Hi all, back a week later. I've since purchased foam board to put the track on, and the sound of just the train running over the track is much quieter now!
I've also placed some track on the table to get an idea of what things will look like and I've realized that I will probably need to restructure some things related to the track plan. I have a LC+2.0 Big Boy and I've realized that there is some significant overhang, particularly with the cab. This becomes a problem with a) the tunnels, especially the entrances, and b) putting the track right at the edge, particularly if of the table and track edges will be against a wall. To solve both issues, I thought I'd try simplifying the layout:
- The tunnel portals will be moved from being parallel/perpendicular with the edges of the layout to being at an angle - it will allow them to be wider and accomodate additional overhang from locomotives
- Reduced the width of the layout by going from two loops to a single loop with sidings and one double-track segment
The changes I decided on will solve/mitigate the overhang problem, but part of me still wants to be able to run two trains at once. I went back to the drawing board to give it another shot and now have another 2-loop plan:
The inner loop is 031 with 036 easements, and to give the inner loop some breathing room I've added 1 3/8" pieces to the outer loop's width. The inner loop can also be electrically isolated using some more 1 3/8" pieces on the inside of the two-track portion. I am thinking about putting an additional siding somewhere. The biggest problem with this is that I am not sure how I can get the tunnels to line up. Maybe instead of having two-track tunnel portals I'll have to use two single-track sets. In addition, the two-track segment is probably a little closer to the edge of the table than I'd like, but this is managable because the two-track edge will be facing the rest of the room. Bridges are roughly where I want a creek to lead into a small pond at the base of the hill/mountain, maybe I'll include a waterfall.
Am I trying to cram too much into one layout with the second design? Also, are there any clever ideas for transformer placement?
Thank you all for your input, the feedback I receive here has been very informative and helpful!
