Southern Pacific Switching Layout

[steinjr]

As it is, there is not enough room below the turnout along the right wall for switching cars between the mainline and the industry park, so the mainline along the right wall is purely cosmetic - and has no utility.

This was on purpose, I was going to use the main as part of the staging, I would store unused cars on the main disguised as a stopped train, I am not sure if that Idea will work or not, but if it doesn't I will take your suggestion and give a couple of feet behind the switch.

As is, you certainly can use the main north of the turnout to store cars (as a purely scenery feature). But the main will not really (except for the lowermost 18" or so) work as staging for the industry park, since it is hard to get much more than a single loco plus one longer, or possibly two shorter cars beween the upper part of the main and the track into the industry park.

Since the locomotive will have to be on the right of the cars to switch the industry park, you cannot have the locomotive station in the industry park, come out to the main, get cars and take them into the park. You will have to start with the loco already on the right of the cars on the spur from the main into the park (possibly with the loco sticking out onto the lower part of the main).

Moving the turnout up allows the use of the north end main as staging, having the loco come out of the park, go onto the south end of the main, go north, grab cars, pull south and push cars into the park.

You could also add a second track (as if there was a siding on the main), maybe something like this:


You now have a small "yard" along the right wall. You can eithers store excess cars on the main or the siding, or use them as part of the switching. Or both - leave inbound cars for the industry park on the "siding", park a train consisting of excess cars on the main, as a scenic feature.


Smile,
Stein