Looks good David. Just have

Looks good David. Just have one thought regarding your grade issue. It is not my idea but I saw it I believe on an layout built by another.  He built his lay out tracks level but had a lower portion for the coal trestle to ride on that was sceniced below grade. It made for a nice looking layout.

In the nice drawing you have above you could do the same by skipping the grade and having a cut out at the location of your coal drop say 3 inches deeper than the rest of the layout and on the other portions you just build a base that will raise them up 3 inches for example.

I believe the layout was one of the switching pikes in MR some time ago, it was called federal street and was built by a gentleman from England if I remember correctly. If you subscribe to MR you can download it from their website.

Hmmm...

What seems to be missing is a tail track on the left end of the runaround (as you have on the right).  It looks as if to get around a cut of cars you'd have to have spots D and possibly F clear

David

So....

If there is stuff spotted in the way, then it has to be got out of the way and re-spotted after the shunt is done. Wouldn't be the first or last time. Probably spot D onlyhas to be moved for a loco runaround. If there was an uncoupler beyond spot D, then you can shove anything home to Spot F loose coupled, or drop what is in spot D clear by a loco length +. to make the runaround move.  The operating crews in the real world probably have to do it sometimes too. Look at it as an operational "wrinkle" caused by a built-up location.

Shunting the coal trestle

Hi David,

Rob's idea of sinking the coal drop below grade is probably a good one to minimise the grade, but here are some other operational ideas that could be used on the grade:

• For  such steep  grade, quite often at local elevated coaling stages the load was restricted to one or two loaded coal wagons at a time because of the grade. 
• Towards the end of the life of the coaling stage, when little if no maintenance was being done on the structure, the structure would deteriorate beyond what could safely support a locomotive's weight, so spacer cars between the locomotive and the loaded coal cars cars would have to be used to shove the loaded coal cars to the desired spot on the coaling stage while keeping the locomotive off the trestle. Any empty cars could be conscripted for this spacer car duty.

just some thoughts to add other "operational wrinkles from the real world" to what looks like a good track plan with plenty of operational variety to keep you amused

I would....

......Reverse the crossover near "D" so it connects the spur to "E" . That way you wouldn't have to move any thing at an industry to do a run around.

I also like the ide of lowering the coal stage as it moves away a bit from the "Flat Earth" look

Coal Drops

OK, so I have taken away industry D. This would give enough room for a runaround without compromising the Freight House too often. I have also taken on board the idea about making the coal drops actually below the ground level. I did this before Graeme Nitz commented above so I will look at that next. here is the current layout, done in a bit of perspective. I hope that you can follow it.

The loss of the industry at the front will open the whole vista out giving me more room for some non-railroad details. This is something that my wife always complains that I don't do enough of!