Final Track Layout

Here is the final track layout for the terminal board.

All of the track is laid but only the main yard and the fiddle yard are wired up so far.

In case you are interested, this was drawn in Adobe Illustrator by tracing over a photo of the layout. I stood on a chair and looked down! Here is the original(not full width as the lens wouldn't stretch that far)

I have tried to incorporate most of what should be there in a good freight yard. You come straight in from the main. A switcher takes off the caboose and puts it on the caboose track. It then puts the freight cars into the classification tracks - shown here as sort/store tracks. This releases the loco so that it can go and get serviced. This is done, as explained before, off layout so that it can be turned by the 'big flesh coloured hand in the sky'.

The switcher then sorts out what is needed for the local industries and delivers cars as required. At the same time it collects any cars for onward delivery as loads or as empties.

The main industry will be the coal fired power station which will take at least two cuts of hoppers every day. This should result in 4 or five freight trains a day in and out. On top of these, there is a Budd RDC which makes at least three trips a day into the passenger station. I haven't finalised all the details yet but that would seem to be about right for a single session. Obviously, at times, the RDC will be in the way of the switching which will add to the fun!