And now for the good news. We have a design which I like. It's a terminus station out and back design and it has a fiddle yard. So why have I used a fiddle yard? The simple answer is that (a) it was the only way to receive larger trains (b) I solved the real estate issue. My big objection to turning loops and fiddle yards is the space which they consume but I have solved most of the issues. First the fiddle yard is alongside the layout and so does not waste length and by being the lowest point is can be ignored when viewing the layout. Next reversing loops. Although turn one (I number from the main station) will have to be under a scenic hillside in the usual way, turn two is under the main station and so has no impact on space

In the photo, red lines are hidden tracks

The stations are taken directly from standard texts and have not been modified by me (yet). The terminus (Corkerton) is Newquay and the through station (Fornham St. Jude) is Bourton-On-The-Water. My next task is to make a full-size replica of the layout by using Peco's templates. I have made up a master sheet which I must now get copied. I will then build the layout in paper just as you would when working with the real thing. This should produce the final design from which the layout can be built with confidence; particularly cutting the station baseboards to shape.