Southern Pacific Switching Layout

[Mike Kieran]

Sorry Justin,
I also meant to add that I liked your track plan.

Once you figure out what industries are served, then you figure out what cars are being shuttled in and out. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is to use no more than half of your layout's capacity. If your layout can fit 20 cars in its sidings, then use no more than 10 cars per operating session.

My layout is going to be based off of Jack Hill's layout: http://oscalewcor.blogspot.com/

Industries are:
-Consolidated Container
-Premier Chemical
-I am still deciding on a third industry, It's probably going to be either a food processor or a scrap yard.

Plus an Interchange track and empty space on the Premier Chemical spur is used for Storage.

It's a great design. You adapted it by making it the mirror image of Jack Hill's layout.This is actually what got me started on doing an ISL design without a runaround, and ultimately my Port Able Railway. I then got Lance Mindheim's book and was further reinforced. The final push for my layout's design was that I couldn't fit 2 runaround tracks in the space that I had.

The next step is to figure out your traffic flow. By figuring the total traffic flow of cars both in and out. If anything, it's so that you can figure out a budget for the most expensive part of the layout, the freight cars (unless you are an IPD boxcar addict, like me - see another thread).