pgandw said:
The 3 most practical shapes for continuous running I can see are something along the lines of Cid's drawing, the mentioned doughnut with a branch, and something similar to your shape of a table with a branch.
If you don't need a continuous run, the possibilities expand.
I would like to have a continuous run loop for one train to run, and an out and back to run a second train independent of the one on the loop.
pgandw said:
You mentioned the locomotives you have. What other locos do you anticipate or wish for?
What I have mentioned will most likely be what I run. I do have the J Series Streamliner and three passenger cars which may see a few rounds on the track, but it is not my main focus. I will more than likely run older 4 axel geeps, but I do not want to limit my trackage; if I find a larger diesel, I would like to have the radius available to run it without issues.
pgandw said:
How long a train would do you envision running - the longest practical by my rule of thumb would be 6ft given 22" radius curves. That's equivalent to an engine, 9 40ft cars, and a caboose. Is that acceptable? Are fewer cars acceptable?
I am not looking for long coal drags, so somewhere between 2 and 9 is acceptable.
pgandw said:
Will you be running passenger cars? How important is the 22" radius?
Yes I will be running my three passengers, though not the main focus
pgandw said:
How many operators do you normally anticipate? How many trains to be running simultaneously? DC or DCC?
Just me. Maybe my wife will watch. DC right now, maybe DCC in future. My J is the only one with DCC built in.
pgandw said:
How important is cost? Do you have time to build an around-the-walls layout? Are you confident you can build a working lift bridge or gate for a doughnut configuration?
I don't want to go to the poor house just yet. I see this more as a work in progress, a few pieces at a time. The most important part is the benchwork, of which I already have a 4 x 8 table built at 40" high. So, building things is not an issue.
It is looking like an around the walls is going to be the way to go.