These diagrams are rough and ready. This is what we had before the rebuild began.
The inner loop was built as close to a 52.8’ circumference as possible, to facilitate speed testing. Now that that’s done, I’m gearing up the layout for simple switching games with my grandsons. If possible, I want to avoid buying any more track and switches.
I definitely want the top crossover (i.e., the one away from the tank). At present, that’s about half done (it involves elevating the track). The bottom crossover is more interesting, because the water tank is a defining feature in our garden. I want whatever happens to integrate as well as possible with it. Does anyone else have a “defining feature” on their railroad (i.e., something immovable, and unrealistic in the context of a railroad) that they’ve managed to integrate to their satisfaction? It doesn’t have to be a water tank - I’m more interested in why the object, whatever it is, was a problem, and how you devised a way to incorporate it into your overall plan.