One of the things I have been working on is planning the New Brighton Yard. You may have thought that I had it planned out. After all I had the main line in and running through. I also had a number of full industries as well as background buildings set in place. But there was never a full plan.
I knew what I would like to have, but the space just isn’t there. I could get close to what I want but it would mean removing the engine service facility. Which wouldn’t be a deal if I was running diesels and didn’t need to turn them. But I’m not, I’m running steam and you have to be able to turn them around.
Or I could wrap it around the other end but that would cut into the staging yard. Nope, it’s never going to be a full classification yard. With that realization I have been moving ahead with the space.
One of the first things I did was to pull the background buildings out. While they do present switching potential, they use up a lot of space. Both physically and the room you need for the trackage and turnouts to service them. The full industries, the dairy, stockyards, power plant and a as yet to be named industry, will stay.
With the background buildings:
And with them pulled:
As you can see in the above photo I have my photocopied turnouts set in place for the ladder. Below is a better picture.
You will also note that there is a double slip switch at either end of the yard. Now I don’t like to use them any more then the real railroads liked to, but they do make other aspects of the yard work. For example, by having the one closest to us in the picture, I am then also able to have a switching yard lead so as not to block the mainline.
As it sits now I believe this is the way the yard will be. Not totally happy with it, (and won’t be till I magically gain more space) but for now it will do. I will probably hold of ballasting the track until I have used the yard for a while, just to make sure it works. Or if some tweaks need to be made.
As far as background, I will be putting in some very shallow non rail served buildings in to serve as a backdrop.
Next is pick up some turnouts and lay some track and see if it will work.
Till next time, Happy Rairoading…