Now that I am reduced to a small layout I guess I would use only around 5-10%. A 9x16 round-the-room attic layout is too small for long passenger trains or double-headed steamers or lashed-up diesel freights where the combined engines are nearly as long as their consist. I also have 5 or 6 articulated locomotives that will now only be fired up on the layout for photo ops.
Due to age and health issues I dismantled my 5-track 14x32 operation at our mountain cottage in 2/08 and my 13x23/8x12 benchwork layout upstairs here in the Condo 10/09. Lot of "cold iron" sitting on railrax or boxed now.
I am a Southern Ry/N&W modeler and was thinking last night that I can run the famous Washington to Memphis "Tennessean" as my only passenger train and still utilize many locomotives for a single trip: Southern Streamlined Ps-4 Washington to Lynchburg, N&W "J" Lynchburg to Bristol and a pair of E6s Bristol to Memphis[ as well as other E units and Southern PAs occasionally]. That is the way "The Tennessean" actually was initiated and ran for several years. Then my 0-6-0 Passenger Yard Switcher would appropriately be on station in the Yard.
As for freight trains I plan to utilize my N&W "Water Buffalo" 4-8-2 for moving coal trains to supply the coaling tower and most likely only Atlantic & Yadkin 2-8-0s and Southern 2-8-2s for local and mainline freight service. I would likely station my 0-8-0 Freight Switcher in the Yard coupled to the Wreck Derrick just to increase the equipment population.
Quite a comedown from runing 30 car coal trains behind a Challenger or 14 lighted cars behind a Southern 4-8-2 Mountain or a N&W 4-8-4 "J"--all at the same time! But at 80 years and sort of lame, time to adapt and just dust the retired and newly crowned "shelf queens" occasionally
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