Hiding a staging yard....Yes or No ???


Z

Zack A

Member
I was out today doing some work on the layout and I got to thinking about the staging yard. Being my layout is an industrial (http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?35325-My-industrial-layout) type layout I can't decide if I want to incorporate the yard into the overall plan or hide it.

What I was debating on doing was build a elevated "commuter" track that I can have my North Carolina F59PHI loco with 2 coach cars to sit on or expand the track and have it go back and forth every so often. This would give me separation from the yard but will have access and would give me a backdrop for the other side of the layout.

Thanks for the input folks.
 
What I did on my lay out is to have the staging as interchange yards.
Easy to get to for removing or adding cars.
One is at one end of my point to point industrial setting and the other is off the middle of the layout.
It has been working well for five years.
 
If you're putting time, effort and $$ into a layout, why would you hide it? Isn't part of the point to see the trains?
 
Part of my staging is "camouflaged", i.e., it parallels my busiest yard, so I just make it look as if it's part of that. The other section is hidden by a 4" retaining wall when viewed from track level, but visible from a so-called helicopter perspective. This arrangement has worked well for me for the past 2 years since I rebuilt this layout.
 
I think it would depend on how hidden it is. You certainly want to have easy access to the staging yard for setting up trains or removing them from the track as well as rerailing trains that came off the track. Also, you want to be able to do track maintenance without to much trouble.
 
I guess it is a matter of choice. I have hidden staging on my layout. The layout is a point to point with a yard at each end. The hidden staging is used to move trains off and on "stage". Local industries are switched along the main line and the cars are brought to a yard at either end. Loaded cars are made into an outbound train and is moved into one of the hidden staging tracks. These cars can reappear as in inbound train at the yard at either end of the layout. Also, being a point to point, the hidden staging can be used for continuous running.

It's your layout and you have to figure out what is going to best for the type of operation your layout is designed to do.
 
I've got a "staging yard" on my layout. It holds about 12 cars which can be switched to make up an outbound train or inbound trains can be broken up and the cars stored. I feel that having some type of yard on a switching layout makes sense as opposed to having to add or remove cars from the layout by hand. The exception to that would be if you have some serious space limitations. At that point a yard would be wasting space that could be used better.
 
I have a dual staging yard off one end of my layout, neither obvious section for operations, yet not hidden. My main configuration is a dual main. The inner main is freight and includes a turntable w/round house and switching yard and has access (at the other end) to part of my staging yard. My other main line (outer loops) is passenger with 3 tracks at my main train station and access to 2 tracks of my staging yard. My staging yard LOOKS like a single yard. IF I wanted to make it hidden it could be done easily, because it a separate table/section off the main layout tables/sections.JD
 
I will add when I say hidden it's not completely hidden. It would be separated from view and give the allusion the train is leaving outbound when reality it's just being pulled into one of three spots. I would still have unrestricted access from overhead but looking from the front you would see the commuter line.
 
If you can easily access and see (from some perspective) the staging without resorting to tv monitors, IR sensors, lifting out scenery/buildings and so on, I'd hide it.

If it's visible staging, I'd include it as part or a yard of some kind. Interchange track(s) make good visible changing and have a plausible reason for being there.
 
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