Next Two Yard Tracks

The first picture is from the Stadler Open House and Train Show in Salt Lake City, June 2025. The second picture below is from the opposite direction at the OT&W Train Show in Spanish Fork, April 2025. At this point I have the car float accessible via the transfer bridge. I can get all the cars from the car float into the yard and back. Those first three tracks are good for using like arrival/departure tracks for the car float or taking a lap around the layout. You can see the page about the Water Extension for more info and a quick video. The prototype had a moving crane so I know they were used for unloading goods too.

One thing to note is that on the plans the yard tracks were labeled 1-17 starting at the track on the right in the first picture below. I have previously said, “First three yard tracks,” meaning the first three I have installed which are really tracks #15, 16 and 17. Now I am mentioning the “next two yard tracks” I am again referring to what I am installing which are tracks #13 and 14. Since I have started from the track coming off the Free-mo module, all the track work comes from the prior piece. The tracks are drawn in the approximate spot because I am working off the prototype plans. There are a few spots where I need to have the following piece of track built before installing the next one to make sure things fit perfectly. I also have to be careful of placement of the Tortoises below the layout. There are a couple spots where I have to be carful of the joists but also since there are multiple three-way turnouts so close to each other some may need to be offset to be able to fit. There is a lot of pre-planning and thinking about how things are done before actually doing them.

For me building the complex track work is actually some of the easiest part of the entire build. Fitting and installing/glueing down that track work so that it is just right is the hard part. You can see that I have a bunch of the next turnouts built. I didn’t want to install it until I built the quad crossing to make sure what I have built will connect properly. Well, it is now built so I can install the next 3-way turnout which will allow me to be able to put in the next two yard tracks. I will install the next group of turnouts soon-ish – five combined into one piece of track work! I have even started making the three-ways on the right side and will work my way back towards the middle.

Stadler, June 2025
OT&W, April 2025

The following pictures show the install of the next three-way turnout and how I installed yard tracks 14 & 15.

The holes for the throw bar actuating rods have been drilled.
3-way turnout glued in place using Clear Gorilla Glue, weighted and dried overnight.
In preparation for the long, close yard tracks, long PC board ties were also glued in place overnight.
A bead of caulk was laid down where the track will go.
Using a 1″ putty knife the caulk was spread to a thin, even layer.
A bead of Clear Gorilla Glue was placed on the PC board ties for added strength.
Track put in position and measured for position then pressed into the glue.
After the long section with the ties was placed properly, the closer ends to the turnout were soldered to the ties previously glued in place.
Testing boxcars on the newly installed yard tracks.
Each track holds 4 36′ or 40′ car. A 5th car can be placed on one of the tracks but will then foul the other track.
Since these ties were glued the night before I didn’t have to wait to install the wood ties with a little bit of glue.
Weighted down to dry overnight. The caulk grabs and holds within a few minutes while the Clear Gorilla Glue takes longer for the bond to hold. Both are well bonded overnight.
The three-way turnout installed. You can see the left the next set (a group of 5 overlapped turnouts) are almost ready to be installed. Above that another two are ready as well.
Everything has been hand tested with the boxcars to be smooth running. Next step is adding the feeder wires so that a locomotive can go through and powering the Tortoises. Figuring out where to cut the gaps for the frogs was a little tricky but it was like a light bulb going off when I realized how I needed to do it.

Here are two pictures showing the clearances of these two tracks. If using 36′ cars on either track you can fit five and there will be just enough clearance. But if using 40′ cars you can only have four. You can have a fifth 40′ car but it will foul the other track. It will not block any other track so you can use the space temporarily. You can only use one extra car on either track but not both. When the time comes you can then switch it out of the way so if you absolutely need an extra spot to park something, there’s your secret spot! It will be easy to remember that the brickwork you see on the left is about the same spot on either track where the car needs to be to clear the other track.

If you are filling the yard for some reason, these two tracks are optimized by having ten, plus one, 36′ cars (or at least five on the same track) otherwise you can fit 8 + 1 extra. I doubt any of the other tracks will be so close but we will see once I get them installed.