Before we get our new house I will be designing my new layout. It will located in the basement which is a requirment for any house that we purchase. I will be runnIng a DCC system and will have to decide if I want to have single track with sidings, double track or double track with sidings. Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks In Advance
Caldreamer
Single track with sidings, but what’s your prototype?
What type of running do you want to do? Do you want to just let trains run around while you railfan or do you want to do a lot of switching, somewhere in between? Single track with some sidings for looks, if you just want to run trains with the possibility of some operations, double track with sidings would give you the most operational possibilities.
Your prototype, era and personal desires all factor in.
Good luck,
Richard
You might do it like actual railroads do: double track in congested areas, single track in the “more open spaces”…
Do you have a prototype that you are modeling? If so, what was their practice?
Otherwise, it depends on the type of railroad you are modeling. If you are thinking of modeling a main line on a large railroad, probably double track would be the way to go. If a smaller railroad with less traffic, they would not be making the capital investment in double track, so single track with passing sidings would be the thing; with maybe some double track in cities, towns, and terminal areas to ease congestion there.
This is what I have learned:
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Single track works great with operations sessions and club layouts. It is definitely much more fun than the simple operation of an East/West double track mainline.
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Double track is best for a lone operator that wants to do switching while another train runs. The chances of train interference (collision) are reduced with double track main.
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That is my two cents.
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-Kevin
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Can’t speak to operating sessions and club layouts because I don’t do either. But, I totally agree with Kevin on a preference for double track mainlining for a lone wolf operator like me who also likes to do switching.
Rich
The virtues of double track on model layouts:
Our distances are always too short, double track allows longer trains to look more realistic.
Double track provides better display operation when that is desired.
Depending or your prototype, era, goals and taste, it can capture the “big time railroading” feel more so than single track.
Continious double track with hidden thru staging provides the most action with the fewest operators and can often be well operated by one person or a large crew.
Sheldon
Yep, we can’t decide for caldreamer. It’s your RR, you decide.
For me, I am planning to loosely model the D&RGW lines west of Grande Junction CO and into Utah, which is single track with sidings.
I have a fairly limited space for a layout that will be 12.5 x 33 feet. Follow the link below and scroll to the bottom to see rought draft plan I have drawn up for the space which I am currently drywalling and finishing.
http://atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/3737/jims-layout-progress?page=3
I expect I will be a loan operator most of the time but don’t expect to be letting trains run “unattended” while I switch the yard or some customers.
The decision on single or double track is yours. You can base that call on the prototype. Mine replicates a part of the N&W that has a single track. I ensure the loco won’t tumble off the layout by masking the end of the track. This gives the impression of the layout going on well-beyond the layout.
Jim,
Sin
If I would have used all the basement space I had availiable, it would have been double track, hands down. I love running trains, and big time main line running.
But, I decided to build a much smaller layout, that I could manage, and finish, (not that it’s completely finished, as I don’t think no model railroad is ever finished) relativily quick, and went with single track with a siding and switching industries.
At my age, I just didn’t want to get trapped with a huge layout that never gets to the “almost” full scenery stage.
It’s completely up to the OP. You could even start out with a single track with sidings, but have the R.O.W. finished for a double track, and connect the sidings to create the double track as you go.
Mike.
Whether My prototype used double track main line or not…I would and still do have all double track mainline. There are many possibilities for operation. There is also no need for any passing sidings. Use the mains for that, with crossovers. I have 8 spread out for East/West running. Both mains on each side have industry sidings that can be worked. North/South of mains. They do not run right at the layout edge…they are minimum of 2ft in at some places to allow for industry and can still be reached within arms length without knocking into anything. Layout is set for 3-cab DC…but can be switched over to DCC by just changing power supplys. You then can give everyone a train to run, if you choose. If You have the room…go for it.
