I think one of the things I am trying to come to grips with is hearing more experienced operators discussing how much longer it can take to operate when switching a few industries than I would assume.  By way of some background, I have operated on a few large layouts many years ago and enjoyed making some long mainline runs as an engineer of through freights.  These runs easily took 45 minutes IIRC.   So, I am not that experienced with switching a local town as an example.

I read an article by Lance Mindheim here (MRH Jan 2013 maybe?) where he shared that two operators took three hours to do maybe 12 tasks on his larger shelf layout.  I also noted Sanchomurphy's comment that it could take over an hour to switch all of the spots on the example above.  I would have assumed it could be done in ten minutes to be honest!

I am also starting to plan a shelf layout somewhere in the 8 to 10 feet by 2 feet area for my son and I.  Frankly, having three industries that could provide an hour of operation would be fantastic.  It's clear I need to learn more about operating or even throw some track down in a 3D program and experiment with a simulator.  Or, lay out the paper track and scoot engines and cars around by hand to get a better feel for what can be done in the space contemplated. 

In short, I think I need to learn more about operations and I'd like to do it in somewhat of a prototypical manner.

Rob -

I have a small shelf layout that's not too different from yours.  If I were to switch out a few cars, as quickly as possible it would, as you suspect, only take 15 minutes or so.

But, if you operate at realistic speeds, that same session will take from 30-45 minutes. The speed limits on my layout are 5 mph on industrial spurs and 10 mph on other tracks. This is much slower than you think.  

Take a look at this video of the real thing.  All the crew does is pull a couple of empties and drop off a couple of loads. The video is 7 minutes long and a lot of the actual work was edited out.

In many cases you won't see a locomotive run up to a car and couple.  The locomotive will stop about a half car length away, then slowly creep up to the car to make the connection. You could pause a few a few seconds here for the brakemen to connect the brake hoses and release the brakes on the pickup.

Go to YouTube and search for switching videos. You'll start to get a feel for how long things take in the real world. You don't need to overdo it to the point where the model isn't fun. You'll have to find the right balance for your own taste.

GS

While the revised plan incorporates all of the elements of the original plan, I do not recommend placing the turnout for the warehouse off the team track lead.  This is a bit of the John Allen time saver and is not something that a railroad would do unless there was an exceptionally long lead and switching the warehouse would not interfere with cars placed on the team track.

Option #1 would be to move the warehouse on the other side of the road (original drawing) and have that lead come off the runaround track.

Option #2 would be to have the two industrial turnouts cross each other with a diamond. This is not common, but acceptable if there is not enough space for the railroad to

Don

If possible consider having the cars go inside a building.  Riding with our local shortline it's amazing how long it takes for the industry to open the door.  One industry which has now closed had a bicycle horn (rubber bulb type) for the conductor to use when the door had to be opened.  We also have a "clown car" warehouse where the track inside is curved so more cars come out of the warehouse than what you would think would fit inside.

Remember to allow time for the conductor to walk on every switching move to use up more time.

Robert

Try this web site. It will give you a few sound effects and help you a small delays. GS

I appreciate the feedback and links.

Thank you everyone for your feed back so far! Gives me some stuff to chew on.