Question about direction

[zigg72md]

Sorry brakie, but I don't understand your first comment due to the fact there are for now no industries on my layout. My plan was to have a minimalist layout where trains have stops on the dedicated passenger loop on the top. The lower loop I invision as one long siding of a greater line that has one stop on the bottom oval and connects to another stop on each fig8, and for the same freight train to service all stops. Therefor passing trains can't happen if for no other reason then I don't see myself affording more than 2 powered frieght loco's that I will run in consist.

As far as your second comment. Allow me to explain that I just don't care about prototypical running I just want to run trains on a relativly small layout(that doesn't really have the room for a lot of fancy things). Also being fairly new to the non-temporary layout I don't yet have the knowledge or material to do the more prototypical running. My original question was pertaining to the smaller layouts that are up for review on the board that don't have a turnaround. Also to make sure there was no convention/rule that I wasn't following with my layout.

 

[Triplex]

passing trains can't happen if for no other reason then I don't see myself affording more than 2 powered frieght loco's that I will run in consist.

The books always assume you'll be running at least two trains and need passing tracks... They never realize you might:
A: be operating alone, and not be likely to run two trains
B: have very few engines/cars, and not be likely to run two trains
There are situations where any rule can be broken.

 

[brakie]

Zigg,My comments was open to the general discussion on which direction a train should run on a layout hence the reference to the prototype as was the possible solution for switching a facing point switch industry....Savvy?

As far as rules? The only steadfast rule I know is the number 1 rule..Design and build a layout that pleases you..That should always be the number 1 goal solely based on your givens and druthers and never base on a layout book author's ideas or somebodies else's opinions after all their thoughts is base on their givens and druthers.

 

[sumpter250]

The books always assume you'll be running at least two trains and need passing tracks... They never realize you might:
A: be operating alone, and not be likely to run two trains
B: have very few engines/cars, and not be likely to run two trains
There are situations where any rule can be broken.

Excellent observation, and good advice.
Should the time come when you have the locomotives, and rolling stock, you can always expand (or rebuild).
Pete

 

[zigg72md]

Thank you all for your replies. I most likely will be operating alone. However I will be operating at least two trains most of the time. My comments were assuming that I will have passenger service on the one loop(which will need more attention the way I plan to run them) and then a single track freight on the other loop. My other thought was to be able to pull a train onto one of the fig8s as a siding in case I needed one(maybe to let a passenger pass a freight or the other way around or two freights latter on). In planning this layout I always thought of the fig8s as just a connecting spur between the upper and lower loop. That is why 2 fig8s were important. Again the major factor here is to keep everything on 4x8s for easy moving by me alone for the previouly mentioned reasons.