Service track arrangement?

[harrym]

In my new transitional era yard, I have three parallel service tracks, two leading to the turntable and one supplying coal, sand, and diesel to the other two. My question has to do with the order of those facilities once the locomotive has entered the service area. I have already installed the ash pit as the first stop. And I reasoned that since diesel would have been the last addition, it would be at the other end. Would there have been a standard order for the locomotive to take on water, coal, and sand? I model Union Pacific.

[Zox]

Would there have been a standard order for the locomotive to take on water, coal, and sand? I model Union Pacific.

Didn't UP generally use oil in its steam locomotives, instead of coal? If that's the case, your fueling facility for steamers and diesels might be one and the same. I'm not sure if they used the same grade of fuel oil, but at most it would be a matter of adding another supply tank to the same station that refuels the steamers, not an entirely separate area.

Also, I don't know if oil-burners use an ash pit, though I'm sure some sort of clean-out pit wouldn't be amiss.

[cv_acr]

There would still be an ash pit there, since the facility likely saw coal burners before they converted most engines to oil. Even if it's not used anymore, it would still be there.
Diesel facilities might be on an adjacent track, replace some of the existing facilities or be shoved in wherever it fit, since that would naturally be a modification to the existing arrangement. The fuel oil that those steamers used would not have been the same as the diesel fuel used in those newfangled internal-combustion diesel-electrics.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Is this going to be a "functional" facility (as in, part of an operations oriented layout) or more oriented toward just looking nice?

Both are perfectly valid (I've done both and am not knocking either), but knowing which you need will dictate what you should build.

[harrym]

Union Pacific was single track through here, so all of their service facilities were right on the main line, although there was a turning "Y" and a two-stall engine house located across the road from the depot.  This was at Plainville, KS, on the Plainville Branch [the longest branch line in the UP system].  The main line between Kansas City and Denver was 25 miles south, and Ellis, KS, was the nearest division point.  The service facilities included a roundhouse, turntable, car barn, and icing station.  But the coaling tower serviced two tracks [I believe, since I can't find my picture].  The Mike Boss painting of Ellis in 1950 shows the coaling tower over the top of a string of box cars, and it looks very much like the Walthers Cornerstone wood coaling tower.  However, the box cars hide the rest of the service facilities.  I do remember that the ice station was on the mainline about a quarter mile away from the rest of the service area.  The service facility will be primarily for appearance as a typical small town division point since I am not really into operations.

[NYC1956]

This might help with your arrangement.
I just watched a video showing locomotive servicing on the New York Central.
When a locomotive came off a run, it got coal first, then sand, then water.
Next the fire was cleaned and the ash pan washed out and dumped.
(Larger pieces of burning coal were left so the fire could be easily renewed)
Next the locomotve was rinsed, scrubbed with chemicals, then rinsed clean.
Finally it was turned and moved engine first into a roundhouse stall.
There it could be inspected and light repairs made.
--Mike