Am forced to use a ‘point to point’ track plan. Am looking for a way to have trains (short ones)go to one end of the track, then back up to the other end, and then go forward again so that trains can be run back and forth on their own. Also, this track will be out on a screened porch and, while protected from weather, will be subject to the heat of summer and cold of winter. Need advice as to spacing and interval of expansion gaps in the rails. Will be N Scale.
A gap or expansion gap about every four feet the size of two thicknesses of index card should do it.
Build the layout on pink or blue construction foam, not plywood, and certainly not particle board. The wood-based products are very susceptible to humidity. Most of those “track expansion” nightmares, for model railroads, anyway, are actually “layout base expansion” problems. Foam just sits there without bloating or shrinking, and without absorbing moisture. What’s more, it’s really light, so if a hurricane comes through, or you decide to put it up for the winter, it’s not hard to lift up.
Is your layout going to be DC or DCC? That will make a difference on the reversing circuit. This is one of those rare things that’s a lot easier to do with DC, by the way.