Thoughts Wanted: layout staging-interchange yard

[Gary S]

I've chosen to stack my staging yards atop one another, although I don't recall if that's because the layout is meant to be double-decked or if the layout is double-decked because of the stacked staging. :?

Another option, especially if you decide to treat the entire layout as an industrial switching district, is to use a single staging yard to represent both SP and ATSF. Simply stage whatever trains from them as you wish, although an "on-the-layout" staging yard might warrant physically removing or adding locos to the layout as required.

That's kind ofthe idea in #2. But having the interchange yards seperated as in #1 seems more pleasing as for "doing what a real railroad does". I'm still partial to #1, but I wanted to see if anyone had any compelling reasons to do #2.

Having such a spacious layout room offers many options, but some of the ones chosen before starting the layout will determine if you use that space to its best advantage in addressing your particular interests.

My mindset seems to be much like David Barrow's with his straight shelves and "orderliness" rather than the flowing curves and such of Ian Rice. I think I want a straight-forward, easily understandable track plan which is "intuitive." But every alternate idea you guys can put before me will at least let me make an informed decision on my options.