GFLUG at Plant City Train Show near Tampa, FL, USA

[brickbuilder711]

On February 9, the Greater Florida LEGO Users Group put on a magnificent display with city and town dioramas and trains running around their newer Dueling Yards concept. A couple of my MOCs were a part of the show, one being a train depot built after the one in the Plant City, FL, where the show was at. Here is a little feed from it:

Edited February 24, 2013 by brickbuilder711

[Locomotive Annie]

Thanks for sharing the video. A great layout with some really nice details. I particularly liked the realistic way the town was set out and of course seeing the trains in action was good too.

[zephyr1934]

On February 9, the Greater Florida LEGO Users Group put on a magnificent display with city and town dioramas and trains running around their newer Dueling Yards concept.

Dueling yards? Sounds interesting, any chance you could elaborate?

Also, towards the end it looked like one individual was using a couple of controllers to switch a train around, did you have the mainline isolated in to separate blocks?

[brickbuilder711]

Dueling yards? Sounds interesting, any chance you could elaborate?

Also, towards the end it looked like one individual was using a couple of controllers to switch a train around, did you have the mainline isolated in to separate blocks?

Sure. Dueling yards means there would be a pair of yards at each end of the layout, sending out trains on the blocks of main track. A track would loop around and then converge into a double main with trains on one track running against trains in the other track. As you supposed, there are three to four blocks of track that are regulated between yards, split by RC tracks. Then you would wind up at the opposing yard and things cycle again. At times the club may try to run as many trains as possible, winding up with four or even five operating trains.

In order to get a train to run through you need either two 9v motors or the train to have its own power... which is why I had to 'push' that one-engine train at one point, even though that train was running for media purposes. The multiple controllers in that clip is one for the outbound main, one for the inbound main, and one for the whole yard. The plastic track is between the two mainline tracks and the yard controlled track.

If you come out to NMRA in Atlanta this summer you will most likely see the concept in action.

[Jeff Huntington]

That's a really great layout. I used to live in Plant City 10 years ago; it would have been great to have a train show while I lived there. I'm glad to see you participate!

[brickbuilder711]

That's a really great layout. I used to live in Plant City 10 years ago; it would have been great to have a train show while I lived there. I'm glad to see you participate!

Thanks and agreed. Actually they've had shows for 23+ years but back then the spring show was held in the old high school and wasn't as big as it is now.

[Bamos]

Another name is double ended staging yard.

[zephyr1934]

Sure. Dueling yards means there would be a pair of yards at each end of the layout, sending out trains on the blocks of main track. A track would loop around and then converge into a double main with trains on one track running against trains in the other track. As you supposed, there are three to four blocks of track that are regulated between yards, split by RC tracks. Then you would wind up at the opposing yard and things cycle again. At times the club may try to run as many trains as possible, winding up with four or even five operating trains.

In order to get a train to run through you need either two 9v motors or the train to have its own power... which is why I had to 'push' that one-engine train at one point, even though that train was running for media purposes. The multiple controllers in that clip is one for the outbound main, one for the inbound main, and one for the whole yard. The plastic track is between the two mainline tracks and the yard controlled track.

If you come out to NMRA in Atlanta this summer you will most likely see the concept in action.

Oh, that has potential. First thought is to simply have two "teams", one at each yard trying to swamp the team at the other yard with incoming trains. The more operational thought is to incorporate some interchange into it, e.g., have a several different strings of cars and a smaller number of engines. The train that comes in has to stay at the destination for some amount of time. Meanwhile, the locos have to cut off, turn around, and pull out the next train back. Then have a yard switcher turn the train that came in. If that is too easy, require a certain amount of switching on either end, etc., etc.. I suspect you already do some of these ideas.

Unfortunately NMRA is not in my cards this year, but maybe next year.