this is the hand drawn plan that I made for my first layout. I would appreciate any assistance or critiques that anyone can provide. thanks
I agree, but I'm concerned about the radius of the curves. Can you see an area where a yard will work....
Not necessarily. I run roundy round 99.99% of the time. But I do agree, some industry stubs a passing siding and maybe a yard would not only allow storage of extra equipment on the layout but also add to the scene of the layout. If the river was moved to the other leg of the L, you could have a good amount of space for such a set up where the river current runs.
see... that's why I'm relying on you guys for help... moving the river is a great idea. that will free up some space. I love the look of yards and I'm thinking of putting in some grain elevators near the yard... back to the drawing board to... will post revisions soon. thanks for the advise
That's a valid concern. If I'm reading the dimensions correctly, the radius of the curves on the inner loop is about 8". That's very tight, even for N-scale. You'll want to run short locomotives and freight cars. - Jeff
I'd suggest making the dblmain a true dblmain all around, becomes a signature theme. Passing sidings, each main, different places, makes for interesting mainline operations. Give up the river, make it a meandering creek, and let it work through culverts wherever it hits trackage. Suggest, yes, a yard, put it wherever and design it for the traffic you'll assemble for the dblmain, worked w/switcher. The creek might disappear under the yard but reappear in any likely place. Plan sight blocker structures, forests, hills, etc to create interest around the loopy loops. Enjoy running forever. Given the thoughts above, don't see room for significant staging ...