Yard

In one of my previous layouts I had a transverse table that was described in RMC sometime in the late 70's or early 80's. Had 6 tracks so I had 6 identical switchers; one would back into the empty track, contraption was started and, after stopping on the next track the "same" loco would reappear pulling a different train. Table was 5' long so I was able to store a train as long as my longest passing siding or yard track. Was fully automated, at the touch of a pushbutton would start and then stop at the next track. After going over the last track it resettled itself to track #1 to start all over again.

Genius

Whoever came up with that design must be a freaking genius!  Especially that half-lap sliding rail joint.

I'm glad to see how well that has lasted.  One thing, though.  Didn't you tell me the re-railers need to be longer than what you used in order to be effective?  Not that I recall any major derailments on the joint.

Genius

Yes its true, the man who came up with this idea is a genius!  And all credit should be given to Ken.  We spent probably a month trying to design the thing and it was well worth it.   But he does bring up a very good point.  I would suggest using a half of Atlas rerailer instead of a third like I did.  With the plate locked into place the rails line up nicely together and I have had VERY FEW derailments at the joints.  But I do like the added security!  

I don't think I did a very good job of trying to explain how I built it.  But it was a project from a few years ago and all the details have seem to fade away.  Hopefully the pictures will cover what I missed!

Long way around

Nice job on the sector plate - albeit a bit more complicated than it needed to be. Next time I'd advise checking out Carl Arendt's website ( http://www.carendt.us) for some easier methods of constructing sector plates. Those of us in micro layouts use sector plates all the time. One possible upgrade to yours would be to substitute a stereo plug for the bolt. The stereo plug enables the plate to swing, allows easy removal for maintenance, and can be used to conduct the electrical current.

Very nice layout, excellent pictures, and a nice design. Keep up the great work!

Regards,

Ray

Sector vs. selector

Ray,

I helped him design his selector plate, so I'll comment here.  Unlike a typical sector plate, which has the track fixed and works like a turntable, this sELector plate has the track fixed to the layout at one end and can point to any of the 5 available tracks.  The slip joint is required in order to allow the flex track to move as it bends.  A sector plate would have to be long enough to hold an entire train and would require that the train stop while being turned.  The selector plate allows a train to be run into or out of staging without observation or assistance (beyond lining it for a given track).

A sector plate is functionally a turntable.  This is functionally a 5 way stub switch.

I missed the point

Ah, Ken I missed your very important difference between the sector plates I construct - and the selector you designed. This is a concept I don't think I have ever seen before...interesting. The limit to my 'engineering' skills was a layout that had a 4-track traverser - one of which was also a sector plate. After building that puppy I was ready for the whole bottle of wine. Again, really nice yard.

Cheers,

Ray

Hyde Yard

Hello. Interesting article! As it happens, I built a selector device very similar to this over 30 years ago for Rick Spano's Sceniced and Undecided, for his layout's hidden staging yard ("Hyde Yard"). The differences are that a) I built two, one for each end of the yard;b) I motorized them, and c) I used infrared sensors to automatically park trains and switch tracks. It is otherwise the very same principle, right down to the swing arm and the slip joint on the flex track. And Rick's is still working fine, after three decades of use.

Rick's layout:  http://scenicedandundecided.net/

Regards,

" a selector device very similar to this over 30 years ago "

   I remember seeing that story of Hyde yard in a GMR issue years ago. I've always thought that was a  pioneer in large N scale layouts.  Good to hear the S&U layout still active...... .DaveBranum

Selector Plate in lieu of Yard Ladder Switches

WOW, I guess I should have figured that someone else had worked on an idea such as this. Found this with google while exploring staging yard tracks and images.

I'm exploring the idea of adding a 6-8 track staging yard down under the center of a peninsula. And rather than the multiple turnouts I wondered it there was a way to take a long piece of flex track and have it feed those tracks in lieu multiple,  multi-lead turnouts. And have it operate in a simple manual way.

I'll have to study this some more.

Looks good - S&U

I wish I had come across this earlier, think it would have been nice for our club's hidden staging yard.

As for the Scenic and Undecided nice videos and pictures, but I cant find any information about how Hyde yard was built. I would like to see how it was motorized and automated.

