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Only suggestion I have is that your lighting is too high above the action.. I'd make a valance about 2' above the tracks and put them under that. And you wouldn't need as many, either. You could also instead install neon lighting under the valance.. I believe neon affords a more realistic daytime effect than what looks there to be halogen. One huge club in Los Angeles (Pasadena MRRC) uses red, yellow, blue incandescent bulbs over the layout. I think it's because technically white is made of all colors and black is the absence of color. And unless they have the night time effect happening, their daytime does look great.
I think you didn't need the lip above the edge of the bench since your tracks are so far away from it..If this does interest you, you can easily saw it away or maybe raise the (is it ?) foam up level to it, or the wood down to it.
I like your layout. It takes real fortitude to be content with such simplicity...M
If I may, one more:
If you were to saw the lip down you could still leave some of it to create a few low hills along the front..Also you could cut midway down below the lip into the foam enough to dig some foam out and create a shallow stream giving an excuse for a very short low trestle over it. Maybe a dry riverbed with the obligatory stones and dead tree stuff.. Good location may be splitting the pavement with concrete embankments in front and running behind 'transload' under curve track, disappearing behind the hillside to the back. I guess that'd be a paved aqueduct. Dats it.. I get your less is more thing... running a few cars or simply hearing em idling while you're dealing with structures or the crossword puzzle.....
Nice pictures and great start to a layout that looks like it will be alot of fun. By the way... Keep on good terms with Yaz. When I bought my 4 X 8 piece of 3/4" green foam insulation at my local Lowes, I was told they could not cut it down so that I could fit into my Honda to get it home. So I bought a cheap drywall hand saw and cut it myself in the parking lot.
Also wired everything up. There are 7 feeders at various points.
While travelling for work I stopped at Trains and Lanes in PA and picked up one of my favorite locos of all time; an Atlas Alco C424 in the M&E paint scheme with Loksound. If you've never been to this place its worth the trip they have just about everything! I also like English's in Montoursville, PA, especially if you like Bowsers.
Holy Smoke! Awesome progress .... The hill came out really great. Too bad that you did not paint the rails before laying the track - would have been much easier?
full speed ahead. Much progress in a short time frame. Of course, now is the time. I need to get full speed ahead on mine. Layout looks great. Nice design and hillside there