Double vs Single Track Mainline in HO

[mrnimble]

Thank you maxman, for the timeout call.  I REALLY DO appreciate all of the considerations and constructive advice and have taken notes on everyone's suggestions.  I am preoccupied at the moment but will respond over the weekend with some additional details for those that asked.  i.e. - not an operations person; a DCC guy; previous experience with reverse loops; mostly 40' rolling stock - only two 4 car passenger trains at 85'; ditto 4 axle vs 6; automation motivated - TC software control, etc.  Thanks again everyone.  Geoff

[richhotrain]

Geoff, thanks for your follow up on the particulars of your layout. Looking forward to the additional details that you plan to discuss this weekend.

Rich

[dehusman]

dknelson

My layout is double tracked because my prototype was double track<snip>.  Passing sidings were few and far between because they just were not needed. 

Many double tracked lines had passing tracks in order to sort trains in the same direction.  The passing siding allows the drag freight doing 25 mph to get out of the way of the passenger train doing 80 mph, without crossing over to the wrong main.  On single track sidings are for meets (trains in opposite directions), on double track sidings are for passes (trains in the same direction).  However your prototype may not have had a need for the sidings.

dknelson

If I was to do the same track plan in single track then of course I'd want passing sidings but ironically that would actually decrease some local switching opportunities because right now industrial spurs come off both main lines, but you don't really want an industrial spur coming off a passing track. 

Why?  That happens all the time on real railroads.

Plus on double track it was common to have center sidings, which can be used in either direction.

dknelson

Because there was a fair amount of high speed passenger train activity that I want to replicate, but also mainline freight and lots of local switching, that is another reason why single track with passing sidings would not really work well for me.

If you have a lot of switching, don't have industries off sidings then that pretty much forces you to run wrong main to get around the switchers.