Isolation in a hidden yard
Hu Guys, i have a six track hidden yard with one line in each way, I was just wondering what oslation i should use, one rail after the turnout in and one rail just before the last point, or both rails at the start and finish of the yard? It is quite a long one so should I make is one power district or block? any thoughts appreciated. Regards, Anthony

That is sort of the arrangement I have. One rail in (from West) to three tracks and then one rail out. Similarly, one rail in (from East) to three tracks and then one rail out. Thus, two rails in/out Western tunnel, two rails in/out from behind view block. Rails isolated just after all turnouts - so block can be isolated. However, as I cannot see behind the scenery and thus could not see how close to the outgoing turnout the running loco is, I added another isolated block about 12 inches before each exiting turnout. That way, if that block is "off" the train will stop without fouling the points. Basically, you face the same issue and you may need an isolating block at both ends of your six tracks, especially if the view is hidden and trains can enter from either end. Basically, you need sixteen blocks for safe operation. A pain, but worth it.

Hi George, Thanks for the info, it is EXACTLY what I needed, and I have the same set up, terrific. Regards, Anthony

Hi Anthony, Some sort of feedback to your control panel is a good idea if you cannot see the hidden storage yard at all. Mine is 5 tracks with only one entrance and as it sits under my main station, I can pull the curtain and see that the trains have arrived. Touch wood, I have never run a train into the back of another one yet! I have however left wagons in the yard that the next train has pushed out! Are you going to automate the yard or run it manually? Cheers John

One possible problem with the stop block arrangement is that if you run doppeltraktion (2 locos) on a train, the first will stop dead in the stop block while the second is still running; if it can't manage to push the dead loco far enough to get into the stop block itself, the second loco could be damaged as its wheels continue to spin. The club I belong to uses Circuitron photodetectors in its staging yard so that the operator can keep track of things going on beyond his sight. One Circuitron board operates four sensors, so we use one for each track; two at one end and two at the other. The first sensor nearest the turnout is the fouling detector (red LED on the panel), which indicates if part of the train is too close to the ladder track, and the second (green) is the clearance detector. The same pattern is used at the other end. When a train runs into a track, it crosses the first pair of detectors (which confirms which track the train is going into) and runs to the far end of the track until it activates the clearance LED, where the operator stops the train. If the train goes too far before stopping, the fouling LED lights up, and the operator must back up the train until that light goes out. When the train is stopped the fouling detectors at both ends of each track must be off to confirm the train fits within the track length. Usually only one green LED is lit when the train is stopped, and it's at the front of the train, so you can tell which way the train is facing in the staging track as well. Though we don't use the capability, it would also be possible to use the output from the clearance detector to activate a relay which shuts off power to the entire track, so it could be used in an automated way. This would even work with rear-end helper locos. Jurgen

Anthony, Further to John's comments, if you have a look in the October 2007 edition of Australian Model Railway Magazine (p44) they have a review of an infra-red detector from Sidetracked electronics (www.sidetracked-e.com) which the review suggests is just the thing for showing when a train has reached a certain location on your layout that cannot be seen, or to automatically stop a train when it has reached the end of a platform, siding or staging yard track. The detector, which costs $33, has a relay which can be used for switching track power on/off. Greg