Trainz - an inspiration to the LEGO Central Florida Project

Since 2010, which has led a preliminary version of what I am about to talk about, I have been working on a rail route in Trainz Simulator 12, which carries forth modern rail operations out of Tampa, FL.

It should be no surprise that it is the inspiration for me to model key parts of Central Florida, some to the inch (Plant City Depot) and some very improvised (Bypass Canal).

GFLUG themselves has been at it building the downtown Tampa skyline with tens of thousands, and lately have taken to improvising Polk St. and making it double track and run-through grade.

One interesting thing about working on two things at the same time is this... Your research and photos, videos, and whatnot kill two birds with one stone. This means photo and video of the 78th St. bridge have helped my LEGO and Train efforts. I'd say it's efficient.

But one idea I just developed today while doing Rockport in Trainz Simulator is this. I want one of the dueling yards to BE Rockport! Dueling yards, a 2010 concept, is where trains get stationed in two polar ends of the layout, then sent in various channels of trackage through the layout, allowing 5-6 to run simultaneously.

After a bulk purchase helps me finish parts of Plant City, I'll be planning for Rockport. Perhaps my work on there will be simple. I am looking for these gems:

• The rock conveyors... this will be a fairly complicated construction using technic parts and whatnot. They don't have to be that large in retrospect. 
• The BIG shed that holds all of the wet rock shipped in on trains like O842, O843, the works. I'll be looking at 40x90 studs for this one; it's a large structure and cannot be mistaken aerially with the CSX logo on top. I'll be looking for a 2013 purchase to include the grounds for a "curve the 1x2" technique to happen for the roof
• 4 yard tracks on the opposite end of the conveyor/rock transload. I guess this can hold the trains that are waiting while an outside track that passes the chute holds the mainline trains, passenger and freight. Remember, compromise. 1 chute, 1 mainline track, 3 yard tracks on the emptying side.
• a little loading dock to Tampa Bay. This can accomodate the tug from the 2011 harbor, 4644, provided minor modification.
• US 41 crossing - I guess if space is out like candy, lol

If positioned right, Rockport can give the north view a gaze of Downtown Tampa in the close distance. Because this area is only best known by railfans, I best recommend any fruition that comes of this to be in the Tampa or Plant City big-league shows. It will make a terminal point very interesting just to gaze at, making the layout space much more efficient, while it is known it's green table cloth and 9v track as it is. Also, at its finest, I can run a wet rock train into the rotary facility and have a little fun. :) It'll be nice to have a PF controlled engine pair pull the cars in and out slowly as they get "rotated" (either figuratively or literally, depending if I can get ahold of old magnets and technic hole brackets)

Let's see how it goes. Of course, it's all in the drawing board, but who knows.