It now has been cut down into a smaller layout…was built in sections to be able to do that. Original was a elogated dog bone (no reverse loops) 12 1/2 X 42 X 12 1/2…cut down to 6 1/2x 25x 6 1/2. Was just too big for one person at 77yrs. old. I may even take that down and give to the Grandkids also. I lost interest in it…have not completely made up My mind yet. I am a disabled vet and it’s just getting harder for Me to get around…but I had My fun with it…
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
I have double track (on a point to point layout) because that is what my prototype had. It was primarily a high speed passenger train line (Route of the 400s) that saw some freights and local freight service as well (the C&NW had a parallel single track all-freight main just a few miles away that had the lion’s share of the manifest freight traffic). By the time I model the volume of trains no longer warranted double track (it was single tracked soon after Amtrak removed the passenger trains) but there they were and had been since the 19th century. It was a block signal operation, but it was fairly rare to see the block signals actually stop or slow a train.
The virtues: simplifies operations as there are no meaningful meets or passes to worry about – in some guys’ minds that takes away the fun! Double track creates some entertaining challenges for crossover tracks. Curves would be an issue for two parallel main lines but I use very wide curves so the distance between tracks is the same for curves and tangents.
The downside: well, for sure it takes up valuable space which means that sidings and trackside industries and structures are more cramped. Structures that could be complete otherwise will need to be flats. Optically it also makes selective compression and forced perspective more of a challenge because so much space is taken up with not compressed, full HO scale sized trains.
Neutral: some guys would and do use double track to run more trains to keep more operators happy. In reality it was rare to see trains on both mains at the same time. Long periods of time elapsed with no trains at all particularly as more passenger trains were discontinued. My operating crews will be either bored or small, or both.
Dave Nelson
I model the BNSF. The Gateway Sub is the one that I know best. It is double track except for two small sections of single track. I can set up my system to stop one of the trains when there are two approaching the single track sections and allow the other to pass the stopped train and when clear, throw the switch to allow the stopped train to proceed…
Caldreamer
My club layout is single track with sidings, the problem has become that during ops there are bottle necks at just about the middle of the railroad, specifically at Pleasant Hill, Robeline, Boyce, and Rapides.
Theoretically this bottle neck would be solved by double tracking this segment of railroad from Mansfield to Bunkie, if it was my decision I’d do it but it’s not, anyways my point is if ops is what you’re after then try doing a simulated op session with single track and sidings, anywhere you start getting bottlenecks and traffic backups double track, or don’t if you like an operational challenge…
Just my .[2c]
That’s $0.002… American[(-D]
One too many zeros Steven! Your opinion is worth more than 2/10ths of a cent![(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]
Actually, when it comes to opinions, AFAIC ‘2 cents’ American is equal to ‘2 cents’ Canadian. I wish the real Canadian dollar was still on par.[:'(]
To answer the OP’s question, I’m partial to having passing sidings as opposed to double track all the way round. It makes things more interesting than having all double track, but it also avoids undue blockages.
The passing sidings themselves can be put to use in other ways. Perfect place to put a small passenger station.
Dave
In his book “Track Planning for Realistic Operation”, John Armstrong advises at one point that for a smaller model railroad, a double track main is a superior choice. Don’t have the book with me right now to look up his justification, but if you have access to it, it is worth a read through, even if you only look to specifically answer this question.
I will pile on with most everyone else: John Armstrong’s “Track Planning for Realistic Operation” is an incredibly valuable tool for overall and detail level planning for a new layout.
For my own layout, some of my requirements were: Union Pacific, mid 50s, and single track mainline. This is how I ended up modeling the Ogden → Oregon Short Line → Cache Valley Branch area.
Yes yes. Get a copy of John Armstrongs “Track Planning for Realistic Operation”.
I’ve read it over and over and it really helped me in my track planning process. My favorite chapter is the one on Minimum standards. The only part of his track planning process which my brain didn’t gel with was his idea of “squares” which I had to toss out, but everything else is very valuable. Any beginner wanting to design their own track plan should get that book!