Basically it is a "hidden yard" where one stores trains and/or cars till they are ready to be used. Some may call it storage yards or fiddle tracks. The term shadow is not used in the US I suspect it comes from a translation from German to English. Some are visible but most can not be seen - Fred

GHI?

Thankyou Alsterstreek, cleared that up. Next problem, i spend my life around aircraft with three letter acronyms - TLA. What is GHI? Ken

GHI = Giant Hand Intervention


Indeed. Qualifies for a new acronym: FFC

:o)

Just to confuse you a little more, in some contexts people will use the term 'schattenbahnhof' for the same thing.

I am not sure if this is a the correct German term for it, but certain English speaking modellers of European railways use the term.

I'm not a great fan of having a station "in the shadows". There are several reasons why not:

- As they are hidden they usually live at a lower level from the main layout tracks, and require steep gradients to get the trains between these levels
- Once in the "shadow station" the trains are no longer visible and not serving any useful purpose; not even for display of stock
- Shadow stations are very often highly inaccessible, so if a train stalls or derails it is difficult to get at it
- You can't always see which tracks are free, making it very easy to run a train into the back of another, or requiring complicated automation
- The tracks are very difficult to keep clean

There was an article in one of the model railway magazines a few years ago that outlined the problems I've mentioned and suggested that the solution is to make your "fiddle yard" or "shadow station" an integral part of your layout in full view. The article suggested various ways in which the area could be made a viable scenic part of the plan, such as another station, a goods yard, carriage sidings, etc. It made a lot of sense!

On my current small layout I do just this, with the trains not running stopped at either one of the station platforms, one of the goods yard sidings, one of the sidings in the loco yard, or my farm siding.

Hi Per,

In the case of exhibition layouts, this type of fiddle yard is ideal. It is especially effective in modular club layouts, where each member brings along a module built to certain specifications and all get connected together. Sometimes these fiddle yards can be used for several diifferent club layouts, saving time and effort.

Edited by user 03 May 2015 10:54:38(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

A Shadow Station or "Schatten Bahnhoff" is exactly that.

It means the Station tracks are hidden from view, with trains ready to be bought out onto the layout when required.

It can be behind a Mountain or on a lower level.

The usual way of transitioning from the lower level is by a spiral.

Have a look at the "Peter Porsche Traumwerk" thread and follow the various links in there. It has lots of Schatten Bahnhoffs, or Shadow Stations, which in this case are all behind Mountains.

You will need to look at the 2014 & 2014 "Berichte" or report list to see the layout B4 it was fully sceniced, but one of the recent Marklin TV specials shows a train being loaded on one.

Here is a youtube video of a private one in operation, which really explains all

Like the PECO loco lift / storage unit?

http://www.peco-uk.com/p...p;numSearchStartRecord=1

Hi Ray,

I've seen that system in operation, 2 man lift on the 2m tubes, I'll let the forum member show a photo.

Ian.

Thanks Alan. Yes I was thinking of the trainsafe tubes.

Huh?

Randomizer?


Cheers,
Walter

my hidden station is critical to realistic layout operation on my layout.

It keeps the trains safe, out of dust and light, track stays clean and with proper design is accessible and need not have steep gradient to get there.

What is often not recognised when designing a layout is that the hidden tracks are just a big buffer for train storage, but the trains should not be made to wait there too long. I bring my trains out of the hidden tracks and have them ready to emerge from a tunnel as soon as the track ahead is freed up. This is the part that is critical to keeping the layout alive. People need to have moving trains to watch. You dont want to have to wait a minute for a train to get out of its storage (perhaps traverse a helix) and then eventually emerge.

I run higher track speed limits in hidden areas too, so that once a train has disappeared, it hurries to where it is going and thus frees up the track behind it sooner. Other trains are waiting for that track.

In my current layout I have two stations. Some trains travel between the two stations and their origin/destinations are reflected accordingly. but other trains are long distance and are claimed to come from (or go to) other cities if they come from or go to hidden tracks.

Hidden tracks allow way more trains to be run than otherwise. I also keep a really nice long goods train hidden away until visitors start understanding how things are working and then run that through - it always surprises them.

It does take some planning and engineering and they typically have to be laid out (and tested) before the visible parts of the layout that are more fun to work on.

Mine can be seen at http://cabinlayout.mixmo...ED-lighting-hidden-areas

¡Hola Carlos! ,

Thank you so much for posting this most interesting miniature engineering masterpiece !!

Regards,

PJ

Similar idea Carlos but not a rotary system. Excellent setup though.

It was a twin track vertical bookshelf arrangement that went from floor to ceiling with the bottom most tracks level with the layout when it was fully raised to the ceiling and the top most when it was fully lowered. All up from memory it was around 15 to 20 levels so about 30 to 40 locos/consists in total. About 1.4 meters of storage given the standard ceiling height of 2.8 meters.

Doubt I'd ever be able to replicate either.

Very interesting thread. Thanks.

Regards
Carlos

Here is my simple shadow station. The return blob at the end of the mainline is bloated to five tracks, allowing for coiling long trains around the curves. The station throat is in the open (thus no "shadowed" turnouts which could complicate things) - giving the impressions that there are ten tracks, but the tracks itself and parked trains are left in the dark. An expressway overpass and a passenger station building are camouflaging the entrance(s).