Design Me a Yard!

[Ian MacMillan]

No I could definately make the service tracks better! Thanks.

The on demand tracks are for customers like NOK, that needs a large nearby car supply that they can just call upon. Basically an extra just goes in makes a pull of the required cars and then heads west to NOK. This way they are out of the way and dont need to be moved around in yard tracks if the yard gets congested.

[JDouglasFisher]

Which tracks go where so I can orient myself to this particular spot on your railroad in relation to the main division yards?

Joe

[Ian MacMillan]

Joe, you've got it.

Dont worry about the "wheres this trackage go" as it is the passenger only Lakeport Line around the city.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Here are some other thoughts.

You probably don't need a turntable. It might be tempting scenic wise, but operationally, I'm betting you're not going to have to spin much power. In fact, you're probably not going to need much servicing at all since you don't have a lot of road trains originating or departing here, so you'll probably just need to be fueling local or layover power. Right?

[Ian MacMillan]

Here are some other thoughts.

You probably don't need a turntable. It might be tempting scenic wise, but operationally, I'm betting you're not going to have to spin much power. In fact, you're probably not going to need much servicing at all since you don't have a lot of road trains originating or departing here, so you'll probably just need to be fueling local or layover power. Right?

Right. All I'm really looking for in the servicing area is pretty much a fuel pad and maybe a one track engine house to do some minor repair work for the engines on the locals so they dont have to get shipped out to Selkirk or Watertown.

The only reason I am throwing in the turntable is for passenger stuff. I dont have a wye to turn cabcars or locomotives if needed for the commuter trains, so I added it to the yard here for an as needed basis as this yard is next to the passenger terminal.

[conrail98]

Would you need a turntable or could you assume push-pull operations for the commuter passenger equipment since you mentioned cab-cars?

Phil

[Ian MacMillan]

The commuter trains are push-pull but I'm thinking that I am most likely not going to have a lot of extra cab cars on hand, so if/when, commuter traffic increases for a certain day in a certain direction, I dunno if I will have enough facing the right direction.  Boston does it with wyes at South and North station, but I figured I would save myself the space and use a 90' turntable instead. The turntable would be simply just that a turntable with only one track and no house.

[Guilford Guy]

Commuter Service... Hmm, does that mean you'll be getting some IMW Comet IIs and K cars? ;D

[cv_acr]

Right. All I'm really looking for in the servicing area is pretty much a fuel pad and maybe a one track engine house to do some minor repair work for the engines on the locals so they dont have to get shipped out to Selkirk or Watertown.

Probably wouldn't even have an enginehouse, just transfer the engines to the nearby shop for any work.

At Galt (Cambridge, ON) CP has a permently assigned job, and another job further up the branchline (Hagey job) to exclusively service the Toyota plant. The Hagey job just cycles autoracks back and forth between the toyota plant and pretrip yard; the Galt job brings racks to Hagey from the junction at Galt (and vice versa) and switches other local industries on the branch. "Service" facilities at Galt consist of a single track where the power is parked. There's a drip tray to catch leaking oil but no other fueling or maintenance facilities. Likewise there's little or no servicing tracks at Hagey either, though a permanent job is based there. When Toyota is on shutdown, the Hagey engines get parked down at Galt. Otherwise they normally stay at Hagey.  When required, engines go to London or Toronto for servicing.

Your "on-demand" storage would likely be handled by designating one or two tracks of the yard for storage - if there is not a support/storage right at/beside the industry (very common for a larger industry or industrial area).

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It sounds like your commuter ops are kinda like B'more's. MARC has a station downtown, but its shops are at Riverside, accessible by a branch, and it's also right next to a CSX yard.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qjb8858mgskd&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=31913435&encType=1

[conrail98]

Ian,

Based on your response to Joe and that the top set of tracks are the passenger line, would it make more sense to have two small engine terminals here, one for CR, the other for the commuter line? The commuter line would have the turntable and if you are going to have as much separation as it seems to gain the elevaton, you could tuck it between the two "mains". I'm really interested in this thread because what you are trying to do in your yard is very similar to what I need/want to do to represent Harrisburg, just without the commuter aspect,

Phil

[Ian MacMillan]

It sounds like your commuter ops are kinda like B'more's. MARC has a station downtown, but its shops are at Riverside, accessible by a branch, and it's also right next to a CSX yard.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qjb8858mgskd&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=31913435&encType=1

Wow Ed, thats pretty much exactly what I am picturing for this area!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You know I've got your back!