This layout is described in the Mountain Railroading article in the April 2013 MR. The layout is built by the author, Bill Doll, who worked 38 years on the Norfolk Southern.
There are several aspects of the layout design that seem odd. I’m wondering if this is based on his experience as a full-scale RRer, or just limitation of the layout/space.
in the top right peninsula there are two yards on the right hand side of the peninsula. It looks like the mainline comes up from the bottom on the left side of the peninsula, wraps around the top of the peninsula and comes down between the two yards on the right hand side of the peninsula.
it looks like there is a turnout allowing the train to pass thru the right-hand yard and wrap around onto the shelf on the right side. Another turnout at Squirrels Nest allows it to merge back onto the main (right) or continue (left) onto a branch that ends at the top left corner of the layout. The only route to the branch is thru the right hand yard and not thru the left hand yard, conversely the right hand yard is not passed thru on the main when coming from the right (1).
if the train continues on the main, coming from the top, there is only a trailing point turnout for the left-hand yard (with the turntable). It seems odd that the yard can only be entered from one direction (from the bottom) on such a large layout (2).
The main on the left side of the same peninsula follows the shelf to the bottom of the layout. Near the bottom is a yard, but the main bends to the right side of the shelf around the bottom of the yard and ends at Gateway Yard, bottom left.
Although the other end of this lower right yard with turntable continues on the hidden staging, Greensboro, it seems odd to me that the main can only enter the yard in one direction, from the top of th
Random Yard (the one on the right) seems to be a coalyard. Loads from the branch can be divided over two directions, east and west. Mainline power and appropriate cabooses have to be added before they can leave Random. Also empties for the branch will start their way up here.
The function of the left yard (Sparks?) is completely unclear to me. For switching the industrial area independent of the main it seems way to big. Since you can enter the yard from Charleston only it probably has a different function. Only the engine terminal facilities here are making sense to me. Bill Doll is the one to answer this one.
[quote user=“gregc”]
Although the other end of this lower right yard with turntable continues on the hidden staging, Greensboro, it seems odd to me that the main can only enter the yard in one direction, from the top of the layout going towards the bottom (3).
In the middle right of that shelf below the peninsula are several sidings servicing what is labeled as a depot. They come off the main near Greenbrier. But then connect back onto the main after the turnout for entering the y