Staging Design: One preferred over the other?

[nolatron]

So I was thinking about my staging yard and came up with a possible different way of doing it. I'm curious to see how other's feel about the two ways of doing, and if one style is typically preferred over the other:

Design #1


On this one, two more "yards" would be added to the return track. This would give me 4 individual staging yards with 12 tracks for 12 various sized trains in their own track.

I see this way given easier access to get trains in and out, but limit sizes and where each train is staged.


Design #2



This would be just 3 really long staging tracks in either direction, so 6 total tracks. I see this giving me more freedom on the trains lengths and would basically let me park anything anywhere. I figure I would split each stage track into two blocks (with block occupency detectors and maybe transponding), so I know where everything is and what's open or occupied. Not to mention it's also few turnouts to buy and wire into DCC.

The down side would be getting a train out that's parked behind one or two others. No biggie of course, I would just run all of them

But thought I'd toss it out there to see what others would do.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

The second design has room for much longer trains than the first. If getting a train from in back out is a consideration, you could put in crossing switches to allow a train in back to move over a track and come out. I think the first plan will limit you to very short trains when you figure that you have to make sure to leave clearance so you don't foul any diverging routes in the switches. The first plan has as much wasted space as it does storage tracks.

 

[nolatron]

Yup. I was thinking of putting in some switches somehow in there to help shuffle things around. Hmm.

I also extended the end of the lower turnouts on the upper right. So I pretty much have 6 100" staging tracks up there now, and app. 50-70" tracks on the left.

Yeah, I'm liking #2 more and more