And since David mention he built it I tried his website, but couldn't find anything there on Hyde yard either, lots of other good information though. Although I'm still not sure how the firehouse doors linkage runs, looks like it goes left to right in the picture on the motor shaft but then turns vertical for the doors.

BTW: David your link in your signature is doesn't work, I dropped the .htm from modeling, otherwise I got a not found error. Also have you considered making sure your site is archived on archive.org?

One of the reasons I added a UK modeling magazine

to my monthly reading (Model Rail on my iPad although B&N sells it). Sector plates, fiddle yards, and all kinds of things have been used over there for decades. Plus they add details that we typically overlook in the US.

Looks really good...

I love how you tapered the one rail to allow the flextrack to adjust it's length as you move it side to side. Terrific solution to that problem.

One non-technical point though - as far as the name of the thing goes, it appears that it is "sector plate" not "selector plate" - although your name seems to be a more accurate description of it's function.

What's in a name

Name game, according to an earlier post in the thread:

Of course searching for sector plate images yields all sorts of things, but here is an interesting link: http://www.carendt.com/micro-layout-design-gallery/layouts-using-sector-plates/

In this image note that part that moves is the one with all the storage tracks on it:

And here is an interesting concept for a removal sector plate:

Movable Stowage Tracks?

This came to mind, but I think it is less practical. particularly when considering a fairly extensive staging tracks .....(both number of tracks, and lengths of trains).

Good ideas is what moves a hobby.

Dustin, Great idea and concept. 

Even with Ken helping, it turned out ok.

I am very disappointed tho, the hopper in the pic was not a VS hopper.......

a

i like this. saves a large amount of space,  and co$t$

when i get to my storage yard i will be using such, just need to figure out getting it to work remotely. storage yard would be in another room, and double ended.

Remote-working Sector Plates

Dear Pack,

Between Geneva-Indexing systems
(mechanical automation)

Threaded-rod "worm drive" systems
(a la "Brooklyn 3:AM")

and variations on Pelsea's "Arduino Turntable system"
(as documented here onlist  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/control-the-world-with-arduino-12205507 )

making a "press a single button, wait 30 sec, then drive in/out" reliable sector-plate drive system should be well do-able...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Sector Plates are popular in England

More like "necessity is the mother of invention"

 I never saw any sector plates in the US before, but when I married my wife, who is from England, we were in touch with some English modelers and they displayed sector plates. 

I do know space is much more limited in England so they've had to come up with some creative solutions.  So it looks like the British have innovated with sector plates to deal with lack of space.  I've also seen them use vertical sector plates, if you will, track in layers which you can move up or down to connect to a track.

I've never seen sector plates like those used in British model railroading on real US railroads.  More typical are specialty switches like 3-way or lap switches.

US "Sector plate"...

Actually.... isn't this, functionally, the same thing as a "sector plate"?

3 way stub switch, Carson City (according to the caption ). 

stub switch for classification hump

I can't find it now, but I saw a picture posted I think on this forum of a stub switch on a hump classification yard lead. There were about 4 parallel and nested tracks that led up over the hump, and a stub switch at the beginning of the hump that selected onto one of the four rail pairs. Once the nested parallel tracks led over the hump, they had the frogs and diverged out into the classification yard. 

I think also the locomotive didn't have to push the cars up over the hump, there was a steam pully to pull the cars up once they'd passed the stub switch, which is why the tracks were nested parallel, so the same pully between the rails could work for all three or four sets.

Sector Plates

Although there does not seem to be a plethora of them found in the U.S., there are many that use them.

A few examples:

Trevor Marshall's Port Rowan in 1_64

http://themodelrailwayshow.com/cn1950s/?p=2059

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Before creating the Mega-drawer, Silicon Valley Lines was using a sector plate. They may have this somewhere in their archives, but I cannot retrieve it at this time.

https://siliconvalleylines.com/benchwork/the-megadrawer/

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There is a video showing a T-Trak hobbyist use of a sector plate.

Fiddle Yard ideas

While researching sector plate use, I also ran across a nice discussion on the use of fiddle yards:

http://rail.felgall.com/fyd.htm