1st permanent layout

[Mike from CT]

Reply to Reply #10

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Practices: Is this good? "The plan is actually artificially complex"
We have been playing with Train Player and it's been interesting.

That was in reference to my sample (#10).  Whether complexity is "good" or not, depends on preferences.  It made switching Industries 1 and 2 a bit different from switching Industry 3.  My preference is for a bit of variety; others would prefer the tasks be as simple as possible.

What do you mean by this Mike from CT, "not even a runaround (assuming there are others suitably spaced for opposing traffic to pass)."
If it's what I thinking, a counter-clockwise train is on the yard track in the switching area, a clockwise trains goes by, then on the other side of the layout there are 2 main tracks and the same happens there.

Again, that's in reference to sample, only.  In the sample, there is no way for the engine to run around the train so all three industries could be serviced by the same train. (A westbound train can't serve Industries 1 or 2 and an eastbound train can't serve industry 3.  In either case, the engine gets trapped between the car it is delivering and the end of the siding.

How could this be done?
"If the section of yellow track below the switch to the auto and Mijack track isn't long enough,it can be extended down below HWY 65, if necessary."
The purpose for HWY 65 was to have a crossing light always going so that the blocked door way would be spotted, and it would be cool looking also.

The reference was to the length of the train.  The siding (yellow) can be made longer as in the example attached.  One thing I'd note if fidelity to prototype operations is an issue, is that most jurisdictions have laws limiting how long a train can block a crossing.  This can actually make operations more interesting, since a longer train switching the auto and mijack yards that blocked the crossing would have to be split, leaving part of the train south of Hwy 65 and part north.  But that's fealty to prototype, not an operational prerequisite.

What determines this? "If the primary traffic arrives in a counter clockwise direction,"

You do....

My thought is that, since the yard would exit would be counter-clockwise, that this would be the perfered route, there is going to be a Town with a station and track is set to travel clockwise, but it will only being running on weekends durning the warmer months.

The small yard I designed has a track meant for arrivals and departures in either direction.  (What it lacks, because it was intended for a low traffic route, is a way to avoid fouling the main.)  Blocks of cars and/or entire trains have their cars blocked (sequenced) in the yard, but the final train, including power and caboose would be assembled on the A/D track, so that, while building the train works better from the left end of the yard, there's really no preference in which direction the train runs.  (It's also possible to flip the yard.)

For the car transport area of the layout, where the road engine will do the switching, clockwise operation works much better.  And can be quite complex if you need to deliver and pick up strings of cars.  (Try swapping cars in trainplayer. As I think about it, we may well need another track to hold collected outbound cars while delivering arriving ones...)

"It strikes me that operating variety ("fun") would have trains running in both directions and the yard on the other side of the layout would serve a useful purpose by blocking the various trains appropriately." My thoughts exactly, but is it doable with this layout?

Yes.  Definitely. I think we may still have to tweak this side a bit and rework the yard but trainplayer experience once both sides are laid out will show bottlenecks

HJ amd Mike have both nixed the Engine pocket, why? where would the switcher come from, the yard? do it business and get back to the yard.

I can't speak for HJ  (well, I could, but I'd probably be wrong), but I envisioned this area being serviced by the road engine.  If there's an engine stationed here, the pocket makes sense as a place to park the engine, but it really serves no purpose even then.  The pocket is a place to stow it while the cars are being shuffled by another engine and, if another engine is going to service the area, why have this one in the first place?