The Transcontinental PRR

[eric220]

I played around with the yard a bit, and I managed to come up with a six track hump next to a three track flat yard. That's one more total track than all flat. The longest hump track is the longest track in the class yard, but the shortest is about half the length of the flat class tracks. It also required me to reduce the length of the A/D yard a bit.

I'll post the design after I get home and play around with it a bit more.

[John]

I managed to come up with a six track hump next to a three track flat yard.

I can't picture this in the transcontinental PRR scheme of things ...

[eric220]

Yeah, It really should be a 36 track yard, but I think asking the operators to reach in 45 to 54 inches to the back track is a bit much.  Having said that, it replaces the planned 8 track flat yard, so it's a step in the right direction.

[eric220]

Here's what I've got in mind.  The red tracks are the mains.



The three flat yard tracks are 80 inches long.  The shortest hump track is roughly 45 inches long and the two longest are roughly 85 inches long.

[MichaelWinicki]

Here's what I've got in mind.  The red tracks are the mains.



The three flat yard tracks are 80 inches long.  The shortest hump track is roughly 45 inches long and the two longest are roughly 85 inches long.

What trains/cars would be classified via the hump yard as opposed to those classified via the flat yard Eric?

[eric220]

"Do not hump" cars would be classed in the flat yard. It can also be used to move cuts off the bowl tracks so that they can be reused. Finally, given the orientation of the yard, cuts from the A/D yard will probably have to be dropped off there so that the hump engine(s) can attach at the correct end.

[davefoxx]

Eric,

What are you doing with the yard lead from the hump's classification tracks?  If I am interpreting your plan correctly, pulling a cut of cars out takes the switcher out onto one of the four tracks in your mainline, that is, unless you're going to take them back over the hump, which I don't believe is efficient and likely not prototypical.

NOTE: If I have totally misinterpreted the plan, in my defense, I'm colorblind and am having trouble distinguishing the red tracks in your plan.   

DFF

[eric220]

Dave- you are interpretating correctly. The "four track main" is only aesthetically so. It's functionally a two track main with a yard lead between and a branch line beside.

[eric220]

Given the direction that this yard has gone, I'm wondering if it's going to make more sense to bring the mains back together above the yard. I'll play around with the idea tonight after work.

[John]

Most humps I have seen have some sort of arrival yard .. where trains get dropped .. then the hump engines pulls trains out of it .. shoves them over .. and send them to various bowl tracks ..   so your plan should have two places to store cars - preferably in line ..  if you have the room

[eric220]

The A/D yard ladder can be seen at the top of those images. It is in line with the class yard via a short run over the "main". I put that in quotes because the number of trains running through this area on the main will be minimal. It's the east end of the layout where the eastbound main turns back into the westbound main, so the orientation is contrived anyway. In the end, it's really more of a continuous running option than a true mainline.

[kelticsylk]

I seem to recall an article about using air jets as retarders in a scale hump yard. Not sure where I saw it or how it would be accomplished. First thought in my head was some sort of cellophane "fingers" sticking up between the ties.

Either way I want to see how you pull this off.

[kelticsylk]

Most humps I have seen have some sort of arrival yard .. where trains get dropped .. then the hump engines pulls trains out of it .. shoves them over .. and send them to various bowl tracks ..   so your plan should have two places to store cars - preferably in line ..  if you have the room

It's that way at Altoona. Westbound receiving yard serves the hump for the westbound classification yard...

Notice the mains passing below the yards. Two tracks run under the hump at HOMER. These are passenger tracks that bypass the yard complex. The freight mains continue into the eastbound portions of the yards...

This is an image of the entire complex circa 1945...

[MichaelWinicki]

That's the way it worked here in Olean too Frank.

You had a North Receiving Yard and a South Receiving Yard.

The trains would then be "humped" into their respective classification tracks.

[Bsklarski]

"Do not hump" cars would be classed in the flat yard.

They still go over the hump just the same lol.