Shunting and Brake Vans

[DWS]

OK, I'm new to the subject but here goes; when a freight train arrives in a small(ish) station goods yard and intends to shunt wagons into various locations - goods shed, sidings etc. what happens to the brake van?  Where would it be 'parked' until the engine was ready to leave?

May be a simple question for those 'in the know' but as I am a beginner and building an end to end shelf layout, with the station and goods yard at one end and the branch line going off to the fiddle yard at the other, I'm at a loss to know what to do with the brake van when shunting wagons into the various sidings?


My layout is Midsomer Magna and a photo of the layout is shown here:

[EtchedPixels]

OK, I'm new to the subject but here goes; when a freight train arrives in a small(ish) station goods yard and intends to shunt wagons into various locations - goods shed, sidings etc. what happens to the brake van?  Where would it be 'parked' until the engine was ready to leave?

It would depend upon the location, what trains were due and the usual practice at the location. Some of the methods used - particularly historically (and when officialdom was not looking!) also don't model well in N, including fly and gravity shunting tricks and use of horses.

Your layout I'm not sure how it would be shunted. You don't normally allow locomotives through the goods shed and while a few layouts like that existed they may well have used capstans or horses for the final movements.

If there was space I'd be tempted to try running around the train and then just keeping the van coupled to the loco until all shunting is done, then when you've finished shunt the train out into the loop and run the brake van to the back, then push the train onto the van.

I think however barring good prototype evidence I'd reverse the direction of the piece of track leading into the yard. It'll save you much grief.

[DWS]

Thanks for that, is this what you mean:

Current:


Modified:


Any other suggestions welcome 

[EtchedPixels]

Yep

[DWS]

Thanks   

[dodger]

At my local station wagons were often left on the running line whilst shunting took place.

Dodger