I don't think, a layout that complex, has a place in any office. As a customer, coworker or boss, if I saw or heard you playing with trains, while talking to me, I would become annoyed or worse. Throwing manual switches would really prove that you don't want to pay attention at all.
I understand the boredom, I would have to sit in many a department meeting. After about an hour listening to my coworkers projects, lots of fun stuff, catalogs, brochures and spec sheets, my boss would turn to me and say, "Mike, you know what you have to do. Good meeting everybody." Me, not saying a word about anything I was working on.
Now, I know you don't want a fish tank loop, but that is a plan that is more suited for an office. Any moving train will catch the eye. By adding some sidings you can add interest to any loop of track. Watching a train lazily making it's way through scenery is as calming as a fish tank. By using remote control on the turnouts, you can do the switching without taking attention from whoever you are talking to.
Think a a loop is that tiny is impossible, well here is my double track testing loops in one by two feet...
Pictured are a Kato ATSF NW2 and Atlas C&NW MP15 on Tomix Mini Fine Track. The inside loop is 103mmR and the outside is 140mmR. Only the MP15, Bachmann Streetcars and assorted Japanese rail equipment, can handle the tiny 4" curves. It might surprise you that an Athearn FP45 and all the other switchers I tested, can ride on the outside 5.5” radius loop. Pulling cars with Talgo style trucks and couplers is no big deal either. Granted running >85’ long cars is impossible, but you weren't going to use those anyway, right?
Here were some ideas, I drew up for a layout planned for the top of a common file cabinet...
Here is the Up and Down Mine in 3D...
While most of those are pretty simple, that's what you really want in a desktop layout. The simplest plans are primarily for watching streetcars travel through interesting scenery.
The Wharfs with Barge is probably closest to the switching puzzle, you are after. Barges can only be loaded/unloaded one car at time alternating the two sides. Then you have to pick up and deliver to the various warehouses. You could easily create a similar switching quandary by building a warehouse district using the Wide Tram Track(rails in the street) version of Tomix Fine Track. The extra length would add more options. I did add a tiny straight to widen the end loops, so the plans could be built in under a foot of depth.
Please don't confuse Tomix and Kato. While Unitrack ballast is tall and wide, Fine Track could be nested inside it, if the Kato ballast was hollow. Tomix ballast is so narrow, it can replace the sectional track on an Atlas bridge. The street surface of the Wide Tram Track is only 3/16” high. Those old presentation boards are a perfect match. Recycling them gets you extra points. You could build the benchwork out of them for even more points. That's how the base of Snowton was made, from old Foamcoe board, no wood.
A huge advantage to both Kato and Tomix is that they use switch motors hidden in their ballast. Tomix offers manual versions which are easily converted to remotes. Both brands use a DC polarity flash to operate. Permanent magnets hold the points in position. No springs, motors or external doodads needed.
Now, if I can build a layout like this in two square feet,
Imagine what spice you could add in a layout twice a long.
Use what you know about the world to model…
Learn from modeling what you don't know about the real world.
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