I am contemplating options for staging and would appreciate your input. I am modeling the Maine Central as though a group of investors had purchased its various lines back from the current owners. Eventually, most of the layout will focus on a fictional Birch Island Division ("BID"), which will be home to a number of industries that actually exist or existed on the MEC, but conveniently rearranged to make a nice layout.
I am working in N-scale. The layout will start with a yard at Brunswick, Maine, which actually exists but will be somewhat upgraded. South of Brunswick is the world. North of Brunswick is a junction where the BID will branch off, then the world.
As stage one I want to build Brunswick Yard. I plan to do the yard before sailing gets in the way in the spring. Operationally, I want a mainline into the yard from the south and out to the north. The rest of the world can wait until next year.
I'm stuck on staging. I can either do turnback curves and run staging tracks at the level of the yard behind it, or I can put helixes (helices? spell check thinks so) at the ends and put the staging yard below the visible yard.
The advantage to the first is simplicity. The advantage to the second is the availability of more room for more through tracks, and that I could have trains that leave to the north return from the north.
Thoughts?
I am working in N-scale. The layout will start with a yard at Brunswick, Maine, which actually exists but will be somewhat upgraded. South of Brunswick is the world. North of Brunswick is a junction where the BID will branch off, then the world.
As stage one I want to build Brunswick Yard. I plan to do the yard before sailing gets in the way in the spring. Operationally, I want a mainline into the yard from the south and out to the north. The rest of the world can wait until next year.
I'm stuck on staging. I can either do turnback curves and run staging tracks at the level of the yard behind it, or I can put helixes (helices? spell check thinks so) at the ends and put the staging yard below the visible yard.
The advantage to the first is simplicity. The advantage to the second is the availability of more room for more through tracks, and that I could have trains that leave to the north return from the north.
Thoughts?
