Considering the size of your room can I suggest you seriously consider making some hard compromises early and looking into the feasibility of a switching layout above your desk and discarding the idea of continuous running around the room. I know this is not what you want to hear. You have indicated a preference for operations so limiting the layout scope to a small local branch line may achieve your goals.

I myself have had to make these same hard decisions to reduce my scope, and even changed my preferred prototype, to better achieve my layout goals. I suggest prioritizing what you want from the layout and then critically assessing whether a lift out bridge and track above a bed contribute to these goals.

I would also suggest looking at some of the books by Lance Mindheim found on Amazon.com. 8 Realistic Track Plans for Small Switching Layouts is recommended given your situation.  Regardless of how much space you have there will always be too many elements you want to fit in. Hard decisions will always be required. It is best to make them early.

Glenn

As a general concept I would model a branch or industrial lead and the junction where the branch line connects with a main route.  The junction would be "staging".  You would have a couple local engines that would be based on the branch to serve it and then a large industry on the end of the branch.  Some sort of unit or dedicated train would serve the large industry.   Operation would involve the local switching up its train at the junction, running up the branch and back switching industries.  It would switch the outbounds at the junction into east/north and west/south blocks.  Sometime in the middle of this a unit or dedicated train would show up and run to the industry on the end of the branch and then later (or next session) the unit/dedicated train would gather up the outbound cars and run back to the junction.

I personally don't like the idea of intermodal cars in a modern setting because the operational opportunities for a model railroad are way less than other types of cars.  An auto ramp might be a bit more believable.  A power plant, cement mill or ethanol plant might be good options for the plant at the end of the branch (among dozens of others)

If you do run it around the room, I would make the main line and junction at elevation 0, then have the branch climb up 4 inches or so and be at elevation 4" for most of its run (the main in the river valley and the branch going up on the plateau/bluffs).  That would allow a loop for the main with a couple storage/staging tracks under or behind the branch. 

I have a space that is about 1' larger in each dimension but very similar in shape.  Below is my track plan, based on a branch line with a main line junction on one end.  The black areas are staging yards, but in my case they are fully exposed for better visibility and easier access.  Working in N scale, you could do something similar but with broader curves and longer runs.

I agree with Dave about intermodal trains.  For the most part, they're like passenger trains - they run through, but don't really do anything interesting.  They are best kept for large layouts that can justify the large switching area needed, or the long run that needs through trains.

Note that the Free-mo module in the center of the room operates as a separate railroad, and can be omitted if space does not allow it.

You could squeeze a small portion of the Clinchfield (CSX) in the space you have. The line could start above the bed as staging (Erwin), then cross the Catawba viaduct on the left wall, come into Marion, SC over the desk, and then duck into Clinchfield's last tunnel on the right wall, where you could then either continue up the right side back toward staging (Erwin/Bostic), or simply loop the track in the tunnel as a helix to separate staging (Bostic) below Marion. 16" in a helix might be tricky, however, yet doable if the train lengths are kept within reason.

There are two or three small but active industries in Marion, and you should be able to get at least two of them in. You could also add the interchange with Southern (NS) just before ducking into the tunnel (one end of NS could hide behind the backdrop and veer to the right). If you go around the room, you could up the radius of the line to 18". Both mainline and locals would shuffle-off in either direction and keep you busy for years.

Good luck!

Cheers!
Marc

Start with a small industrial switching layout (ISL).  You don't mention your age, but since you are building it in a bedroom that has to have a bed sharing space with the layout, I would avoid putting bench work over the bed.  Even if the bench work is high enough and narrow enough to be out of the way of someone getting in and out of the bed, the reach over the bed is still going to be an issue.  Build something smaller and more manageable now and dream of the larger layout for when you get a bigger place with space for a dedicated train room. 

I also agree with the comments about intermodal.  I've seen a number of attempts to model intermodal terminals on a layout, and they always look too dead and static to me.  To me intermodal trains are best run as a unit from one staging area to another.

Thanks for the input!

Alright, so my new basic idea based off of what I'm reading here is to have a yard somewhere in the room with a short mainline running off to staging underneath a industrial branch (which will be the focus of the layout) that is elevated about 2-3 inches or so. I like the idea of a cement plant as a major industry as I have a lot of covered hoppers. 

I'll likely use the intermodal cars as run-through trains on the main. 

The idea of having layout over the bed doesn't bother me because: 1) I'm in my early 20's and still agile, 2) I plan on making the benchwork modular in construction, and probably won't be connecting them until all the track is laid (since I will be handlaying the track, and want to do it on my workbench.) 

I have designed about half of the layout to my satisfaction. When finish the plan, I'll post it for comments.

Andrew

save some scrap plywood or 1x3 to fasten to the end of the sections for moving to your bedroom.  It only takes one bump of rails going right to the end of a section to destroy the interface between sections.

You want to run trains.  You want switching. You want point-to-point.

Point to point is in the eye of the beholder. 

My layout is commonly called roundy-round - and with some derision.  In fact, I have a yard to make up trains - I have a mainline of track that I can run  on as long as I please - and I have a switching area to serve as the destination.  I could simultaneously run three trains if I had three DCC throttles.

The best news is it is n scale and you could put a 3X9 n scale layout along your wall and  still have a bedroom. 

I think the hobby is too focused on with large layouts and sometimes those of us with limited space try to build  miniature big layouts in limited space.

Check out Lance Mindheim's Books.  He has several that have track plans for rooms roughly the size of yours.

If you've ever seen the plans I've drawn up for my latest segment, it'll sound strange when I say the wonderful thing about Lance's plans are they are "elegantly simple".   He packs a deceptive amount of action into his plans.

There are a number of other excellent designers who've developed plans for similar areas,  just every time I start to get carried away trying to see how many switches and spurs I can squeeze into how little space, I pull out one of Lance's books to remind myself to chill out....

I finally came up with a good trackplan based on a nearby CSX line.

The train elevator leads to an upper deck (still under planning) that will be more switching based to offset the mainline running emphasis of the lower deck.

Thanks for all of your input.

Andrew