# My hump yard project



## HCP (Mar 31, 2012)

First off, i´m from Sweden so my english is not perfect but i hope you understand what i write anyway, of not, the pictures may say something about the content 

I´m pretty new into model railroading, my doctor told me to get a hobby after a heart attack at age 30, so here i am.

I dont really like to have a layout that just goes in circles, its no challange.
So i decided to do a switching layout with a working hump to drop cars from.

No track plan is finished yet, but i´m getting closer to what i want and need.

For now, the space is about 400 x 60cm (13x2ft), L-shapded, and the other part is 200x60cm (6,5x2ft)
I´m building in H0 and using a Roco starter set to get everything going.
I will use the Roco Geo Line for the main line, and Code 83 flex track for the other tracks.
Switches i will try to hand lay myself, thats therapy if something 

Hump yard will be a "replica" of a yard in Sweden where i´m born and i spent much time with my father at his work.
A problem i have noticed is the speed of the cars when dropped from a hump, its too fast.
Here i´m going to use fishing line and RC-servos to slow the cars down on different places from the hump. The servo is changing the height of the short fishing line that slow the car down in different stages.

*The fishing line is just touching the cars and is mounted trough the rails, see the red dots.*









Well, enough text. here´s some pictures from the beginning.

Made the layout is sections, so i can take it with me when i move to a house.
One section is 5x2ft (150x60cm) and 2ft from the floor (due to that my back is bad and i have small children that want to run their trains too)

*Here is three sections done, one test-painted.*
No bracing, going to put in shelves under so it will be stable, and also bolted to the wall.










*1" foam added (insulation plate)*









*Testing some trackplans*









The foam was pretty loud and it got noisy, i decided to not use the foam boards and just paint the board and spray on some noise killer i three layers.

*Little test with the noisekiller spray.*
The cork bed will be glued on top of this.
I had a lot of noise killer spray left over from my car audio project, thats why i use it. To expensive to buy just do damp the model railroad. One can is about $15 and i probably end up using 15 cans.









To be continued


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## IlliniViking (Dec 13, 2009)

First off, Welcome to the site. 

You're off to a great start. I'm very interested in seeing how this hump yard is going to work. Keep us updated. 

Oh yeah, your English is just fine.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Welcome, working hump yards are always fascinating models...your English is just fine--better than a lot of folks over here:thumbsup:


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## HCP (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks for the Welcome! 

Working a little with the track plan, i didnt make it complete until i know how the first tracks looks at the layout. But a first section to lay down is this one.

*Red:* Hump (45cm ~ 1,5ft)
*Gray:* Yard
*Yellow:* Run-around for the switchers
*Blue:* Spurs for locos
*Green:* Main line

Feel free to add in som advise or tips, the track plan is not a replica, just from my fantasy 
Top left is not ready yet, dont know what to have here.
Lower left is place holder for my engine shed and turntable

Raily4 track plan if someone want to play around, use it for your own track or something  -> www.quiba.se/bg5.zip


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## HCP (Mar 31, 2012)

Some updates
Doing some scenery around the hump and tower, i´m not so precise with the shape, going to plaster on top of it and make it all grass.

*The hump*, not glued yet, just some testing









*Hump yard tower in 1:1*, sorry for bad pic, max zoom.









*Some more scenery around the hump*









Right now i´m working on all the turnouts, 5 done so far.
Here´s the second i made, all of them are no5 & 6 turnouts, ~35 totally


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## Ranger (Mar 4, 2012)

welcome to the forum. It is looking good so far


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## johnd603 (Mar 4, 2012)

This is amazing!! You are making your own turn-outs? From scratch???

As well - like all the rest of the folks - I can't wait to see how this progresses for you and your hump yard layout....

What a great start - and thank you for sharing!

John


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Making your own turnouts, that's some SERIOUS modeling! :thumbsup:


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

HCP,
Are you going to be running you trains DC or DCC? I ask because of the way your making your turn outs. Do you plan on upgrading to DCC in the future? DCC compatible switches will work in DC but not the other way around. It's a simple change to make them compatible.

Your hump for your hump yard looks good...but...always a but...Your pretty steep on your in and out...normally it would be fairly steep on the in and less on the outbound side. It's almost better to set your entire lead in to the yard on a grade to carry the cars at a reasonable but steady speed out to the spur tracks.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Perhaps they'll need the grade to get sufficient speed to make it to the spur tracks. Model cars don't coast like real ones.


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

I am very interested in your build of the hump yard. I am looking to bridge off of your thoughts and construction for a hump-yard project that I am thinking about.


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## HCP (Mar 31, 2012)

NIMT said:


> HCP,
> Are you going to be running you trains DC or DCC? I ask because of the way your making your turn outs. Do you plan on upgrading to DCC in the future? DCC compatible switches will work in DC but not the other way around. It's a simple change to make them compatible.
> 
> Your hump for your hump yard looks good...but...always a but...Your pretty steep on your in and out...normally it would be fairly steep on the in and less on the outbound side. It's almost better to set your entire lead in to the yard on a grade to carry the cars at a reasonable but steady speed out to the spur tracks.


I will go for DCC all the way, the loco i have in DC going to get upgraded, all other locos are DCC.
The turnout on the pic is not gapped yet 
Frog will change polarity depending on what route is choosed on the turnout.

The hump is right now 9°, but i will add another 6" so i get a 5° angle and a total length of almost 30".
Now the couplers is hitting the bottom when two cars are released at the same time.
The lead in to yard in a grade was a good idea!


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Sometimes I am known for bringing up the things that are already known!


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## HCP (Mar 31, 2012)

Test with one car and 9 degree angle, too much speed 






Two cars


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