Thanks for the education on yard operations both in the real world and on a space-constrained O Gauge layout. Until coming to this forum, my knowledge was limited to what my grandfather and uncle had set up with O, and they were mostly big "loopers". They had some yards and sidings, but mostly for train store and for operating accessories inside the mainlines while trains were looping around them.
Despite being somewhat limited on space, I do want this layout to have a yard where trains can be assembled even if not prototypically.
For my new layout, my original yard design was useless for this purpose. It was for storing trains, not assembling them. I modified it based on what you both suggested subject to space limitations and think it will be a lot better and won't conflict with trains running around the mainlines.
Happy to hear any suggestions you or others have for additional improvement. Note that my switchers are all 27" compatible and most, if not all, of my rolling stock is 27" compatible, so I went with 27" switches and curves in the yard.
