i cant decide what i want. i am trying to build a layout for operation and im at a point ware my line is going to split one way to a coal run / mountians and someday a second level. and the other to a plains town/city.. what would be the best plan to go with. and maybe a few track plan ideas?
It all depends on what your interests are. If you want to run more than one road on your layout, you can model it as an interchange/junction with the line to the mountains connecting to your line to the plains with turnouts before it crosses it. The crossing track would either visably continue on the layout or trunkate at the layout edge, with the presumption that it continues. This could also apply if you're only running one road as different branches of the same railroad often crossed each other. If you don't want the crossing, simply install a turnout or turnouts if multiple tracks where the lines split and have yourself a junction where a branch leaves the main. I have a junction on my layout/expansion that has crossings and only one connecting track that is rarely used. Sorry, no track plan and only one photo that I haven't uploaded yet.
I had a junction on my last layout. It allowed me to run SOO in addition to my BN power. I both interchanged cars and SOO also had a run through on trackage rights. Depending on where you put it on your layout you may be able to have the track from the second level cross the junction and go into staging. That way you can actually run a couple of through trains in addition to interchanging traffic.
