Thanks guys for the feedback! Mark - you hit the nail on the head - I was looking at the reversing loop and realized it'd be a lot more fun and utilitarian to have a mirrored reversing loop so I'm not limited to having to reverse a train through the turnouts once it's gone through once
I've also re-measured the room (the first layout above was based on quick measurements I took during the inspection - we're all moved in now :-) ) and it looks like a slightly larger table will fit the space better: 215" x 84". By making the table another 17" longer, I was able to get my second reversing loop to fit in a bit nicer as well as make my passing sidings longer, to accommodate longer trains:
Joe - good point regarding too much track. I think with my additional 17" length and longer sidings, the need for spur tracks/yard is less pressing. I know the missus is excited about the scenery so leaving her some room to go wild will pay dividends.
Max - I thought about including some gradients, but given the size of the layout and my desire to be able to operate trains unattended, I'm going to keep it as two separate levels. In my past experience, introducing gradients requires greater attention when operating trains, and locomotives without odyssey or speed control can run inconsistently. I'm trying to minimize the number of turnouts in tunnels, while maximizing my siding length.
FRIDGE56VET - The room itself is pretty large at roughly 23" x 18". I do have another around-the-wall design that is much larger but upon further reflection, I don't want the trains to take up the entire room, as we'll also be using it for entertaining and occasionally as additional sleeping space for guests. My goals for the layout are to be able to run multiple trains unattended (4 in the case of the layout above), running primarily scale rolling stock. The layout does not need to be kid friendly, I'm hoping to make it a somewhat hi-rail layout (making a few concessions for ease of setup/leveraging existing track and accessories
Thanks for the input!
