How to build a huge yard?

[trainzroxthehouse]

I'm trying to build a huge yard, one that resembles Selkirk NY's yard. I always, for some reason, just make a huge mass of tracks; but of obviously that isn't a true yard. I want to make one with a hump, departure, classification, etc. Thanks, and also any help on keeping the tracks aligned correctly would be very helpful. Thanks a ton, everybody! I hope to use the knowledge to make a great yard for my route!

James

 

[Jayturf]

check this site out

http://trains.0catch.com/tutorial.html

also use google earth images of real yards to get the general layout of huge yards.

 

[Isegrinns]

If you know, how a yard works, it will come automatically.

http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html

Try this, its a guide for model railroaders, but you will gain knowledge about how yards operate and how to avoid no-goes.

http://www.opsig.org/reso/

This may help also, they have great resources regarding prototype operation.

 

[FLWBStrainman]

First, I usually use any texture of double track spline. But not necessarily the track I want to use for the finished product. I place the double-track splines side by side, overlapping one track each time. This gets prototypical spacing. When I am sure all the splines are straight, I put a spline point about 100 feet from each end of each track. Then, once I have a spline point at each end, I delete the stretch of double track in between, replacing it with stretches of my chosen track. I then delete the remaining double-track stubs at each end and connect more track. Confusing, but it works for me .

Two tools will come in handy, no matter how you construct a yard. "Straighten Spline," and "Insert Spline Point." You shoud try to avoid tight or kinked switches if possible. Fixed track may also come in handy, depending on what kind of yard you want. And a little advice: train yards are dirty places. Tracks are often weedy and overgrown, and the ground is usually tainted with diesel fuel and creosote in some places. Don't be afraid to dirty it up!

Hope this helps a little !

 

[backyard]

If you build it...they will stop...frequently

Those seam like good tutorials to work with, I suggest that you complete them.

But once you build that "huge" yard, you'll find that even just empty it will slow-www down your operations just driving by...

The trick I have found is to try to use "selective compression" & reduce the number of tracks to just what is required to keep local operations active.

I have a wonderful 7 track yard built on a hill & a power computer & I notice staying in the cab is the only way to get by without stutter...even though the yard is empty!

With two or three tracks standing cars & four or five locomotives I notice an adverse reaction unless I stay in-cab. My drive by cameras all but stop the movement.

 

[Isegrinns]

Selective compression is always king... Even real railroads don´t have unlimited space.

Another approach is to divide one huge yard into several smaller ones.
By example, one yard for coal marshaling, one for unit grain trains, one for general freight, one over there in that industrial area, .... and one with some tracks to classify. I thing, 10-15 tracks for each yard are usually more than enough for our purposes.

Does the overall count of tracks slow down the CPU or just those tracks which are actually displayed?
I´m not sure on that....

 

[cascaderailroad]

Warning

If you have a large yard or engine terminal like that of JRFolco's-Cumberland to Connellsville route, if you load it up with all your dozens of favorite loco's, the framerates will absolutely crawl ! And if you even further load ithe tracks up with many, many, freight cars, the framerates will bring your video card to an absolute standstill. Sometimes locking up, requiring moving the mouse, repeatedly in a random pattern, viewing directly straight down, untill you can finally escape the overloaded high poly area. So large yards are great...but don't expect to be able to use them, loaded up to their full capacity of cars and locos.
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?t=50902

 

[Dermmy]

I find about ten tracks to be the biggest practical yard in Trainz. Sure you can build bigger, but a Cascade says you will be reduced to a slide-show when using it. Nothing looks sillier to me than a huge nicely-built yard populated with half a dozen freight cars and one train. Better a realistically populated small to medium yard....

Andy

 

[backyard]

Gee guys...

This is a train-simulator...

In cab is & always will be the best way to determine what you need!

It's not about a fly-over!

You need to experiment along with what you are advised by other route creators...of which you so have the attention.

I can't tell you how to edit this route, I have my particulars that may come up later, but just do it!

 

[Approach_Medium]

I built the CSX Selkirk yard using TransDem and Google Earth. It just happens that the GE images for the yard are good enough to see where all the tracks, switches, etc are. Then, I found a track map of the yard, and using both, I have what I believe is the actual layout of the yard.

You can download the yard from DLS at: http://www.auran.com/TRS2004/DLS_viewasset.php?AssetID=58798.

This should be fairly up to date, but since it was built for TS2004, might not include any very new changes.

FW