Rail yard...newbie here

[Green_Elite_Cab]

But we all know this is a hobby of compromise to get the most of what we want out of it.

While that is true there is no reason to sacrifice needful things such as a engine house or industries. I would rather cut track and scenery then to cut operation(aka play value) of the layout.

Here's the rub..A layout must fill the builder's needs.I wouldn't give two whoops and a yell for a layout that doesn't fill my needs.

The concern I have is that if the tracks are too crowded or short, that they might hinder operations (making play less fun thus reducing the play value), rather than add to it.

Case in point, his mainline is to tight next to that engine house. You can see the "excessive bend" indicators on the track. The track planning program does this to show that the flex track has been bent beyond the minimum radius (definitely tighter than 18", and probably tighter than 15", the minimum HO curve conventionally sold).

For someone who wants to run CSX and UP with Intermodal trains and Orange Juice cars, that curve should be unacceptable. Heck, I have trouble with some of these modern cars and locomotives on my 4x8's 18" curves, and I even put easements into my curves to reduce the excessive coupler swing!

The shop tracks have the same problem, the red indicators on that flextrack attached to the switch show that in reality, this switch is not at all lined up with those shops. At the very least, he needs to change the switch to better line up the flextrack. At the worst, he is going to have to redesign the whole area.

The bottom line is that there is too much packed into that corner. Those shop tracks would never be functional without a redesign, but that pales in comparison to the mainline curve problem, which will necessitate redesigning that end of the layout.

Ultimately, you can get a lot of the same operations out of a short stub of an engine track on the other side of the yard where there is space, instead of trying to force an engine house and shop building together in that curve.

That track plan would do a lot better to just remove that shop building entirely.

He could probably fit a small industry in that corner much more effeciently. Perhaps a transload facility, where trucks and rail cars can exchange loads? You could get a few varieties of tank cars and hoppers onto a track like that, and it doesn't need to take up a huge chunk of the layout like those shops and engine houses will.