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I would avoid trying to squeeze in a loop, in any scale, within 13" of shelf depth. Even on a trolley line in N-scale this will look tight, though real trolleys did run on curves like this. The reason for avoiding it is that the curve will declare loudly what your minimum radius is, and set immediately within your consciousness the awareness of the limits, the edges, of your model world. Pay attention to some of the track plans by Iain Rice, and see the ways in which he defies his layouts' boundaries, making a small space expand in your imagination. <br /> <br />If you need a loop (out-and-back runaround operations can be fun and challenging you know), what you could do is create a fold-out leaf, something that maybe latches onto the edge, or is supported on drawer slides, etc. You'd have to work out technical details of attaching the rails, but many previous modelers have built swing-out sections and modular layouts that deal with such concerns. You would only have this connected during operating sessions; it would allow you to have a decent 12" radius loop in N-scale. If you wanted more than this, you could go to a larger radius and add in a siding and some station trackwork, and make a whole little detachable diorama. At a minimum, you could employ 10" radius curves and just have this bulge out an extra 7", but I would not go tighter than this unless you model traction (trolleys).
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