As if you need more advice ... Cork roadbed is a great visual addition. Try doing a temporary work-up, no scenery, adding track runs in phases to see how things feel operationally. Stop when you're happy. Do consider the length of trains you might want to run. A lot of your track is shorter than I would want, so you'd be doing shorter cuts of cars than I prefer. Yet, for "roundy-roundy" type running, there's a lot of interest. Haven't checked carefully, but can you get two cross-country type trains running at one time while you assemble the next train from cars on spurs? Will (could) there be more than one operator?
I like it! Its just what you need.... Probably not what you will want. But it is what you need right now. My only concern is the grades around curves, they tend to derail trains, but if you are careful and be prepared to adjust you will have fun. I'm usually an advocate of less is more too, but I think that everyone needs a starter layout that they can complete quickly and have fun. Scenery is not something that I see here, I see trains, trains and more trains. Ohh sure you can have cool scenery if you are careful, but this look like its a build it and learn from it. Go for it and have a ton of fun!!!
If you move some switches around on the right side, you could get your ruling grade down to 3% or less...
There are a lot of critical comments thru this thread that oppose your plan that are true and come from experience. There are also some encouraging comments telling you to go for it and have fun. I picked this quote (partly because I didn't have to go back thru posts) because it has a wisdom in it that rises above the truth revealed in the simpler, but true, critical comments. What I mean is ... You are hooked on trains, have a nice size table, and want to run trains NOW ... this layout will help you do that, but after you get it all put together, you will realize how true some of those critical comments are, but you won't understand fully those comments until you build this layout. The quote above prudently perceives this and sees it as a way to give you what you want, trains running, while also giving you layout experience and fun times. BTW - I have a 3.5' x 10' table with track everywhere (more than your plan) that I put together with flextrack, soldered connections and NO plan. I now realize truth in those critical comments above, but it took this table to shed some light to those truths. Also, I have lots of trains running, have had fun, and learned a lot about getting a layout to work (though I still feel clueless on many things). One thing I learned from my experience similar to earlier advice in the thread: my girls wanted a town so they got one, but my layout plan does not allow for proper (realistic) access to the town, roads, etc. because I have too much track, but when I sit back and watch a steamer run in front of the town, I don't think about a road (I see trains run in front of a town and I like it, so do my girls). I could right a small treatise applying my facts to the critical comments in this thread and show them to be true as I learned building my layout, but I won't. Just glean what you can from reading and have fun with the hands on. Also, since you are using Kato track, you will be able to change things easily ... I say have fun and run trains.
Hey Algernon, Just in case it mattered at all (or if you've already started with building or not), but personally I quite like the track plan. Yes, in a spot or two it would be a bit busy. My thoughts on that is the yard could be cut down by a track or two. Other than that I think the plan is great to many different needs-just some mainline running, yard work, local switching, the lot. I'll also echo an earlier, wise comment, that lessons are learned best through doing, not just by hearing. Don't be too critical of things, this is after all your first time around, and you've (by the sounds of it) got a lot of this hobby to enjoy over the years! Have some fun, do some experimenting and you'll learn what you need to with time Also, if you have started building, or anything of that nature, would love to hear some updates as things go
Algernon, your situation sounds alot like mine, a first-timer and planning with Kato track. I like the fact you have a ton of track for a long mainline and room for "off-layout" storage. You've already addressed the one thing that scared me (the switch to staging on the right), so I say snap it together like I've been trying. Worst case scenario that I've noticed is your yard is going to overpower the front of the layout, but maybe thats what it's for. I personally went with minimal yard in preference of an interchange track, but thats me, not you. I hope to see build pictures/thread soon.
