dingoix said:
Is my plan really that good that nobody has any more suggestions?
I thought I read somewhere that you knew it was overyarded but were trying to duplicate a real place. Without knowing the real place, it is hard to be critical in a constructive way.
But if no real place is assumed. In general.
1. What are you going to do with that big of a double ended yard? I've seen club layouts that don't have yards that big. Where are all the trains to be made up here going to go?
Just go out and come right back? Looks very boring to me.
2. With All that space and all that track, it looks like at most a two train operation.
One on the main and another switching the area serviced by the wye. I would really try hard to fit in a second passing siding somewhere (opposite the yard) so two trains could run on the main at the same time. Or better yet go up and over somehow to make enough main line to justify at least half that yard.
3. In the industrial area there is no run around other than the wye, and that has to use the main.
This section could be much more dense and interesting. So that it could really keep a train busy for a while.
4. The yard ladder is also the lead to the locomotive facilities.
So if a train is being worked from the left hand side the locomotive can't get through. It really needs a ladder bypass track. I can't imagine a real situation like this.
5. I would not not not use snap switches. They might work great now, but I guarantee that you will want to be ripping them out later and replacing them with #4s. That is more expensive in the long run.
Not to mention that the geometry is different enough to make it a major project to re-work the ladder.
6. In the second smaller industrial area, I can't imagine that working without something like a 13" radius curve.
It would be much better to get into that area directly from the other industrial area using a crossing over the main.