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Heh heh, yes I do...How about a small switching layout in your room with the paper mill, that is modular and can be combined with your friend's layout at shows? At home, you can operate on it as a switching layout, and it will be fully contained with staging tracks (the mainline) and at shows you can still use it for switching, but you can hook it up to the other modules to use it for continuous running and display purposes. A small, switching layout really lends itself to modular use, because it probably will have pretty generic ends (unless you're modeling a stub-end industry or a carfloat or something).I would cast my vote for continuous running. This can be accomplished with cheap bare-wood return loops, maybe with plywood over the top so you can store unused equipment. These won't be part of the layout at home, but since you said you both would have room to store modules, these loops can just be stored for shows. How many trains do you want to be able to run at a time by themselves? If you want more than one train, a dogbone loop (I'm assuming this isn't a circle) is necessary rather than a loop-to-loop plan is a necessity. In a show atmosphere, you will want to be able to just let a train "orbit" without needed direct control by an operator. You'll be talking to somebody (as always happens at shows) and then BANG! Your trains will collide head-on. Modern model equipment's details won't stand up to collisions like the molded on details of the past. In other words, "They don't build 'em like they used to!" If it's just one train, you could get away with loop to loop, a single track mainline, and no passing sidings for the industries. You'll want an auto-reverser for this, and something to throw the switch after the train passes over it. If two or more trains, passing sidings will work wonders for the industries. Say you're switching an industry on the mainline, clearing it for the other train as it passes. Then a visitor asks you a question. While you're explaining how you kitbashed ABC Paper Co., you stop your train. You fail to clear the mainline for the other train, and then you get rear-ended. A passing siding to work on when switching would've prevented that!I realize that three tracks (main 1, main 2, and passing siding) is a lot to fit on most model railroads, but if you use backdrop structures for the paper company, you should be able to fit those tracks easily.You might even discard switching at the shows. At home, you can switch all you like, but at the shows, those tracks are just for show most of the time. Sure, maybe your friend will stop his train on one of the loops to break for lunch, so then you can switch for a while, but most of the time, trying to switch at shows is hard to do without ignorting your visitors (they won't ask questions if you look busy) and/or causing wrecks. I'd just let the trains run at shows and save the switching for at home. Plus, after a couple hours at a show, you're bound to get bored of running trains and wish you'd set up the layout so the trains could just run on autopilot.Just my [2c]
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