The Sydney Project 18: the main staging yard 

Once I finish a project and hand over a railroad, I can only produce videos if the owners send me the content. There have been a few such offerings in the past, but not as many as I would like to publish. Maybe there will be more in the future as the owners have time to work on their layouts.

Carpentry fineness aside, the track-laying is exquisite.

@@mpeterll. Interested and Following this. Love this suggestion

Perfect for certain personality types.

Glad you are enjoying the series.

@@mpeterll Very much so, thank you :)

It's always best to have the staging tracks a few feet longer than the trains you plan to run. My previous home railroad suffered from staging tracks that were too tight and a whole operating session could come to a standstill if someone parked a short train in one of the longer tracks (instead of reading their operating instructions).

@@mpeterll G'day Peter. I'm trying to layout my marshalling yards and I wan't to incorporate 2 emergency run off lines. I have 7 main lines coming in joining down to 3. 1 is the main line to my Intermodal yards and stacking lines, the next one heads into the marshalling yards to be broken up and the other into the light cargo and service lines. Where the 3 lines come in I would like to put as long a sweeping points x4 and 2 long xings to match the angle of the long points as a smooth transition to the emergency lines. Can you tell me please what is the longest code 55 points that are available? I can only find #10 Atlas but I have seen them much longer. I think they were #20 or #22. Many thanks Chris Corrigan.

@@chriscorrigan7420 Fasttrack jigs go up to #12. If you want anything longer, you'll need to scratch-build. Even a #10 is rare on a model.

I wouldn't quite go that far, but they are probably the most important part of any model railroad.

Ever since you described to me the type of railroad you wanted, I've assumed that this has been your intention. There have already been a few locals express in interest, and I'm sure you'll have no shortage of modelers wanting to be a part of it as soon as it's know that you have this.

I've wondered who was getting this art work! It's going to be amazing, wish I was back in Sydney to join the club!! instead I will have to admire from Texas. (The shipping is going to be interesting!! I designed mine to fit on a pallet stacked.. Made it from Sydney to Dallas no issues.. I think you'll need a full 40ft container though!!)

@@CGngaugeyep - it is going to be shipped in a 40 footer

@@CGngauge All the benchwork sections are sized to fit efficiently in a standard 40' container. Most of the sections are 7' long (using Pythagoras to ensure that there's room to tilt them) , allowing them to stand on end with the staging yard sections sliding into the space on top.

@@mpeterll Awesome Peter. It's a pleasure watching you work. :)

Thank-you.

You'll just have to wait. Give me a year or so.

Most model railroads suffer from inadequate staging. As a general rule, always put in at least twice as much as you think you need. You'll be surprised at how quickly it gets used up, especially if running a full operating session.

@mpeterll well, remember you said that when you start building my Canadian Pacific themed layout in the next few years...I'll be in touch soon...

It's headed for Sydney.

yes to all four of those

In NZ I buy a similar product it comes in various thicknesses, I use a 5mm and it comes from a specialized rubber supply shop.

I sell it on my website (link in the description). The material I use for staging yards is 1/8" thick, although I also sell 1/4" for use on main lines.

@@herrkiwi3110 Thanks What company do you get it from and what is the title of the product and cost.

It's 1/8" neoprene. It's available for sale on my website.

@@mpeterll thanks

Yes I am. I find that "helpers" only slow me down.

An assistant would only slow me down. I prefer to work alone.