I am attempting to have the best of both worlds. This is my proposed layout and the reasoning behind it. All of it is fictional.
It is located in northeastern Oregon (where I happen to live :mrgreen: ) thus the name EPN&S (Eastern Pacific Northwest & Southern, era 1990's. Originally it was self-owned and served the northwest from Spokane WA to Reno NV with an interchange to a branch of the UP at John Day (again, where I happen to live) which runs from Salt Lake City to Portland. It was bought by the BN in 1970 and is now operated as a subsidiary of the BNSF.
In 1990 John Day was chosen as the site of the headquarters and main plant of the Northwest United Recyclers, who are the primary customers of the EPN&S. Trash is collected primarily from points north and south and brought to the central plant where they are processed into usable materials and shipped out to industries, mostly located on the coast and other industrial centers east.
There is a wide demand for cars of all types, from flat cars and gondolas for scrap metal to box cars for paper and other materials and tankers for liquids of all types.
Other businesses located in the eastern northwest are also served, thus bringing almost all types of rail cars through the area.
The upper layout looks like this:
With lower staging:
I've devised a timetable and schedule of rail traffic:
7:05am Eastbound Express Freight
7:20am Southbound Local Passenger 1
7:35am Northbound Local Passenger 1
8:25am Southbound Local Freight 1
9:05am Northbound Local Freight 1
9:55am Eastbound Passenger Express
10:15am Eastbound Local Passenger
10:35am Eastbound Local Freight
2:15pm Northbound Local Freight 2
3:25pm Westbound Local Freight
3:45pm Westbound Local Passenger
4:45pm Southbound Local Freight 2
5:30pm Northbound Local Passenger 2
5:45pm Southbound Local Passenger 2
6:55pm Westbound Express Freight
7:15pm Westbound Passenger Express
Locals stop to drop off and pick up cars and passengers while the expresses go through and are just obstacles that the yardmaster has to juggle. Local passenger service is primarily commuter trains for plant workers, however there are quite a few travelers who catch the locals and transfer after stopovers. The yard has a switcher to sort and set out cars for the interchange as well as a dedicated local for the NUR plant.
Since all traffic uses a short common section of track the yard master must juggle all of the schedules plus servicing the plant which has a high volume of traffic.
The lower staging represents cities in off-layout locations. The multiple tracks will hold the ready-made trains which pass through the layout.
Lots of switching or if I want, just let the trains run. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: