Roadies in fiddle yard

[Boomer2611]

My first layout will have a 10 track fiddle yard. I'm planning on using cork for roadbed throughout, but I'm unsure about beds in the yard. Would you recommend a separate bed beneath each track,  or one continuous bed for the whole yard? Thanks,  John

[jward]

actually, there is no need to use roadbed in an area that is hidden. You could lay the track directly on your subroadbed and save the expense.

[RAM]

most yards flat.

[Len]

I use sheet cork under hidden yards, primarily for noise reduction.

Len

[Boomer2611]

First off, it should be roadbed, not roadies! As a newbie to model railroading, perhaps I'm lacking a bit of knowledge. Your answers to my question allude to the fiddle yard as being "hidden". Perhaps I'm not understanding the term "fiddle yard." I assumed it referred to any multi-track yard area. Does it only refer to a multi-track area that is hidden from view of the rest of the layout and used as a staging or storage area? In any event, I guess I should have asked about the type of roadbed used beneath a multi-track yard that is part of the layout. Hope this clarifies my question.

Thanks!

John

[jward]

Fiddle yard is a mostly British term that refers to a yard behind the scenes where trains can be "fiddled with" that is, cars and locomotives added to or removed from the layout and consists rearranged to that those arriving in the main station scene are different every time. The American equivalent is the staging yard, where several complete trains can be stored out of sight until needed. Most of us on this side of the pond don't fiddle with the consists in the staging yard, rather we have enough tracks there that the same train isn't appearing over and over.

The visible yard is neother a fiddle nor a staging yard, it is just a yard. Often it is the focus of the layout.

On the real railroads, the tracks in small yards are usually depressed below the level of the main tracks. These tracks are low speed tracks, and do not require the high level of maintenance of the main tracks. You can model this by laying those tracks directly on your subroadbed. one full section of track (9") is sufficient length for the incline up to the main track. You can use wood shims from the hardware store to support the track, as their taper makes a good incline.

I usually lay my yards directly on 1x12 pine plank. It provides a good solid base, yet is soft enough to hold track nails and spikes.