[alastairq]

the lenght of pointwork and clearances on a ladder are always a bone of contention.

If the module/ fiddle yard are to be one leg of an oval, then it may prove a better idea to start the ladder pointwork on the curve?

How reliable have folk found the Peco 3-way turnouts? Whilst the one I have is a wye 3-way, so may be of better use on a single track approach....but this sort of pointwork can save precious inches.

There IS a 3 way turnout that isn't assymetrical...ie, is 'handed' left or right.....but not sure who makes it..or where I saw it.....maybe Tillig?

there IS much to be said for traversers, lifts, turntables, etc for hidden yards....but even with traversers there is a problem with the sort of automation envisaged by the OP.
not impossible to arrange....but will involve detailed mechanics.

of course, for pointwork there is always handbuilt, tailor-made? PCB sleepers, not all of which need be present.....with interlaced turnouts, thus compacting things even more?

 

[alastairq]

QUOTE An excellent reason for not having fiddle yards is that they don't exist in reality - only on models. Why not have a freight/marshalling yard for goods trains and carriage sidings for passenger stock. That way you have the added pleasure of shunting your stock rather than "tail-chasing'" all the time .And you get to see everything the whole of the time.

well, they ''do' and they ''don't''................model railways usually consist of ''compromises''....an apt description of a model railway is ''theatre?''

But, taking the 'reality'' in to context.....if one stands on a station platform, watching the 'comings and goings' one rarely 'sees' where a train has come from, or goes to?

Ie they appear, strut their stuff, and disappear.

We 'know' where they go to, but don't 'see' the actual journey.

If it were not for this 'knowledge', they might just as well go to a huge fan of sidings, somewhere out of sight?

With an 'oval'...this can represent the 'mileage'....better if the station modelled isn't 'actually' part of the continuous run......but if space is limited, this may not be helped?
However, sometimes 'operation' may pall, and simply sitting watching the 'movement' of a favourite train is all that is needed by the builder?

Personally, I have an issue with storage sidings.....if they are not ''hidden''...!!

because, having them on view challenges the illusion that they are there to create?

SO, one of my 'problems is, how to hide such beasties,WITHOUT the hassles of access?

I also feel they are somewhat of a ''waste of space''......but not in the general sense.

What I mean is, whilst they may be 'necessary', they do consume ''model-able'' space.