# Yard layout for garage



## gigawat (Apr 4, 2012)

I have met with my architect and we are starting to draw up plans for my new garage and garden railroad. 

My garage and garden railroad will be side by side allowing me to park my trains inside the garage when I am done running them on the raised garden layout. 

My plan is to have a very simple 7 track yard.









I think this will be 30 Feet Long and will exit through a hole in the wall. Directly on the other side of the wall is the raised garden. My goal is to keep everything at the same level so that my live steam locos can be steamed up inside. 

Each train is 9.5 inches center to center so I have plenty of room for my K36 and all of the switches are the R5 LGB switches. I know I will have to back my trains in when I am done. 

What are your suggestions? Do you see any problems with this kind of yard? 

I will start with this and a simple dog bone in the garden. This way, I can pick a train and run it and then when I am done, back it in... What do you guys think? 

If you have pictures of what you have done, I would love to see them!

Best Regards,

Jameel


----------



## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Jameel, If you had a "Y" as the first switch and then branched out both right and left 3 of the tracks would end up being longer and allowing you to store more. 

I love the idea of designing your unbuilt garage around you railroad!


----------



## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Start out with a left switch in the curve (the end of the curved section is part of the switch then. If you use for the last switch a curved switch (R10/R7) you geht a smotther end sidiing with more length.

Are ypou bringing the 7 tracks at the end back together? If so you can reverse the order of the siwtch ladder and each siding is equally long.


----------



## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Also, If you were able to add sidings back to the left on a second ladder track - albeit short ones, which is the point here, you would have room for a RIP track, ( broken cars ), odd ball cars, a caboose track, and loco storage and charging if you desired .. Short tracks can be an advantage also, to reduce congestion over the typical general car storage yard you are working on here.. 

Locos would be near the front edge and easier to work on, without taking up yard track space for cars... making the yard larger and more useful and enjoyable also at the same time! 

Dirk, stretch the garage some - do you have room?


----------



## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Add some crossovers (both directions) between spurs otherwise every maneuver requires going the full length out the spur just to get one car one track over, moving just a few cars becomes really difficult. Also without crossovers you will not be able to mix consists - Towers of Hanoi problem. Look at arial views of some switching/storage yards for track patterns. Copy one directly, figure they knew what they were doing for optimum efficiency - least distances and fewest steps to move rolling stock. 

If the yard is only for storage ignore everything above.


----------



## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Jameel 

Seven tracks on 9.5 inch centers makes the yard almost six feet across. Unless you can access both sides, you will need very loooong arms if anything derails on the far track. If these are truly storage tracks, they don't all have to accommodate your widest equipment. Using 8 inch centers for all but two tracks would reduce your width by at least 7 inches. I run my K-37 into all my yard tracks with only 7.5 inch centers. If the yard had any curvature this would NOT work. May main yard has 7 tracks on a deck that is 48 inches wide and is accessible from both sides, also is between 30 and 20 off the ground. My other yard is 5 tracks on a 32 inch wide deck, accessible from only one side. 

Nice that you have the space to keep your trains "ready to go" out of the weather.


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

I was about to mention what Jim has already said about width. 
Maybe you could just have the front track available for the wide locos, and for the stock, make them 'just' wide enough - maybe 6" centres. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


----------



## Wesley Furman (Jan 2, 2008)

Jameel, 
Consider a www.train-li-usa.com "Yard Switch". Pros: electric, perfect for indoors, can stack more rolling stock in the equal space, and probably less expensive than the total 6 3switches you plan. Con: Only 5 sides but could add 1 switch if you really need that much track. 
Wesley 
Livesteam 212


----------



## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

David 

If you do 1:20.3 NG 7.5 inches c2c is the limit if you need to get your fingers in there to do some 0-5-0 switching or re-railing. For the 10mm/1:32 crowd 6 inches or 6.25 inches will do. Clearly his reference to a K-36 says 1:20.3


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Jim, 
My 'suggestion' was based on that I did not know if Jameel had just the one 'wide' loco, and perhaps all his other stock was 'less wide'. 
Of course you are correct if he has ALL 1:20.3. 
Actually, my indoor sidings are set up at the G1MRA suggested 4.7" c2c, and that saves even more space! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


----------



## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

You don't necessarily need to get the 0-5-0 switcher in there to work on derailed cars. You could pull your cars all off the tracks (with your locos) that are in front of the derailed cars and then crawl or walk on your yard to get to the cars in need of attention. I realize this would be a little time consuming, but it shouldn't be a regular occurrence unless your track work or wheels are in need of work that should be done anyway. You could also put re-railers on each of the lines to help eliminate those times when you do have to go through all this. I have a tunnel on my railroad that is a lot of work to get into, but I did make it so that it can be done. I've had to get in there about once every other year. It's not worth it to me to make it any easier since any thing easier would require more total time then the total time to get in there once every other year. And yes, I realize there my come the time when I have to get in there at a totally inconvenient time, but we all make choices. 

Bob


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I have to agree that making it 5-6' wide will be tough on your arms. 

It is also useful to separate the live steamers from their trains and 'park' them while they cool down. Here is one suggestion, which is used on Mike Moore's portable track: 












If you were able to add sidings back to the left on a second ladder track Exactly. (Great minds think alike!) Use the shortest yard track as an engine siding lead and put some more sidings to the left:


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

May main yard has 7 tracks on a deck that is 48 inches wide and is accessible from both sides, also is between 30 and 20 off the ground. My other yard is 5 tracks on a 32 inch wide deck, accessible from only one side. 
A picture is worth a thousand words. The narrower yard is in the background and is full of narrow-gauge equipment.


----------



## gigawat (Apr 4, 2012)

I like that idea! Thanks!


----------



## gigawat (Apr 4, 2012)

This is awesome! Thank you all for your great suggestions! I really like this idea!


----------



## gigawat (Apr 4, 2012)

I plan on being able to access this table from both sides. I completely agree with you! I only have the K36 and a Ruby, the rest is LGB. BUT.... I hope to have more one day... so I was planning on using R5 Switches even though I have some R3 and R1 switches... maybe I should use some R1 and R3 for the LGB stuff... and the rest R5. I will be using LGB track because I have so much of it here.


----------



## cfra7 (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi,

I'm building a smaller version of his yard for 1:20.3 and have measured my Connie, my J&S coach, my coal hopper and all are 6". That's why I'm using 7" centers in the yard. Perhaps a K37 is wider than 6" but I'm not sure that is on my shopping list. I assume it's not easy to find trains 7" or wider. If there is a list to watch out for let me know. 

At 7" centers I can have 5 tracks in the yard. At 8" I can only have 4. It would take a very special train to get me to give up that much parking area. 

Please note that I will handle all switching outside the yard, so no need for me to put hands in between cars. I also don't change consists. Therefore I only touch the top of the coal car to charge the train and if I must work on a car, it comes in side the house.


----------

