New layout, new staging yard
FIDDLE YARDS or staging yards are an integral part of layout design because they provide essential storage for a (usually) large number of trains which can be fed on to the scenic area of the layout in a realistic manner.
Staging is an essential operating feature which represents the rest of the railway and can take many forms depending on the type of layout.
Terminus-to-fiddle yard layout designs frequently rely on sliding traversers or rotating sector plates which are built with sufficient length to accommodate the longest train working the layout. Lift-out cassettes are also common on such layouts where space is tight, allowing complete trains to be removed from the layout for storage on an adjacent table. A great deal of effort is put in to avoid handling of stock between moves, particularly when you consider how often an individual train may be used on a compact layout at a two-day exhibition.
The story of this new layout began when I faced a challenge earlier in the year which meant my ‘EM’ gauge Folkestone East layout had to be (reluctantly) dismantled. Even though there were a couple of design issues to
