Planning the Ocean loop

For a long time I've been thinking about what the module on the ocean end of the layout should look like. I've toyed with various designs, but in the end I think a big loop to contrast with the Mortimer Park loop, and to allow continuous running*, is what I need.

There'll be some beach and ocean near that spur, and open land in the loop. I want this end to have an open feeling to contrast the dense, urban area you'd travel through to get here.

It's all sectional track taken from my spares box of decades of leftovers. The loop is a 15" radius thing. That's way too tight for diesels, but quite roomy for streetcars. At the other end of the layout the Mortimer Park loop has a 7" radius, so there's quite a contrast.

The details of the scenery may change as I build this thing, but the overall idea is that this end is going to curvy, free form, and open to maximize the contrast with downtown. 

Everything was traced out on a big sheet of paper, some dimensions were noted, and now it's ready for module building.

*Normally I don't care for running trains. I'm a model maker and like to take photos. But, when it comes to showing this to people there's an expectation that trains will run. And run in a loop**. Given that the thing is DCC, some simple multi-streetcar operations can be run if someone wants to play the transit game. I think a layout without a loop is somewhat disappointing to viewers. Luckily with streetcars, running in tight loops is not too far from the prototypical truth.

**I think of this kind of track plan as The Primal Loop, because the simple circle of track dates from the earliest beginnings of the hobby and is deeply lodged in its DNA.