Well after more than a year the new house is finished and I can move ahead with a train room.
I have been playing with a setup on plywood and True-Track that let me try out the various possibilities of DCC. I'm hooked...
Givens and Druthers
(Railroad Name)Undecided
Scale:HO
Prototype:
Governing Rolling Stock:SD70's at the large end and GP38-2's at the small end
Relative Emphasis:
|_________________<____________________________|
Track/Operation
Mainline Running
Operation Priorities:
I have almost no design abilities as everything I draw is just big and bigger loops.
This drawing represents the most bench work I have been able to fit in.
From the smaller layouts I've been rearranging and figuring out DCC I find I do alot more railfanning than actual switching so my preference would be for a long double main with passing siding's for those unit coal trains which are 2 SD70's leading 13 coal cars followed by a dummy SD70 DP in the rear...
While playing Train Player I found a layout that gave me an idea...sign1
It would allow a double mainline around the entire bench...which would give a very long run in this space...
The picture below shows it at one end...it has a reversing section on each loop.
The right loop would be at a higher elevation than the left loop allowing me to place the mines flood loader here..
Regard's
John

I have been playing with a setup on plywood and True-Track that let me try out the various possibilities of DCC. I'm hooked...
Givens and Druthers
(Railroad Name)Undecided
Scale:HO
Prototype:
Era:1980's to present
Region:Thunder Basin,Wyo. on the north Denver, CO. on the south
Railroad:BNSF with interchanges to Rio Grande and UP
Space: see drawingRegion:Thunder Basin,Wyo. on the north Denver, CO. on the south
Railroad:BNSF with interchanges to Rio Grande and UP
Governing Rolling Stock:SD70's at the large end and GP38-2's at the small end
Relative Emphasis:
|_________________<____________________________|
Track/Operation
Scenic realism
|_______________________________________>______| Mainline Running
Switching
Operation Priorities:
- Running coal loads to the power plant and emptys back to the mine. I like the traffic problems of the dispatcher working out to get the north bound and south bound traffic thru.
- Local Grain and Oil for some switching and Thru Freight and Amtrak to add more traffic to deal with.

I have almost no design abilities as everything I draw is just big and bigger loops.
This drawing represents the most bench work I have been able to fit in.
From the smaller layouts I've been rearranging and figuring out DCC I find I do alot more railfanning than actual switching so my preference would be for a long double main with passing siding's for those unit coal trains which are 2 SD70's leading 13 coal cars followed by a dummy SD70 DP in the rear...
While playing Train Player I found a layout that gave me an idea...sign1
It would allow a double mainline around the entire bench...which would give a very long run in this space...

The picture below shows it at one end...it has a reversing section on each loop.
The right loop would be at a higher elevation than the left loop allowing me to place the mines flood loader here..

Regard's
John