I'm a bit lost. Why not put an auto reverser at each loop end?
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
The 'loop' is 4 tracks. Grinnel is the first one to post a real world example of the same thing. Every example of a dogbone wit crossovers in the shank, and loops on the end, are tricial singl track loops, just insulate where they join the shank, make each loop a reverse section, and pay attention how you wire the shank. Super easy, no brainer, really. No examples ever show multiple track loops. Where, theoreticaly, a train could be entering one of the loop tracks from the shank, while another train is leaving a different loop track to the opposite main in the shank. IE, 2 trains crossing the insualted gaps at the same time - that doesn;t work.
But Grinnel is right - it doesn;t take much planning to make sure that doesn't happen. Plus the operating space would be mighty crowded if 4 crews were in that area - one entering the upper level loop, one entering the lower level group, one exiting the upper level loop, and one exiting the lower level loop. I would want to plan train times to avoid that kind of operator bottleneck anyway, which would also as a by product prevent trains from entering and leaving the same loop at the same time.
The second of my posted plans is an alternative idea I came up with while relaxing in the pool Saturday afternoon. I quick drew it up in 3rd PlanIt to see how well it would work. just stub end staging tracks, with a (at least partly) removable/fold down loop - single loop, simple to wire, no issues. It might work, but some of the dead end tracks are a bit on the short side - I need 8-10 feet length and several are shorter than that. I can;t encroach further into the laundry area, along the left wall is where the washer and dryer are. The loop interferes, but would fold out of the way when not running trains and so takes up no space. I already started the staging a couple of feet into the visible railroad side - I suppose I could go another foot or so, and disguise it either with terrain coming down from the upper level or have the tracks disappear behind some building flats.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker The 'loop' is 4 tracks. Grinnel is the first one to post a real world example of the same thing. Every example of a dogbone wit crossovers in the shank, and loops on the end, are tricial singl track loops, just insulate where they join the shank, make each loop a reverse section, and pay attention how you wire the shank. Super easy, no brainer, really. No examples ever show multiple track loops. Where, theoreticaly, a train could be entering one of the loop tracks from the shank, while another train is leaving a different loop track to the opposite main in the shank. IE, 2 trains crossing the insualted gaps at the same time - that doesn;t work. But Grinnel is right - it doesn;t take much planning to make sure that doesn't happen. Plus the operating space would be mighty crowded if 4 crews were in that area - one entering the upper level loop, one entering the lower level group, one exiting the upper level loop, and one exiting the lower level loop. I would want to plan train times to avoid that kind of operator bottleneck anyway, which would also as a by product prevent trains from entering and leaving the same loop at the same time. The second of my posted plans is an alternative idea I came up with while relaxing in the pool Saturday afternoon. I quick drew it up in 3rd PlanIt to see how well it would work. just stub end staging tracks, with a (at least partly) removable/fold down loop - single loop, simple to wire, no issues. It might work, but some of the dead end tracks are a bit on the short side - I need 8-10 feet length and several are shorter than that. I can;t encroach further into the laundry area, along the left wall is where the washer and dryer are. The loop interferes, but would fold out of the way when not running trains and so takes up no space. I already started the staging a couple of feet into the visible railroad side - I suppose I could go another foot or so, and disguise it either with terrain coming down from the upper level or have the tracks disappear behind some building flats. --Randy
If you were worried about it, I would put one break on the outer loop just outside the switch, and one break half way around the loop. Between the switch and 1/2 way point would be the AR. That would give you about 14 feet. And if your train is longer than 14 feet, well then I'm jealous. But that would allow 1 14 foot train to do staging, and 1 14 foot train to sit in the top loop as the staging is done on the other loop half.