Doing domestic chores can be a wonderful time to get some thinking in. So this morning I spent some time thinking about how the timetable for the Austrian part of Lofty should be arranged. First a quick recap of the track plan, from bottom to top:

1. The fiddle yard: 4 or so tracks representing the Landeck part of the world, arranged in reversing loop

2. The major intermediate station with steam loco shed, a carriage siding, and 3 or four loops

3. Junction station: Built on a ledge with only room for single loop and two short dead end sidings for goods wagons or a shunter

4a. Mainline terminus: Junction with the RhB, three loops and a log transfer crane, shed for shunter

4b. Branchline terminus: Hidden fiddle yard with two tracks in a reverse loop

[Note: This is the reverse of the earlier plan where the two branch line went to the border terminus]

In terms of traffic there will be the following:

1. Normal service trains, mostly hauled by 2095 class loco's

2. Mainline steam specials hauled by Mh class loco's

3. Branchline services, provided by railcars

4. Branchline steam specials hauled by U/Uh class loco's and HF loco's

5. Goods trains, mostly log traffic to Switzerland

6. Drop off goods service (mostly beer and model trains)

The first two types of traffic will run from fiddle yard to the mainline terminus on the Swiss border. The next two types will run from the major station to the branchline terminus.

The 5th type will run from the fiddle yard, to the mainline terminus, and the last one, only from the major station to the branchlike terminus.

Most continental railways run a strict clock face timetable, which makes the timetable very simple to print as you can see here:

Junctions are often designated transfer points, so if your train is late, you should still be able to make your connection.

In this case the small junction station will be a designated transfer location. So a down (to Landeck) train on the mainline, will meet an up branchline train. Similarly an up mainline train will meet a down branchline.

At the major station, a mainline steam special will pause to take on water on of the loops at the back. While it's taking on water, a mainline normal service train will over take it, this will also be the crossing point where it meets the mainline service going the other way.

So at the main station the sequence will be as follows:

1. Up steam special arrival

2. Up mainline train arrival

3. Down mainline train arrival

4. Up mainline departure

5. Down mainline departure

6. Steam special departure

7. Down branchline arrival

This is a bit of a pig as it means that the branchline train, will need to wait for both the normal service train and the steam special at the junction before it can set off.... Hmmmm.... One obvious thing that can be done is to make the steam wait for the branchline train to arrive?

Thoughts?

Update! Reflecting on this while mopping the kitchen floor, I've come to the conclusion that the steam special should wait, it should be treated as a goods train for timetabling purposes... The nice side effect of this decision is that the goods trains can be timetabled in exactly the same way.