The Grand Junction / Platte Yard is the largest yard on the layout. While it is physically one yard, it is split up into two yards when the club is running. The east end of the yard is Platte Yard and the west end of the yard is Grand Junction Yard. Trains that originate from Grand Junction [often] terminate at Platte and vice versa. Each side of the yard has its own yard tracks, arrival tracks, departure tracks, caboose tracks, engine tracks and passenger tracks. As you enter the room the layout is in, the first thing that you will see is this yard.
One of the special qualities of the yard is the fact that the entire thing is hand laid. When the club was formed and construction began, GJP Yard was immediately started. Every tie was layed by hand. Every rail was then placed and tacked down. Even the switches were built by hand! Other sections of the layout were hand laid, but none quite so spectacular as GJP Yard!
Below is a graphic of the yard. Everything left of the black line in the middle is Grand Junction, everything to the right is Platte:
So what do all of the colors represent?
Blue: The blue tracks are passenger tracks. You can see that the "top" passenger track has a break in the middle of it. Union Station lies in this break. In fact, if you look really hard, you can see yourself in the basement!
Black: The two black tracks are the Thru tracks. The Mainline and Platte Siding.
White: The white tracks (as you may have guessed) are the yard tracks.
Running from top to bottom, they are numbered starting at one. Here they
are listed broken down:
Track 1: Primarily used for depatures, but can be
used for storage when the yard is getting full.
Tracks 2-8: Yard tracks.
Track 9: Yard overflow track.
Red: Primarily used as an arrival track, but is used for depatures from time to time.
Yellow: Caboose Track.
Green: Engine Tracks.