DoubleDAZ posted:I took some liberty and changed quite a bit of the upper level ovals. Most notably, I switched the O36 and O48 curves so the ovals are more concentric. I also changed the center-to-center spacing to be wider and added 2 crossovers so you can run trains around both ovals. I was going to take out the reversing loop because you really need 2 or you'll have to back out to reverse again, but I left it in and just made it smaller so you'l have more access to the main level.
(NOTE: I rotated the whole layout to better fit the screen, easy enough to rotate back.)
And here's another variation without the reversing loop where you'd run 1 train clockwise on the outer loop and 1 counter-clockwise on the inner loop.
Greetings Dave,
Thanks so much for the input and for taking the tie to do this for me. Honestly, you folks on this forum are so helpful it is awesome.
I'm very intrigued with what you've done and I really like it. I didn't feel I could do a 2nd reversing loop, and so the primary purpose of this loop was to provide a way for me to use the Lionel rotary coal dump on upper level and dump into 397 on lower level. However, now that I see what you've done, on the 2nd variation WITHOUT the reverse loop, if we added a switch to the end of the branch and connected it back to the loop, that could work, right? Definitely opens up the lower level. On my latest design, I was actually intending on having the area of that reversing loop to be a solid 2nd level, with operating accessories and buildings. But....how you've presented it allows it to be more layered and probably less "cluttered" (if that's possible with how much I've jammed in there). What do you think?
Thanks, G
