Rough operations plan for small switching layout

[steinjr]

Stein-very nice layout. I do have a couple of questions-

In order to switch industry A in the top left wouldn't the upper most right track have to be empty?

Yes, it would. If we say left is west and right is east, westbound trains on the main/running track at the start of the session are modeled as "having just arrived" at the rightmost end of the uppermost track, facing left, and sessions end with an eastbound trains "just about to depart" with an engine on the left end on the lowermost of the two main/running tracks.

After dropping off cars on the uppermost track, the transfer engine changes over to the eastbound (lowermost) track and "head back to the yard" (ie drives in behind industry B and stops there).

Do you see any better way of handling arriving/departing transfer runs ?

Also wouldn't the number of cars that the lower interchange track be affected due to the location of the switcher pocket?

Absolutely. I discussed with my friend whether it made sense to have an engine track there, but sacrificing a few car spots on the interchange track allows a place to park a switcher engine. It is of course also possible to have the switcher duck into the spur that heads for Industry B and the team track, instead of using that switcher pocket.

Other than that I see that this could be a fun layout to operate.

Hope so - he has started building it already :-)

Smile,
Stein