level.

Here's the schematic of the hidden yard.



It goes down the wall at the top of the plan, then follows the left wall to the second peninsula, then does that 240 degree turn, and follows itself back to the helix.