Help with a designing a modern rail yard.

[JSL]

Hi,

I'm looking for help in designing a modern flat railyard. I have about 16 feet with a depth of 18 inchs, could be wider up to 24" for the last 6 -7 feet on the right side when looking at the space. My prototype is BNSF, with double mainline. Any ideas? designs. suggestions. I've looked and found some ideas, but am not 100% sure of how to arrange everything. I use atlas code 55 track and turnouts.

Thanks in advance!

JSL

[Brakie]

I apologize for sounding like a wise guy but,what type of yard are you interested in?


Small intermediate yard for local service.

Small sub division yard with tier 2 engine service?

Intermediate hub for intermodal,grain,coal?

[JSL]

No need to apologize! Intermediate yard for intermodal, coal and grain. Thanks for asking questions.

JSL

Also I am using elements of the Northern Transcon (Staples Subdivison) protofreelance.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What's it supposed to do?

Yard's aren't just there "to be", they're there to serve a purpose. Is it a location where intermodal trains are "created" (ie, loaded, blocked and dispatched), is it one where intermodal trains following different routes exchange cars? Is it one where intermodal equipment is stored until it's needed?

Same thing for the other commodities you mentioned.

Or is it just something to look interesting on the layout?

[MichaelWinicki]

What's it supposed to do?

Yard's aren't just there "to be", they're there to serve a purpose. Is it a location where intermodal trains are "created" (ie, loaded, blocked and dispatched), is it one where intermodal trains following different routes exchange cars? Is it one where intermodal equipment is stored until it's needed?

Same thing for the other commodities you mentioned.

Or is it just something to look interesting on the layout?

Great questions Ed.

Before I designed my yard, I figured out how many trains would be using the yard (Of course not all trains pick-up or drop-off at the yard) and how many cars would be going in and coming out.

I then broke it down by train/sequence.  That "told" me how much capacity the yard needed at any one time.  That allowed me to design the yard to fit the scope of the layout without making it either too big or too small.

[Craig Martyn]

It might be helpful to Google Earth some of the Class 1's railyards...  Plenty of inspiration and you can calculate distances, etc.

For instance, BNSF's Hobart Intermodal Yard in Southern California:  (Google Maps)

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hobart,+CA&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hobart,+Vernon,+Los+Angeles,+California&gl=us&ll=34.007011,-118.188193&spn=0.013465,0.036049&t=h&z=16

[nscalemike]

I apologize for sounding like a wise guy but,what type of yard are you interested in?


Small intermediate yard for local service.

Small sub division yard with tier 2 engine service?

Intermediate hub for intermodal,grain,coal?

Would you mind sharing some of the differences between these?  What would be considered a tier 2 engine service. 

[Brakie]

What would be considered a tier 2 engine service. 
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General servicing and light running repairs,30 day inspection,brake shoe replacement but,no heavy shop work..IIRC I believe these shops can replace traction motors as well.
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Small intermediate yard for local service.

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These are small yards found in small cities and towns that has a local or locals based there. These small yards usually has a small 2 track engine service area and no engine house but,can lack these facilities.Locomotives is refuled by private fuel contractor.
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Intermediate hub for intermodal,grain,coal?
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These are yards that is used for gathering lose car loads of coal,soybeans,wheat and grain which is then built into trains and where indermodal trains are loaded and unloaded..Another yard is a automobile mixing yard(also called "mixing pool") where autoracks are unloaded.