Designing Engine Yard

[willist]

Hello, I have an around the room (11' X 12' X 2' wide) layout. I would like to add an engine service yard, and maybe a small staging yard. I want to do this on a peninsular, or maybe on a extension that goes completely across the open area. My scale is HO, my era is steam (transition era). I'd like to have a 90' turntable and a maybe a 5 or 6 stall engine house plus all the rest that would be needed to service steam. Is there anyone out here who could design a workable yard? Or is there any "low cost" service available that I could pay to do it (funds are limited)? I'd like this service yard to be workable, and my track planning skills are not up to the task. Any help or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[Jim Krause]

Have you tried looking at any of the track planning books that are available from Kalmbach (Model Railroader magazine) or Railroad Model Craftsman (Carstens Publishing).

 

[Dansco]

I found this link great...
The 10 commandments of yard design

http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html

 

[Torpedo]

OK, this has to be a typo (11" X 12" X 2" wide). I assume you mean 11 foot by 12 foot by 2 foot wide, not 11 inches by 12 inches, by 2 inches wide, which is what you gave.

There are professional layout designers, but they charge in the thousands, from what I have heard. Why not try designing it yourself, and then post it here for critique. Here is a web site that might help with engine service yard design: http://ldsig.org/wiki/index.php/Auxiliary_Yards

 

[Triplex]

Have you tried looking at any of the track planning books that are available from Kalmbach (Model Railroader magazine) or Railroad Model Craftsman (Carstens Publishing).

There's a good section on engine terminals in John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation.

I found this link great...
The 10 commandments of yard design

http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html

That's all on classification yards, not engine terminals.