Correct, The large oval is the only thing I can do 060 or 072. The rest will be 036 to allow for more scenery and layout space.
Thank you all for the comments and help!
I was kind of thinking the same thing, go for 072. I'm sure i can figure out ways to reach the center for scenery. I can walk around the whole layout to get access so just the very middle will be hard.
We don't have anything that runs 072 but I feel it will be nice to have an option to run or get one instead of ripping up the layout or starting over.
@ScoutingDad posted:I agree with the go as large a curve diameter as possible. When I started building my layout, I thought I would never need anything larger than 42 inch as that was the minimum for the larger passenger cars. Then I found myself buying a Burlington Zephyr that needed 72 inch curves. Fortunately I was able to fiddle around and managed to get in the larger loop. I now can run 3 trains on separate loops, or I can run almost everything through all 3 loops. All squeezed into a 9x13 space.
Of course then I decided it would be much easier to be able to leave passenger trains on the rails requiring some sort of staging yard or siding. With a 5 car passenger train being plus or minus 10 feet long, this has become a stopping point for me because I do not have the room to add this length of track. This is where an under table yard could have been a real solution to my space issues - if I would have thought about it at the very start. As it is, I can keep a couple of short consists on the sidings and just add a 2 or 3 coaches when I want to run a particular road name.
Lastly make sure you add the extra yards or sidings to hold your rolling stock and engines. Looks to me you have enough room to fit in a lower level yard (at the front left) if you put in a turnout around the top right and run the decreasing slope yard track to the left and then under the mainline. You probably would need to gain an inch or so of height on the main at its top left location to gain enough clearance to keep the grade around 3% or less. After that you could work in a decent sized yard.
As Matt said - plan, plan, plan ... then I will add figure on changing it again because you will decide there are better ways to run your layout than you originally thought.
Have fun - Jeff
Curious, what do you mean by an under table? A Table below it with track to set the trains on or display shelves?
@Dave45681 posted:So are you trying to stick with the general track pattern shown in the plan?
If so, I have to assume we are only talking about the large oval in the top section as being either O60 or O72, correct?. The curves making up the lower sections can't possibly be since O60 is 5 feet diameter and O72 is 6 feet (and the largest dimension of the table is only 11 feet), so there is no way those curves can be making up the lower paths that come back up to the 90 degree crossings.
If so, that might be fine, as long as you don't ever accidentally take large engines through the switches towards the smaller diameter curves.
You mention the kids and being excited about scenery. So does the larger curve ability mean more here, or the ability to maybe have more room for scenery/building creativity? Most of us here agree to go with O72, but that's pretty much from a hardware capability point of view most of us have lived through. If you won't care about the large engines, maybe you should stay smaller to have more working space for the creative scenery and structure designs?
-Dave
Correct, 060 or 072 for the main oval, the rest will be 036. This way I have a walk way in the middle to access the center from both sides. I suspect we will primarily focus on 036 trains but would be nice to have the option to run 060 or 072 if we ever need or want to. While they are young I think i will make sure only 060+ engines, for now, have dads eye hahah, good point.
Well, an 036 oval made a lot of sense at first, big open area and straights. Added the kickers to get reversing loops which we love. Was ready to build it. Then being on this forum 
(which is great!) and all the cool trains there are, got me thinking wellllll...maybe should do 060. Well 060 to 072 isn't that much more of a jump..and now here we are hahahah.
Scenery space and changing where things were going to go was my major concern with changing the curves, will it take away scenery options, make it not flow and be as realistic. So I messed around with the buildings in the spaces and think I can fit what we have envisioned and and make it look like it makes sense. Also i think i can keep enough straights for operating accessories.
The reach is a concern but really not much more going from 060 to 072 already. I think if we do our scenery from the inside out could help since we can lean/stand on the layout. Agree also with the reach for the little's...but i can get stools and they reach around all three sides of the kickers and most of the track. Just the center will be tough! But I bet they will be the first to volunteer to sit on it and go to the middle haha. All but maybe one accessory will be reachable right at the edge.
