So we have taken out the diamond crossing from 2 intersecting curves and added some point to point operations. We are not going to be able to run high speed but wonder if deceleration is needed at stops or if on-off blocks will suffice.
…and come up with a couple of new concepts. That is the 16000 in the foreground.
Note: We’ve decided while we love hills and tunnels, we don’t have space for 1-3% grades so we will fake it and simulate the mountainous terrain with cuts for the right of way.
…with two spurs that gives some options for future “point-to-point” operations The shaded-in areas will be hills with cuts to allow the track to pass, hopefully inviting spectators to move around the layout.
This is the most complicated concept we can come up with to date. I believe our curve radii will be between 15000 and 16000 LGB equivalents. The smaller bed doesn’t have room for a spur-line as far as we can deduce.
Ultimately this will come down to how you and Herself intend to enjoy your railroad. If it is primarily a backdrop against which to enjoy an afternoon, then you may want to simplify this. If you primarily intend to simulate an operating railroad, then you may want to emphasize point-to-point and consider an auto-reverser for beverage-focused events. As you and I have a similar goal of packing lots of railroad into a small space, finding a way to enable both a relaxing backdrop and an operating challenge is even more complicated.
Were we discussing this in person, the first thing I would do is Crack a beverage and sit where you usually entertain. That would allow us to determine where motion would be best appreciated during a just-run -trains event. Then we could get some boxes to simulate landscape. We found having trains disappear even for a few moments makes a real difference in giving the impression of distance, which will enhance your railroad no matter how you run it. Finally, we’d walk it to see how you envision operating it and where you anticipate installing vignettes.
Assuming your primary viewing angle is from the bottom of your sketch and that you plan to have some operational theme, I would suggest considering a large loop that encompasses the lefthand garden, crosses the bridge (visitors love bridges!), and loops back at some point on the right. The righthand garden would have a smaller loop for an extractive industry. The two would join at a small yard. Mountains, plants, buildings, flats etc would serve as view brakes. This would leave space for sidings and interchanges between loops while minimizing collision risk.
I think, having typed all this, you may just need to throw down some track and see how running trains impacts your creative vision.
Since this thread has drifted a bit into general track planning and how to make progress on that, I thought you might be interested in how I proceeded on the Durango & Jasper. It is built in a planter much as Eric and you are doing.
Here’s the main track plan and track laying build topic:
So you don’t need to go there to see the track plan, here it is:
It is a roundy-round (though I don’t seem to have been accepted into that guild) with a number of industries: mine, sawmill, log loading area, stamp mill, town. I attempted to place these so that trains are needed to move raw materials and finished product back and forth: mine on the left feeds stamp mill on the right, log loading in the center feeds sawmill on the left with finished wood delivered to the town on the right.
Before actually placing any track, I used cardboard strips of appropriate shapes (straights, diameters of various sizes, mostly 12’ and 8-11’) to validate the plan. I hired a local expert to help me lay track as I thought it was super important to have derail-free operation. It cost me money but was a good decision (so far).
Here’s a picture showing part of the cardboard mockup:
There is some very good advice/approaches being offered here (notably by @JRad and @Eric_Mueller). My approach has to do with designing a variety of scenes, separated by view breaks, to provide visitors and I multiple spots to stop and take in different kinds of views. So, the mine is a scene, the log loading is another, etc. Some of the scene breaks are hardscape (in my case, lots of rocks) and some planting.
So far I’ve been pretty happy with how it all turned out. I can sit and watch the train go around when I want to (or when I have an open railroad), or I can switch/move goods between industries (I don’t do that much largely because I don’t have many cars yet).
Anyway, another perspective to add to the mountains of advice you are getting. Don’t let any of us slow you down, though. Making progress, even if you end up changing it later, seems like good advice.
