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The Jackson & Burke Railroad
The original railroad was a simple loop in my backyard. I wanted something the would be better suited to operations.
I decided on an out and back design. A yard and turntable will be built at one end of the railway. A connector links the reverse loop for true continuous running without the need for throwing any switches.
The yard is called “Green Springs” after a nearby park that my wife likes to visit. Leaving Green Springs, the train passes a small town called Occoquan, just big enough to have a passing siding and a couple of industries. Then it makes a “U” and pulls into the town of Jackson. Leaving Jackson, it enters the reversing loop that has a passing siding that will also serve as a staging area that I call Lexington.
The idea of staging trains is to make it appear that they originate "offstage" and thus provide more traffic for the layout. The staging track can be either a source or a destination for off-