well i ordered the track planning for realistic operations book like you suggested brian, and it should be here in a while.
but ive been doing some reading and researching online about planning yards, and thinking about my own. i came to the conclusion that yard operations, and really operations in general are not very important for me. i will still include sidings and a yard to keep the layout fun, but i wont go out of my way and sacrifice scenery for them. so i decided that i will build a very simple yard which will probably not include all that many functions of an actual operating yard. it will be more of a staging yard just out in the open. heres some tings it will have:
A/D Track: same as normally, just a place for the train to pull in
Loco Storage/Maintenance Track: will come off the A/D Track, a place where the loco will pull in to wait for a new train to be put together (if i have nothing else for it to do), or to stay there when im done running. it will include a maintanance shed so the loco will atleast look like its being fixed and stuff while its waiting
Lead Track: will come off the A/D Track and is pretty much a track which leads to the rest of the yard
Body Tracks: will branch off the Lead track. these are the classification tracks for reordering freight cars. a track or two of that will be reserved for reordering and storing passenger cars while they are not in service or when im done running.
Run Around Track: will be a siding along the lead for the switcher to be able to get around to the other side of a cut of cars
MOW/Caboose Tracks: these will be two tracks (one for MOW equipment and one for cabooses) which will branch off the end of the Lead Track.
There may be a track for cleaning and maintaining passenger cars but i dont know just yet, ill see if i can fit it.
The track plan will also be switched around a bit, and the yard may no longer be on the peninsula by the door but actually by the area around the bridge. Also as you may have guessed by my new yard plan, i am really considering passenger service on my layout. Cars will just be the 50' overland cars. please let me know if i should make my minimum curve limit be 11" or can i keep it at 9.75? Also i may just use flex track for this since the sectional track is just not versatile enough...especially the atlas code 80 with just 3 different curve radiuses. i knew i shoulda went for the code 50.