# Buildings needed in a Steam Era Rail yard



## Ren (May 31, 2012)

Can anyone tell me what types of buildings or Services I should include in a 50s themed railyard? or a site I can find this info on?
Coal chute?
Water tower?
types of Signal towers etc

I want to ensure I have an accurate as possible looking rail yard

thanks
Ren


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Coaling tower
Ash pit and tower
Water tower
Service area (square shop or roundhouse.)
You'd probably have stands for train orders and the flag type signals as well.

This is a great resource for all kinds of prototype information.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/


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## Ren (May 31, 2012)

thanks


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

As above...with a sanding tower.

Don't forget your caboose service track, usually an old coverted caboose with its trucks removed, it would have all necessary lanterns, fuses, tools, plus a coal bin for the stoves.

At either end of your yard you'd have a small shack with an air compressor in it to air up the brakes in a train for testing before leaving the yard.


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## Ren (May 31, 2012)

keep em coming. these are great.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Best answer? IT DEPENDS.

Is it just a few yard tracks at a local station? 

Is it a junction yard with some tracks for cars to be set out for connecting routes?

Is it a branchline terminal with a small service facility?

Your service facility should have a turntable or wye to turn steam engines. 
An enginehouse for light maintenance of engines between runs. (Could be anything from a single-stall shed to a full roundhouse, depending on the size of the terminal.)
On an inbound track to the engine shop, an ash pit for dumping the ashes and cinders from the loco firebox.
On the outbound track, a coaling tower, sand tower/sand drying house/storage bin, and water stands (the water tank will often be located off to the side somewhere out of the way).

You'll want a dedicated service track for cabooses, where they can be serviced (cleaned, replenish fuel and supplies) after being removed from trains. (In the smallest terminals, probably just park it near the engine house on a convenient track with driveway access).

A medium size terminal will probably have a RIP (repair-in-place) track for light freight car repairs and maintenance. This will be an open track with access on both sides, and some small sheds or buildings for tools. Parts might be stored on skids nearby. If no RIP or car shop is provided, light freight car repairs may have to be performed over by the engine shop if necessary.

If a major MOW track gang is based out of this terminal, you'll have a small building for an office, a track or two for their equipment or to load/unload track supplies, and all sorts of track supplies like rail, ties and switch parts in open air storage. Other supplies like tools, oils, etc. in storage buildings.
Speeder and tool sheds for local MOW section gangs.

Train order office. (For trains operating on the mainline from or past the yard) If this is a normal sized town and the passenger station is located alongside or next to the yard, these will usually be combined. This is where the train order semaphore signal will be. I'll skip the discussion of the what/why/how of this for now. Let's not open the operations can of worms _quite_ yet.

Yard office. (for managing the yard switching) Also likely combined with the station building/train order office structure. Usually only in the largest yards will this actually be a yard tower. This could just as likely be a little one-story building at one end of the yard or the other. Minor yards generally won't have a dedicated yardmaster. Train crews will sort out their own switching, or the local agent will give them instructions.

If this yard is a significant "away" terminal or crew change point where train crews will be overnighting away from home, the railroad will have several crew bunkhouses. These could be on the RR yard property, or across the street in town.

Don't forget to provide driveways and private service roads for RR employees to get around the shops facility.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

All you really need is a diesel fueling and sanding platform and a yard tower to direct the traffic. All that other stuff was for steam engines and they were out by the fifties. Pete


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

norgale: the question is specifically about a "Steam Era Rail yard" (as per thread title).

In the 1950s diesels were on the way in but steam was still kicking. By the end of the 1950s, steam was gone, but at the beginning of the 1950s, diesels were still making inroads. The railroad I'm modelling completed the switch within two years, from 1951-52, but then their entire roster was less than 2 dozen engines. Larger railroads started dieselizing in the 1940s and still had their last steam engines being retired in the mid 1950s.

If this terminal is also servicing diesel locomotives, then you'll just want to add diesel fueling stands on your outbound ready track at the engine facility, and some storage tanks nearby. Possibly a new track and unloading rack for delivery by tank car.

It took a while for most railroads to completely replace steam with diesel. And even if the OP's railroad has completed the switch, he's within a few years of the end of steam, and a lot of abandoned signs of their presence will still be around. Old wooden coal towers would probably be torn down fairly soon; concrete coaling towers can still be found 60 years later in some places.


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## Ren (May 31, 2012)

Thanks
I have 2 steam engines a 2-6-2 and 0-6-0 and i really like the ideas you guys have given me. I'm not going to have any deisels on the layout so I won't be using anything related to deisels. I just picked up a little 2 stall engine house on e-bay, not sure I have enought room for a turntable but a Wye might do the trick. 

thanks again folks.

Ren


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

My 2-6-2 Prairie and the tender fit just fine on the small Atlas turntable. I think it's 12" diameter. If you ever want anything bigger than those you'd need a bigger turntable.

How big of a layout are you planning?


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## Ren (May 31, 2012)

My layout is a fat L. 60 wide by 72 long with 48 inches on either side. I'll attach a pic


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## Ren (May 31, 2012)

I'm looking to put the rail yard in the top end of the layout. I have a spur started there.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I wouldn't go any bigger than the Atlas turntable on a layout that size.


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