Intentionally slowing down operations?

[ctclibby]

Hi All!
Asked somewhat this question in the diner but got no takers - well execpt for likes and such. Anyway - the .subject says most. My current layout plan is an around-the-room upper and lower bench/shelve with the center area for rugged or mountainous areas. The mainline travels around the room pretty much from a helix to the center area in which it transitions up ( or down depending on your PoV ). There are ( right now ) 2 branch lines that come off the main near where it enters the center area and will use that center area to transition either upper to lower or vis-a-vis. Track around the room is about 140ft per level, no clue what the length of the center area is as I still have to do some curve fitting and such. Have a 20in separation and my maximum mainline grade is 2% so it is at least 84ft; probably closer to double that.

Traffic: Branch is 2 passenger each, maybe 4 freights; 1 in, 1 out each. Who knows what the main line activity will be.

So, has anybody included a branch line crossing main line at grade to slow ops down? How did it work for you? Would you do it again?

Note that the branch lines will have a crossing at grade.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Later

Edit:
Both branch lines *could* cross the main as I have not done center area elevations yet either.

 

[dave1905]

To slow down ops? Unless it is something where there is a gate or something like that where a train has to stop and activate an interlocking or something like that it's not going to slow things down much. On the "normal" route it won't slow anything other than there might be a speed restriction on the diamond.

A fellow I knew lived next to a prototype railroad and his instructions were if you pulled up to the interlocking and heard a real train going by you had to stop and wait until it passed.

Most of slowing down ops is physically running slower, adding work events and allowing for "real" activities (doing brakes tests, setting hand brakes, walking up to the switch, unlocking gates and derails, etc.) The down side of slower ops is that in many ways it results in a lot of time spent waiting for things to happen. Which for some is fascinating and railroady, for others is deadly boring.