My idea for a small 4x2 layout using Set track from Peco

[Fisherman451]

Good Evening all, Looking for some thought/suggestions regarding this space restricted layout. I have not done any railway modelling for about 50 years and now I am thinking of retiring I thought I would like to occupy my time building this, Please ignore the labels I have put on there it was just random thougts. Any advice would be very gratefully received.

[End2end]

I see a potential pinch point.
The siding marked in red only seems like a short piece of track. This will limit what loco's can be shunted into this siding and thus the engine shed siding.

Too short.jpg (61.97 KiB) Viewed 913 times

One possible solution might be to change the point in red to a right hand point, moving the sidings to a straight line. This gives the opportunity to extend the short siding.

Possible Solution.jpg (57.58 KiB) Viewed 911 times

Hope that makes sense.
Thanks
End2end

[Fisherman451]

I see what you mean End2End. Thanks for highlighting that. As I said I am in the very early stages after a long long break from modelling so I am sure there will be a lot of juggling track around, Just wish I had a bit more space available for something a little larger

[End2end]

A pleasure.
That's the great thing about layout design software. You can spot potential problems before committing to laying any track.
Thanks
End2end

[Fisherman451]

Following on from End2Ends suggestion, I have now extended the spur to make shunting a little bit more practical.
Also thinking about a tunnel to the top right corner.

[End2end]

This is the plan I proposed now laid out so the track numbers can be seen and also keeping the 4 sidings as in your original plan.
Click on the picture to make it larger.

Where you've introduced a curve on your new plan, this may cause problems trying to uncouple anything in that siding depending on which way you will uncouple your rolling stock.

I messed up trying to copy your plan at first which led to this slight alternative, again keeping the 4 sidings.

Thanks
End2end

[Fisherman451]

Thanks once again for your input End2End. I am not sure that the code 100 geometry and the code 80 (which is what I had been using) work together quite the way you have envisioned it, so I have had another attempt and came up with this alternative which hopefully overcomes the uncoupling issue you highlighted. Also it seems to have given a little more length to all the sidings. Also by moving the Engine Shed to the right hand side gives more length for the bottom left siding.

[End2end]

Ahh I see. I didn't realise they were 2 different code types.

Also I noticed the 2 twin sets of points at the bottom of the loops may be better swapped / moved to a different position to facilitate getting trains from one track to another to enter or leave the sidings.

How about moving the lower right hand set of points to the upper left of the loop and swapping the lower left hand points around?
This uses the same amount of points.

This way a train leaving the sidings to get onto the outer (clockwise) loop only has to reverse out of the sidings, the top pair of points (red) are switched and direction changed to forward then you can drive onto the outer loop in the correct (clockwise) direction.
The bottom pair of points are to do the opposite. Get the train from the outer loop onto the inner loop before the entrance to the sidings without taking up too much of the inner loop.

Any train on the inner loop can be halted while you drive the outer loop train around the inner loop and into the sidings.
I think where I've marked the points takes up the shortest inner loop track distance possible / practical.

Mentally drive sum trains around the plan with those moved and swapped pairs of points. See what you think.
Thanks
End2end

[Fisherman451]

End2End you are a Genius!.... I was looking at that for an age and could not figure out how to do it.....that is what happens with a 66 year old brain hahaha. Thank you so much for spotting all these improvements.

[End2end]

Again, a pleasure to be of help.
I'm just glad it made sense as I wrote it at quarter to 2 this morning about an hour before bed.

Some days I'm just so busy one day leaks over in to the next.
Thanks
End2end