Possible new plan

Not everyone has the RR-Track software, so here's a photo of the design.

I don't know what equipment you'll be running, but the center-to-center clearance for the tracks just above the passenger station is only 2.75". That might be a problem for long passenger cars and engines passing on the curve going in opposite directions.

I can see why it's there, but the small "S" curve above and to the left of the factory might also cause some problems. There's another one above and to the left of the passenger station, but there's a short straight in there to ease things. Since you're cutting track and switches, you might consider moving the switch up a bit, so the curve goes right into the straight run.

Dave,

He's using O31 curves.  He's not going to tun long passenger cars.  It would be best if he could increase the spacing.  Moving the track will interfere with the station.

Jan

Jan, I’ve never tested my O31 passenger cars and steamer with that spacing, so just thought I’d point it out. Plus I have no idea what the space limits are, there’s no baseboard, just the open grid.

RJG,

Here's a thought to remove the "s" curve by the station.  Flip the accessories (just west of the station) to between the tracks and keep the distance between the parallel tracks equal all along the bottom of the plan.  Next, either plan for a hatch/opening near the 90 degree crossing or build benchwork strong enough to hold your weight because you will eventually have a derailment and/or an accident in the middle that you will not be able to reach from the edge.

Otherwise, it's a very nice toy train layout.

Chuck

I presume the grid lines are 12" apart.  If so, what about being able to reach the center of the layout ?

Dave,

The minimum center to center spacing is just over 2.5", the width of a car,  This would be 10' in real life.  The closest that I've heard is 14'.

You are right that he'd have collision issues at the curves.  I hope he doesn't have a work crane.

Jan

Thank you to all the thoughts.  I tried to copy a layout that I found in the track plan data base from Classic Toy Train Magazine.  It is called Pop's Layout.  By no means is it a final work.  The accessories were added  as a visual effect  and definately can be relocated and the tracks also reconfigured.

RJG, I think it's a good plan with quite a bit of action, it just needs to be tweaked a bit and there are questions that need to be answered:
-- How much space is there for expanding the design to eliminate the "S" curves, clearance issues, etc.? The work space in RR-Track is 10'x15'. Is that what you have to work with?
-- Are you okay with the lack of access to the inner tracks without climbing on the layout or somehow adding access hatches? Most modelers try to limit reach to 30"-36", with or without access hatches. Are you able to crawl under the layout to get to the hatches, I think you'll need 2?
-- Are you comfortable with cutting tracks, particularly switches?