Mark:
Up to you....my thoughts and vision I'm getting from you are the canyon is in a rural more secluded setting. An ideal place in my mind for a rural portion is to eliminate the spurs at the right hand side of the drawing and just have a single main winding through there going over a bridge with some steep canyon walls or drop offs.
My other concern is that there is only one passing siding between the two reverses which limits your options if running two trains at once in opposite directions. Unfortunately, if you add a second passing track along the longest "back" wall in the drawing there are too many tracks again--although these would be one two different levels. Still, a second passing siding still would be a good idea to enhance operations.
I had another thought that would really add major complexity to this layout and probably way over complicate things. There are already two levels which pretty much is all main line.
How about adding a third level and have it strictly just hidden staging?
I can't envision your room. I don't know the ceiling height, but ideally if you sit in a chair with rolling casters to operate the hidden area. Each level would need to be at least 16 inches apart so there would be ready access--as the drawing is now the two levels are probably 6 to 7 inches over one another which is fine for a main line. The lowest level for staging ONLY would have to be 16 inches down below the main which probably means a too steep grade or a steep helix grade.
The overly steep grade or helix grade would in all likelihood not be an issue on this line because this railroad cannot support long trains. I'm envisioning maximum train length of ten cars--and those are "short" like 40 foot boxcars. One engine can make steep grades with 10 or less cars as I'm suggesting. This is not ideal. However, it may address your vision.
The very bottom level could sit at 30 inches about the floor. That is seated desk height. That means the next level would need to be 46 inches up--a little more would be better. There is room on this layout for a helix, however helixes are complicated to build and are much more difficult to maintain and access, which is always a concern. However, given this space, and wanting to project a scene in the Blackwater Canyon in a rural setting with small, small town sites, having a hidden staging area on a lower level where four (4) complete trains could be left on individual sidings might be the ideal. Maybe? An alternative to consider?
It would be easy to disguise a helix on this line because of the canyon setting. I don't know what your carpentry skills are, but this concept would take some real careful detailed planning to accomplish, but it would be awesome in the end! I don't know if you understand what I'm saying but if you look at the Glacier Line's most recent video you could see what I'm trying to convey.
I'm thinking two Ross 4-way turnouts that would be facing each other on opposite ends of the layout and the four tracks would travel the entire length of the longest straight section and curve 1/4 then reconnect--I'd probably have to draw it for you to understand what I'm conveying. What I'm suggesting would be a challenge. This lowest level would provide an area where a minimum of four complete trains could be sitting on the track at the ready at all times. This would eliminate the need for cassettes on the main line area freeing up more room for the second passing siding on the main.
Also, if I haven't already inundated you with a massive amount of complexity already a final thought for would be for broadening the curves on the main. If you would have your lowest level 48 inches off the floor you could sit in a rolling chair and roll under the layout to reach access holes so you could install, maintain and clean wide curvature relatively easily. I'm not certain but I'm thinking that if the two main line levels are just strictly main line with no spurs just a twisting turning climbing/descending--run through Blackwater Canyon you may be able to fit up to 72 diameter curves on the main allowing you to run anything in O scale. I admit that using 72s may jam up the space too much. Maybe? I'd have to draw it and really think about it.
How's that for way too much to think about? LOL
