ETMRC HO Scale Layout

At the Gym — Location Number 5
Evolution of Price Yard

Price Yard was originally a stub staging yard, located behind a wall. In December of 2015 plans began to add turnouts to form a through staging yard. This required another wall penetration and additional trackage. Click here for details.

Newsletter January 2020

Finally – Recent improvements have dramatically improved operations through Price Yard in both directions and on all tracks. The top photo shows where the never used but trouble–prone double slip switches and unnecessary crossovers have been removed. The bottom photo shows the curved turnouts, one under the partition and the one just beyond the first one have been either replaced or reworked and clearances widened to ensure passage of spaceships or even regular locomotives. Now trains can be run through Chyrokes yard and the Allenport depot, so visitors can see trains rolling as soon as they get inside the door during open houses without fear of derailments.

Rob D's Blog 11 June 2018

Here Ron who keeps the club money straight and up to date discovered that Bob A was a bit too liberal with his car dimensions on his scratch built cars. The ground throws were moved further away from the track because Bobs scratch built models were ridding up on the throws.

Here we have Ron's Hands at work and one of Bob A's cars that resulted in the reworking of the area for clearance.

This is one of Tom M's passenger cars. He letters his equipment for his own free lanced line and is not in favor of those new diesel engine things.

Rob D's Blog 23 April 2017

Two of the three lights on the new bridge working properly, with one more set still to do. I am hopeful that some other intrepid soul will get that connection completed with Bob T as I thing I will be crushing some of the support structure to get to the wires. The clearance is just not adequate for a 2x size guy.

Rob D's Blog 08 January 2017

Now there are some things that even come as a surprise to the local clairvoyant society. When we decided to add the extension to Price Yard little did we know how much we would be affected by sunlight blasting through the hole in the backdrop. It is so bright sometimes it looks like there is welding taking place on the rails! Rest assured we will devise a cure for this.

Rob D's Blog 17 December 2016

Leroy was also able to lend me a hand while I was taking some photos of the newly adjusted scenery concealing the recently added connection to Price Yard. We will actually have some staging for some short trains on the layout now. I am visualizing many of my fellow members rolling their eyes as I type that comment about short trains.

I thought more than one view of the now hidden hole in the wall would be in order. This view is in the area of the electron power plant and the Bird River.

Another view slightly to the left and closer. Careful examination will allow one to see some of the light peaking through the hole but for the most part it is well concealed!

Rob D's Blog 13 November 2016

Bob T assisted by Tom M, Bob A, and Ray are attempting to find a very unusual electrical issue. It has not yet been found but we have found an issue or two that Bob T is now running the whys and the hows through his mind. The rest of us are waiting for Bob to figure out what is going on.

As was mentioned in another thread Bob is reading various pieces of documentation dealing with the electronics installed on the layout. Jared is cleaning the cleaning pads on the track cleaning cars.

Some new scenery contours have been positioned to hide the hole in the sky board, or back drop and they will be tested for clearance. A bit of paint and ground foam and things should be looking better in this area.

This little device is going to be relocated and installed in another section of the layout. I'm not positive what it does now or what it will be doing in the future. Our reason for doing things like this is because Bob said to do it, we know he knows. Webmaster comment — The board is a DCC reverser. It seems that the new connection to Price Yard made Price Yard a reversing section. Which means that the longest train must be shorter than Price Yard or strange electrical things happen. As Rob runs very long trains he was the first to experience the strange effects.

Rob D's Blog 30 October 2016

It is now venturing into the untried area that was just installed. The hole in the back drop was cut to allow for a new connection and some new operating possibilities. Webmaster comment — Rob is running a coal train through the new now double-ended Price Yard.

At this point the entire train is on the down grade and exerting quite a bit of force on the drawbar of the locomotives not to mention pushing very hard against the back side of the box car. Webmaster comment — now in Price Yard.

Here the train is entering the main yard with the train behind the back drop and still rolling down the grade. In a short distance it will be going under the passenger station on a substandard radius curve and looping around the yard. It will then reenter the mainline and continue around the layout. The next test was again unremarkable for reliability of the freight car as it was derailment free while backing into the yard tracks. I would consider my quick modifications to the car successful and state that it will not be an issue for anyone else in the club and it will operate fine in the average train.

One casualty happened towards the end of the session. A hand made switch with some scale size bracing to the switch in price yard failed while the train was running over it. I did not have time to repair it yet so it will likely get fixed by one of the following guys if not by me. Bob T, Paul, or Ron, I suspect there might be a couple of other guys that might tackle the issue but it is doubtful.

Rob D's Blog 16 October 2016

Here is an overall view of the new section and what it connects to. Now while I was doing this other things were going on as well. Webmaster comment — we don't have many photos of Price Yard, so am using this one. Bob E seniced the swamp to the right. Ed McC built the slip switches in the center.