Working in a reversing loop

[jacon12]

I'm trying to work in a way.... somewhere... to have a reversing loop to turn the train around and go the way I came, when I need to. With my limited experience the only place I see that I might can do it is from point A to somewhere in the vicinity of B..

The arrows indicate the usually direction of travel and the numbers are elevation. Assuming I can get a reversing section along here I really need a straight section in it to run sidings off for my business/industries within that area.
Do you see any other places a reversing loop would work? Or any other way to reverse the train. Wyes eat up so much space, but would that be a better alternative?
The table/benchwork in that area is 4'x8' and the track radius is 22". The largest loco to travel it would be a 2-6-6-4 articulated steamer.
The layout is dcc so will there be any special wiring issues for the loop?
Thanks,
Jarrell

[selector]

It would work up there, JaRRel, or it would work if you came off the top of that lower right loop and joined the yard. Might not be prototypical, but niether is your layout. You'd get your train turning, and don't have to use it all that much. If you scenic around it craftily, it will be almost hidden..like in a back lane, behind rows of three and four-story warehouses, shops, business offices, etc.

[Anonymous]

You might try branching of the track leading to the station and hook up with the ladder tracks in front of the engine house. I wish I could be more helpful.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

It would work up there, JaRRel, or it would work if you came off the top of that lower right loop and joined the yard. Might not be prototypical, but niether is your layout. You'd get your train turning, and don't have to use it all that much. If you scenic around it craftily, it will be almost hidden..like in a back lane, behind rows of three and four-story warehouses, shops, business offices, etc.

"or it would work if you came off the top of that lower right loop and joined the yard. "
Hmmm.... that may be difficult for my skills. On the lower right loop the track is going to start rising from 0 to 2" starting just past the right end passenger turnout, going around the loop clockwise to a point about even with the words engine services. I do like the idea of doing it down there instead of bisecting the upper table though. I'll have to think on it.
Thanks Crandell
JaRRell
President and CEO M&M Rwy. [:)]

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Larry Boyd

You might try branching of the track leading to the station and hook up with the ladder tracks in front of the engine house. I wish I could be more helpful.

Larry, you may be onto something there. I hadn't thought of that area.
Thanks,
JaRRell

[rolleiman]

One thing to remember about setting up a reverse loop as you've drawn it (A-B) is that once you reverse your train, you'll have to back it through the loop to reverse it again..

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rolleiman

One thing to remember about setting up a reverse loop as you've drawn it (A-B) is that once you reverse your train, you'll have to back it through the loop to reverse it again..

Yep, I see that now. Darn.
Thanks for the tip!
JaRRell

[tomikawaTT]

Reverse loops are like shoes. Things work a lot better if you have two of them. On your layout, one at the originally-specified location and one at the lower right would do it.

Single-direction trackage can have truly awful downgrades (some of mine is 80/1000, or 8%) as long as you will never, ever have to operate upgrade. That might help to answer the grade separatiion problem between the station and the service tracks.

[Anonymous]

I can't offer a specific suggestion how to work it in, but I prefer one reverse loop with a "wye" entry. Gives you the "either direction" effect for a lot less surface area than two loops. I don't mean a "wye" in the usual sense of a three-legged wye that can itself turn trains, but rather a two-legged wye, meaning an entrance to the same loop from both directions of travel on your main.

This is a very rough sketch of what I mean by that (the blue line), that probably doesn't really work in the context of your layout, but conveys what I mean by the "wye into loop" idea...



As a bonus, you can also have a train go through the loop and re-emerge running in the same direction (it doesn't HAVE to be a reversing loop). If this trackage is hidden, it gives you some good illusion. You can have the train "disappear" for a while, then continue on its way. Or you can have it disappear for a while, then reverse and "come back" (i.e. it went somewhere off the layout (another city?) and now it's coming back. Admittedly a bit of a pain in the tuckus to build and wire this (you have two polarity shorts to deal with -- less problematic on DCC), but very flexible if you can work it out.

Personally I've never been pleased with any layout design I've had that has a reverse loop visible. It just always looks to blatantly 'toy" to me... I definitely prefer to hide them under a mountain or some such thing. But, as with most everything here, that's simply my personal take on it, and YMMV.

[jacon12]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Being new to the hobby, I didn't realize how much space a wye took until I, one day, laid one out on the floor with some extra track.
JaRRell