If that is a center-to-center spacing, it’s too close for HO, as has been pointed out before. That is less than 11 scale feet. Real-life railroadman John A. Droege recommended 11’6" to 12’ spacing for the tightest paired tracks in a Team Yard, broader in classification yards. This was in 1912, most of us are modeling later eras with potentially larger cars. (Freight Terminals and Trains, reprinted by the NMRA). This book was intended for prototype railroad company engineering departments to use as a guide for laying out tracks in the real world.
Perhaps you are measuring something different than track-center-to-track-center.
That 1 1/2" was center to center based on the outlaying industrial yards I work as a brakeman. I was a real railroader according to my PRR,PC,Chessie and CSX paychecks.
Some of those yards was “dark” and the only light you had was your Starlite and you learned mighty fast to carry spare batteries.
Walking between cars you had around 20" between cars.Not much room to spare and a experience brakeman would not ride on the side of the cars after dark.We preferred to pull the cut and cherry pick the cars we needed set 'em out and shove the cut back into the track…
Understand I am not talking about a major terminal where there is space between the tracks. These small cubbyhole yards could be located in a small area between a river,creek, hillside and even industries or in one case a flood wall and a foundry…
I was thinking that for the main part of the layout I could go the recommended spacing(which as stated earlier I happened upon by accident in the design). This yard would be the terminus of the small line. It is fed by a lager staging yard “off layout”(which happens to be on the opposite wall of the workshop). This staging yard I might go a bit wider to see the numbers, not that I would need to see numbers there as if I understand it right as I place new cars in service they are also in order as to what is on the track.
My Point to point loop will start in staging and leave the workshop, travel around the walls, around the room back to the workshop on the other wall. I am also thinking of devising a way to have a continous loop without going into the workshop. That portion of the layout is the yard, a few business(possibly a engine lease facility like larrys truck and electric in youngstown) and the engine yard with fueling facility and 3 bay building for repairs of rolling stock and engines. There will be an escape for the engine coming in the yard back to the Engine facility. That is if it all goes to plan in this evil head of mine.
1½" in HO is equivalent to 10’ 10". So mathematically that doesn’t make sense based on Plate B or Plate C dimensions for prototype freight cars, which is 10’ 8" across. So there could be only an inch or two in real life between cars with tracks spaced at 10’ 10" (1½" in HO scale). I’ve never seen or read of any yard tracks this close together (at least not after 1900).
If there was 20" between cars in real life, the tracks were closer to 12 or 13-foot centers. 13-foot centers would be about 1.8" in HO scale.
Math to those that never had boots on the ground and walked these cubbyhole yards and experience to those that walk these tiny urban industrial yards that was probably built when old Abe Lincoln was a wee lad.
Everything isn’t as perfect as you may think it is on the railroad or has modern and up to date as you may believe.
Do you know how to check clearance if you think a car is to close to the switch after stopping your move close enough to check?
BTW…Those yards wasn’t built for today’s freight cars…Even a diesel switcher would make the rails crack and pop.