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Yes - Rick Rideouts layout is NICE!!! Another thing about an around-the-walls type layout - you're able to reach everything! Imagine, if you will, benchwork that is only 2 ft wide. Maybe 2.5ft. You would be able to reach everything! A turnout needs repair, your loco derailed - no problem, it's all withing your reach. Narrow benchwork seems like a really good way to keep the "monster" under control. My wife and I have a lot of storage space in our garage. As much as I'd like to pack more & more stuff in there, I know that I can't put any box in front of another box. If I do, I'll never get to the box behind it! Same concept with around-the-walls benchwork. In fact, you could build the around-the-wall section, with a couple pensinsula's in the middle that are simply areas for switching, or destination towns, etc. You could build the mainline around the walls, then build the switching areas a year or so later - because the layout could run without them. Then if you decide you've already bitten off more than you could chew, you could just not build those areas. Just some thoughts... I'm jealous of the space you have!!! I should also mention, I, too am a CAD junky - I'm a mechanical engineer. Having used CAD for years, there are still times where I design something, then when I get it manufactured and it's in my hands, I go, "Wow, that's tiny!", or conversely, "Wow, that's HUGE!" I'm aware of this while designing a layout too. Real life and the computer can be quite different. As I'm using the computer, I must contstantly think about real life to make sure I'm not off-base.
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