Add a Yard

Create Mainline

Create a mainline track through the proposed yard. Be sure the track end(s) is/are brought to the position(s) where the yard ladder(s) will start (and finish).

Add Parallel Tracks

Use the "Add / Parallel" or <Ctrl+Shift+P> track command to create a parallel track next to the mainline. You control which side the new track will be placed on by moving the cursor from one side to the other of the selected track.

Located in the status bar at the lower edge of the program window, the Parallel Separation control displays the current separation distance between parallel tracks. This value can be changed by entering a new one before selecting the track you wish to parallel. NMRA Recommended Practice S-8 suggests establishing a distance between track centers of 2 1/16” for HO and 1 3/16” for N-Scale.

Add Ladder Track and Sidings

With the desired number of parallel tracks in position, place a turnout at the starting end of the mainline track. For this example an Atlas #4 Right Hand HO Code 100 turnout was used. Once the turnout is placed, use the “Change / Modify” or <Ctrl+M> command to extend the diverging track of the turnout through all but the farthest yard track.

Adjust Yard Track

With the ladder track in place, creating the remainder of the yard is easy. To avoid deleting unnecessary track segments at the end of the creation process, shorten all yard body tracks (with the Modify command) so that each yard track just touches the ladder track.

Add Yard Turnouts

Complete the ladder by selecting the turnout which is opposite that used on the mainline. For this example an Atlas #4 Right Hand HO Code 100 turnout was used on the mainline thus Atlas #4 Left Hand HO Code 100 turnouts will be used to complete the ladder.

Drag the turnout from the Hotbar onto your layout.




Place the turnout on the ladder track, positioning the diverging leg next to the yard track. Once the turnout is aligned with the ladder track and yard track, its movement will stall slightly indicating that it's positioned correctly and will automatically align with the tracks once placed.




Press the “Return” key or space bar to set the turnout in place. As the turnout is set the yard track will be trimmed to the correct length and all points on the turnout will be joined to the ladder and yard tracks.




Repeat the above process with all tracks except the last one.

Connect Last Yard Track

Connect the last yard track to the ladder track using the "Change / Join" or <Ctrl+J> command. The first step in this process involves moving the cursor over the open end of the turnout. Once the cursor is positioned, select the turnout by clicking the left mouse button. A red dot appears to show the first point of connection has been selected.




Move the cursor over the end of the flex track that forms the last yard track. Click and hold the left mouse button on the end of the track while dragging the cursor to the left along the length of the track. As the cursor is moved, the silhouette of a curved section of track will begin to form between the turnout and the yard track. Watch the Status Line (Lower edge of main Window) while moving the cursor left or right as required to obtain the desired dimension. In this example, a radius of 22.311 inches will be set once the left mouse button is released.




A completed yard ladder follows;

In Case of Trouble

If Easements are enabled, you may receive an error indicating the “Track radius is smaller than easement minimum” or the join is “Beyond end of first track.” In this case it may not be possible to join the ladder and yard tracks.




When it’s not possible to join tracks with Easements enabled, use the Options / Easement or <Ctrl+Alt+E> command to set the easement to “Sharp” or “None then try joining the tracks again.




With easements disabled, it’s now possible to join ladder and yard tracks.

Building a Double Ended Yard

If your yard is double ended, complete it by placing an Atlas #4 Left Hand HO Code 100 turnout on the left side of the mainline then finish up by repeating the steps associated with building the ladder. Rather than using Atlas #4 Left Hand HO Code 100 turnouts, Atlas #4 Right Hand HO Code 100 turnouts will be required.




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