Dual Directional Travel Design

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have pretty much completed my track laying - just putting in some final spurs and service lines. Moving more to scenery now. While planning my layout, I never gave much thought about design consideration for two-way directional travel on the layout. For example, what service lines should be entered from the “front” and what ones are more appropriately be “backed” into. I have two yards and right now each yard sends trains onto the mainline in the opposite direction of the other yard.

While I don’t have any regrets, but any design thoughts on this issue?

Thanks!

2

What you can do is put in a run around track at the head end of each yard so that if a train comes in the wrong way, the locomotives can be uncoupled, moved to the back of the train, and come in behind the train to shove the cars into the yard tracks. The run around track will have to be long enough so that the locomotives can clear the rolling stock at each end of your longest train when they uncouple and run around…chuck