SSWUP ISL - Your comments

[FCIN]

Let's call this switching railroad Columbus Terminal Ry.We will use a GE 70tonner #5.

Ahhhhhhhhh, a 70 ton GE - good choice! Even a 45/50 ton GE could handle the work on a switching operation like this.

The main element is slow switching speeds.

Absolutely. You'd never get over 10mph on the lead track and never more than 4mph when coupling cars. 10mph in HO scale looks and feels very slow, but we're striving for prototype operation.

One other thought: Depending on the era you're modeling, it could be a one man operation with an RC locomotive. That's more or less what most of us are doing when we operate our layouts with that DCC control in one hand and the switch list in the other. Not something that I'd want to do for real. More than once when I worked for the F&C and my brakeman called in sick (had a hot date), I ended up doing all the ground work by myself and it AIN'T NO FUN!!