Bob, you must have some real space available to make a yard ladder using #8’s. Most of my yard ladder tracks are #5’s giving 3” center to center spacing in the freight yard. I have some #6’s in the passenger yard but that was for track geometry, not spacing. The 3” spacing was chosen so any of my engines could use the yard. The Big Boy, Challenger and the AM Northern have some large overhangs on my 30” minimum radius curves. At 2 3/4” spacing those engines would have been banned from the yard.
I am including some pictures for info. The 3 turnouts are #5, #6 & #8 top to bottom.
