RC - Some words of saged advice. First off, scale back those ideas of building something that "screams western PA/NY", is highly accurate and a realistic replication of your area. When building a first layout, it is always best to utilize some basic, tried and true, trackplan that's appeared in some publication like MR or RMC. Someone's already executed them and found any potential mistakes. First layouts are largely technique-learning tools. Most beginner's layout designs are over the top and impractical.
You are building a 4x8, which is pretty much going to limit you, in HO, to a single loop of track, probably a passing siding and a few short industry sidings. Placing the layout on tall legs to fit over a bed sounds to me like a very unstable, shaky, arrangement. Most tall layouts have ample leg bracing, which would largely block access to the bed.
Further, unless the bed is sticking out from the middle of one of the room's walls, rather set longside and against a room wall or in the corner, you'll have great difficulty reaching equipment at the layout's rear. Being freestanding, with access to all four sides, would at least give you better operating access, and even permit a scenic divider down the layout's center to give you two independent scenes.
CNJ999
Last edited by CNJ999 on Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:44 am, edited 1 time in total.