Mainline Initial Plan

The mainline looks nice.  How will you physically move around the end of the yard?

Access points are "work in progress" at the moment, though I'm not seeing good opportunities to avoid ducking under and a hatch is likely necessary between the passenger yard tracks and the overpass grade.  The Mianne lift gate might work in one spot, if I relocate switches and narrow the benchwork.  As long as there is access to either side of the yard, end access doesn't matter (and that's next winter's project).  Topping the benchwork without wasting vast quantities of plywood is going to be a challenge.

Those who have bought the Mianne liftgate like it.  I decided for my layout to just use two different bridges that lift on one end, pivoting on the other.  My layout is twice around like your plan, but only single track with two passing sidings.  However, I have not built them yet.  You are right that a layout can eat up a lot of plywood in a hurry.  I left some spots on mine open where I am just going to have scenery that I will bridge the gap with foam.  I forgot to ask last message, I am assuming the grade to take the 2-tracks over top the 3-tracks.    You could leave the benchwork open grid, and attach risers to the joists and cutout plywood a little wider than your roadbed saving plywood.  I have done that in the past, but I lacking good carpentry skills, I have found it easier to put down plywood and put blocks of wood on top of that to support the track on the grade.

It will be great to run those passenger trains with long cars and steam engines.  I have never had the space to build an engine facility, so don't have any practical knowledge on that.

Five weeks later, the original plan has been superseded more than once.  While there were a number of anticipated difficulties with implementing and using it, like access into the interior, it was just too much of "loops around the room" and didn't present much opportunity for industries, scenes, and all that.  Here's the current plan.  The garage barn bay is approximately 27½' x 20'.  Doorways are shown in red, with dashed swing ranges (the roll-up door is at the top of the drawing, the main entry door at the bottom center isn't readily seen).  Workbench and shelves are shown in cyan.  Rough benchwork bounds are in green.

Space was gained by eliminating the pathway from the door at the center bottom, the main entrance to the space, to the left side of the room.  Access to the left side of the layout can be obtained via the exterior door at the upper left corner of the space, though that necessitates going outside in winter and keeping the snow cleared from that doorway and its approach.  Fortunately, snow doesn't drift up there.  Bridges and/or hinged sections will facilitate access to the interiors of the left and right layout interiors.

The overall theme is the NYC Chicago-Detroit (Michigan Central) main line of the postwar transition era, which means largely flatland running with no tunnels or mountains.  The plan is essentially a folded dogbone with two duck-under loops.  The minimum visible mainline track radius is 52" (O-104), with entry/exit easements everywhere that it is practical to use them.  Mainline curves will be super-elevated.  The leftward duck-under loop passes underneath the yard stub end - and also under the (future) roundhouse.  That lower track elevation is maintained through the center duck-under loop.  Both of those loops, being hidden, have variable radius track, ranging from the standard 52/56" at their outer ends down to 40/36" (O-80/72) at their apexes, so trains entering and leaving underpasses will not appear to be going around tight curves.  Track spacing is increased a ½" at the narrow apexes to ensure sufficient swing clearance.  The right side section of the layout will feature a passenger station and reversing loop, the latter having a 44" radius.  Track will be GG and switches by Ross.

The 5-track stub yard at the left has a pair of arrival/departure tracks on its right side.  The future (winter 2021-22) roundhouse, turntable, engine service area, and diesel shop tracks are adjacent to the arrival/departure tracks, so the road power can drop the train on the arrival track and proceed to the engine tracks, while a switcher takes the train over to the classification tracks.  My largest (8-driver) steamers will not need to negotiate any tracks with less than 44" radius curves, since they won't enter the stub yard tracks.  The stub at the end of the arrival/departure tracks can handle a pair of EMD E-units.

The plan has plenty of room for industrial spur tracks hither and yon, with "schematic" examples shown.  These will be refined as planning evolves and construction gets going.  Freight trains can leave the yard, cross over onto a main line track, and return via the reversing loop, or reverse immediately after departing the yard and return directly from the main line into the yard area.  Ditto for passenger trains using the station.  Only one of the spur tracks is off the main line; the other three are off the reversing loop, keeping local switching jobs off the main tracks.

Feedback and opinions encouraged.

This is definitely an improvement over your original plan. However, you have no switching lead. A switcher cannot switch cars in the yard without fouling the main track.

However, you do have room for one. Check the added blue line on this image:

By adding just ONE SWITCH, that blue line becomes your "Switching Lead" (as in leading the way.) Your switcher can use that lead for headroom to switch cars without fouling the main line anywhere. You could even extend it across the bridge with the other three tracks there if you wanted to make it longer.

Click the "SwitchingLead - FORUM REPRINT.pdf" link to download a simple explanation of what a Switching Lead is.

Click the "Switching Lead Article - Run 198.pdf" link for a more detailed explanation and a couple of prototype photos.

Suggestions:

1. Convert the left-hand crossover between your reversing loop and main line into a left hand "double" crossover by using a double slip switch on the first main and re-using the removed left hand switch on the second main line.  Now a train leaving the yard can choose to run on the reverse loop or either of the two main lines.

2. Convert the left hand crossover on the right side (in the middle of your passing siding) into a right hand crossover.  Now a train running clockwise from the yard that enters the outermost main line by moving through the double slip switch has a way to get back to the other main line, run through the reverse loop, and re-enter the yard.

Chuck

Thanks, guys.  Rich, the reversing loop was intended to double as a switching lead, but I'll take a long look at your suggestion, since there's plenty of room for it.  Chuck, an earlier version of the plan used double-slip switches to provide some of the functionality that you suggest.  But I contacted Steve at Ross and he recommended against using #4 frogs for the crossovers, given the use of 8-drivered Niagaras and Mohawks.  I also mocked up a #4 crossover using switches I have on hand and didn't like the way my 21" passenger cars went through them.  I'll revisit the crossover placements/configurations as you suggest.