I plan to have the two halves separate at the 4 foot mark, and already have benchwork planned out and under construction. It will be set in the 50s so I could use both steam and diesel. I do have several questions in regards to the track and industries on this layout.
a. What turnouts should be used? It looks like they are all 1 type, but I can’t figure out what they are (will use flextrack for all the other track)
b. I have two industries currently set. One will usethe Walthers Machine Shop on the lower left track and, because the large amounts of 2-bay covered hoppers I have, Medusa Cement (though I don’t know where where the cement plan would go best - suggestions?). However, the other 3 industries are currently not set - suggestions?
c. I was also thinking of adding a platform where Industry C’s parking is for maybe an RDC or local, and adding a water pipe/sanding pipe to the track next to Industry D’s loading track (for quick sanding/watering of locos before departing the yard). Are these good ideas?
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I would suggest Atlas #4 turnouts. Short steam locos and 4 axle diesels should fit both your era and the #4’s. In the back of Atlas track planning books there is an illustration of the space a #4 ladder will take up. A 3 track ladder quickly eats up three feet.
I might suggest that you have one of your “halves” longer than the other to keep your turnouts off the seam between the two.
I have a couple of Bachmann 2-8-0’s and a friend has operated a BLI 2-8-0 on my layout without any apparent problems on Peco small radius turnouts… hope that helps!
Atlas only offers Customline “#4s” in HO, I believe – and these are actually #4½ frogs, so they work well for switching layouts with relatively short freight equipment.
Some people mistakenly call Atlas Snap-Switches “#4”, but the frogs are actually significantly sharper than a true #4.
For industries, I’ve been given an idea, courtesy of dknelson on the prototype forum - a small plastics factory, receiving petroleum in tank cars on the Industry B track and shipping out pellets on the Industry A track. This would firmly cement my layout post about 1955.