Fiddle in the Middle ?

[ThePurplePrimer]

Hi Guys

 

I am still trying to come up with a layout design that I am really happy with and am still asking myself endless questions about what I want

 

A terminus station on and end to end layout seems to tick a lot of boxes for me ( and of course for many others ) but then the traffic goes off into the fiddle yard and you never see what happens in this imagined other location. This set me thinking about losing the fiddle yard and running straight from one terminus to another. I decided this will look very odd and will give me nowhere to hide other stock and re arrange trains.

 

Then I came on the thought of having the fiddle yard in the middle - with a terminus at each end. I have never seen this on a layout at any of the shows I have been to so far but I am sure it must have been done ( and probably many times )

 

Could anyone point me of some good examples ( with pics ) of a layout that's done like this please

[ginger j]

No pics but RM July 2012 had a Plan of the Month which is very similar to what you are suggesting here. Called 'Back to Back', it featured two branch line termi separated by a turntable fiddle yard. It could be set up in any format (as a corner/straight out etc.). Hope this helps,

 

GJ

[Tim H]

I've seen a few plans with two termini, one larger and one smaller, with two exits from the larger terminus, one leading to the smaller one, the other leading to a fiddle yard behind it.

[Tim H]

For a home-based layout, the terminus-fiddle yard-terminus format does have a lot of potential, even though I can't recall any instance of it being done. Good way of modelling opposite ends of a longer route, where trains arrive at the second terminus hours after leaving the first.

[pete_mcfarlane]

How about branch terminus to the bay platform of a much larger station (most of which isn't modelled)? You could have a small fiddle yard at the large station end to shunt freight vehicles in to, representing the rest of the World. 

[Tim H]

How about branch terminus to the bay platform of a much larger station (most of which isn't modelled)? You could have a small fiddle yard at the large station end to shunt freight vehicles in to, representing the rest of the World. 

 

Now that I've seen done. Largish S-scale layout, with the bay platform and freight exchange sidings modelled, as an exhibition layout. Downside is that the total stock capacity is limited, and you can't bring new trains onto the layout.

[Flying Pig]

Upside is that it's the delightful Yaxbury branch. 

[DCB]

Terminus to Terminus is good for some railways who seemed to have lots of terminus stations, or for Colonel Stephens or Preserved lines, the trouble is on some railways notably the GWR there were very few pairs of termini between which trains ran, Bristol Plymouth Cardiff Wolverhampton for instance were all through stations and Carmarthen and Swansea were termini which behaved like through stations .   For modelling part of a Junction Kemble to Cirencester might tick the box as the ciren Bay and exchange loops are pretty much segregated from the rest of the station, Kingsbridge and Moretonhampstead with a fiddle yard between might be fun, or my future plan, a purely fictitious line from Kyleakin to Portree, on the Isle of Skye

[gordon s]

I'm building a continuous layout with a fiddle yard/storage in the middle.  The difficult bit for me was having access to the central area from both directions, so that's something you may wish to bear in mind.  The curves to get into the storage roads are 3' radius and if you want access from both sides you can very quickly ramp up a need for over 12' of width to take curves in both directions.  Mine is using a continuous run and a through station, but you could substitute two terminii to see if it will pan out.

 

Here's a link to the plan.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/3422-eastwood-town-update/page-64

[Tim H]

Carmarthen and Swansea were termini which behaved like through stations

 

Now that combination could make an interesting layout. Would need either a large-ish space, or be in N rather than 00.

 

See also Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William.

[ColinK]

I like the idea of two termini with a fiddle yard in between; you could model the FY as a set of holding sidings and scenic them.

 

You could also model one of the terminals as part of a junction station (or even make it look like a through station). You would then have moves such as Terminus A to Terminus B, loco backs onto train and takes it to the holding sidings.

 

Good luck with the idea.

[beast66606]

Depending on your space available

 

Any two of the legs can be terminals and the other the fiddle yard.

Obviously single track (as (badly) drawn) makes it easier to fit in a smaller space, but still doable with double track.