TPBO

[FCIN]

I meant that the most of the track on your plan is parallel to the table edge and when I wrote that I was thinking of the industrial parks I have seen where most track is at some sort of angle. ...

Okay, gotcha.

As I mentioned, I'm looking at possibly making the "main track" sort of swing back and forth the length of the benchwork in a broad "S" curve configuration, which might work okay. When sketching out potential track plans, I usually experiment with angling the main track or putting in a very broad curve here and there so it won't run parallel to the edge of the benchwork, but sometimes that will not work with the proposed structures.

I wish I had the available space where I could have a couple of industrial tracks actually run out from the main track 90 degrees as you often see. But unfortunately....

Anytime you're doing a shelf layout, you have to make a lot of concessions. Several lines I've considered modeling because they are so interesting, would have to have the track configuration modified so much, it would lose its character completely and have little resemblance to the prototype.

Every layout I've ever built (but never got beyond the point that I could start operating it LOL) was based on an actual short line or portion of another railroad. I tend to get really hung up in trying to duplicate actual track arrangements and then get disgusted when I can't make it fit right.

Stop and think about it, a 1/4 mile (1320 ft) in HO scale is just a hair over 15 feet. I've spotted cars at real industries where each track in the industry was 1400 feet in length or longer. To model something like that you really have to compress things unless you're building your layout in a vacant warehouse.

I will no doubt be making a lot of changes to my basic plan. I already see that I'm going want to add the 6ft staging track as in version 2 of my plan. If I do that, then I'll be able to space things out more or even add another track or two without it looking congested. This part of the layout designing is fun! I'm about to put a pair of feeder wires to the track and start experimenting with operating this.