Do a keyword search for The Heart of Georgia on the site.
Here are a few Pic.
I love this idea because of the following.
4 foot by 8 you can only get a 22 inch turn max, that will limit the sizes of car and engines you can run. That would be fine for a start, but later you will want bigger turns I know I do. With the H O G you can run 32" turns depending on what you want.
If the 4 X 8 is free standing, then working on the bench would be just a little hard. If against a wall it will be a BIG PAIN IN THE CABOOSE! Ask me how I know! One section I do have 28 inch turns, in that corner if there is a derail I have to climb on to the bench to fix the problem. I will add when there is a problem, well it is in that corner. Unless it is free standing I will never go over 30 inches wide again!
What I posted PIC of is just a idea, not the track plain, food for thought. I have the room you wish you had and 300 feet plus of rail laid. Depending on my health and money I hope to rip out the current 175 sq feet of bench I have and start again. My HOG would be 19 foot X 24 foot and no wider than 30 inches.
On the different makers of track, that is not a problem.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
While you're at that show, pay close attention to the "modules" which make up the portable layouts. Notice how they're constructed, and take note of how they fit together. These are designed for portability, and also set up so that they can be re-assembled in different ways. You don't have to be as strict about the rules of track placement, etc., that are necessary for fully-interchangeable modules, but if you want a layout which will be easily portable to your next home, this sort of thing is a good place to start. Ask the crew running the layout for suggestions. A good way to start is to ask permission to peek under the table, to see how it's built underneath. Don't just climb under there on your own, but I'm sure they'd be glad to give you a guided tour.
By the way, I second Ken's suggestion about an around-the-walls layout. I would add a bridge of some sort (lift-off, lift-up, drop-down or swing) across the doorway for easier access, avoiding the dreaded duck-under concept to get to the center.
Oh, yeah, and welcome to the forums!
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
The HoG is pretty much a slightly shortened version of my 8x12. I built mine with 4 identical sections, each 2x8. Hooked together that got outside dimensions of 8x12, or I could ahev staggered the ends and made it 10x10. I think thjey use 2 extra sets of legs - with 1x4 framing I had no problems supporting an 8 foot span with just one set of legs at each end. In fact were I to do it again I probably would put 3 legs on each corner and suspend the sections of the 12' side from the side pieces without additional legs.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Regarding your question about track - the brands you mentioned are all good and brand doesn't matter so much as the code. If it's all Code 83 it should be possible to mix and match - BUT you may have to use some thin material (like cardstock) to shim under some of the pieces... I think the thickness of the ties varies a teeny bit from one manufacturer to another. Run your fingernail over joints see if it catches; your goal is to have the tops of the rails even.
One other thing to think about is conductivity (carrying the electrical current). A lot of older track is brass but nickel silver is more popular now with newer stuff. Either one is a fine conductor but they oxidize (rust) a little differently. If your older track is brass and REALLY old make sure you clean it up with a track cleaner. My choice - since I don't want to spend a lot of time fussing with differences in conductivity from old brass to new nickel - would be to have either all brass or all nickel.
Also, turnouts: newer ones often have electrically isolated frogs (for improved DCC) whereas older ones (DC) do not - it doesn't matter which you choose but if it were me I'd want 'em to all be either one way or another, again to save trouble with conductivity and wiring.
Lastly, there are plenty of experts around here who might correct something in what I just said - if they do, listen to them.
Have fun!
Rob