running trains and fiddle yards

[richrua]

I just had the best craic running a few engines , some light, some with coaches . Finally feel like I am getting places! I am now equally enthralled with my three 071 s as I am with the wee 141s. Something very solid about the 071s. Particularly like my weathered 073. Love the way it highlights the bogies and makes it look even chunkier. ho hum... is it possible to have a murphy model addiction !!!

Also, i had set aside an area for a fiddle yard. Finally got around to putting the baseboard in place but now i really see a branch line!!!!! do i need a fiddle yard ? really ?

[BosKonay]

If you've lots of stock and don't want to spend your time boxing and unboxing, then yes, a yard is ideal - but you can also go the 'scenic' options and build yards and sidings on the layout (scenic fiddle yard) and store / stable your rakes and locos on the layout...

[David Holman]

There are all sorts of options for fiddle yards, but as noted above, depends on whether you want a space for 'the rest of the world', or to leave it open & scenic. A good compromise is to hide the fiddle yard behind a scenic space - maybe your branch line?

The simplest/smallest fiddle yard is a 'cassette'. this might just be a removable piece of track [on a strip of plywood perhaps], or use two pieces of aluminium angle screwed to a strip of ply. One train per cassette, that you set up for each move on to the layout. Have used cassettes quite a lot, including on exhibition layouts and they do offer quite a bit a flexibility. However, perforce they need to be fairly short - maybe loco & 3-4 coaches, or the length can become unmanageable.

[richrua]

thanks bosko and David . plenty to think about there. I am going to go for an extra couple of scenic sidings - seems a simple enough idea. I think i will also try the cassette option if i need more space. Most of my trains a fairly short anyway at the mo. Thanks folks.

[Mayner]

One idea if you have a continuous run or oval is to use what American modellers "Surround Staging and hide he storage track behind a low backscene. The hidden track could be single or double track either a simple loop off the running line on a simple oval or part of a folded 8 arrangement.

 

 

This sort of arrangement can work well behind the scenic part of a layout in an attic as you only need enough room for a double or single line of track. I had this sort of arrangement on an N gauge layout in Dublin, I kept the scenic boards to a maximum of 300mm with removable buildings in order to reach point motors on the hidden section. Track cleaning was taken care of by a "CMR Clean Machine" running round the main line and hidden storage once a month.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Mayner

[richrua]

cool. That would work well with the slope of the eaves too. !