I think you have to put his plans in context, After world war 2 there was a housing shortage caused by the great depression and the war. most houses built were 900-1000 sq, ft. Basements were a luxury. in order to fit in as much as possible duck unders were common. his designs are impecable but limited by space constraints of the time. His later work tended toward more spacious layouts. use his plan as the basis for your railroad not the end product. every location is going to require some variation. the only thing that can not be modified is to try and fit a plan for a bigger space into a smaller space.
April 1954 in the MR Archives
this plan has caught my eye for "the big one"
while I'm only daydreaming at this point:
I don't think the staging is enough. I would think a continuous staging yard would be better (and longer)
Ugh duckunders! modern era with the new Atlas/ Metra cars
desired trains: manifest each direction, intermodal, autorack, commuter, and a couple of unit trains