If space, time, and budget were unlimited? I’d go all-out on a multi-deck HO scale layout that follows a transcontinental freight route—think mountains, deserts, and dense cityscapes all in one sweeping line. Picture long coal drags winding through snow-covered passes, intermodals crossing massive bridges, and local switchers working gritty industrial yards.
I’d probably model the late ’70s to early ’90s—enough variety in locomotives and freight cars, with a good mix of old-school and emerging tech.
Bonus? I’d integrate real-time operations with DCC, automatic signals, working hump yards, and a dispatch system. Maybe even lighting that changes with the time of day and weather effects like fog and rain.
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