[Joe Wicked]

The track has the gravel attached. It didn't come out as well as I thought it would in the pictures, but if you look closely at the locomotive picture you will see that the main bit is a gray with specks of black, white and some clear ones that kinda sparkle in the light. They also make the same thing in individual "rocks" that can be used to fill areas All the power and switching tracks have the little humps (you can see it in the loco pic as well) for running the wires. I elected to not use them and route the wiring under the table. I plan on shaving that part down and filling it with the rocks. I will wait until my finishing touches for that as I don't want to waste it by knocking it around.

As far as scenery, I plan on putting a few more buildings around the small train yard in front (Engine Garage, refuel/rewatering station, etc...). Just behind the train yard area will be an industrial area with a factory, some warehouses, and maybe start the residential area. Just behind where the train yard first starts the center loop area, will be a "downtown" with more residential behind that. Off to the right, it will be open countryside. My wife is planning on building a ranch taking up the right front corner. The back will have either some hills with tunnels or maybe the start of a mountain, that is just cut off at the edge of the layout. Undecided on that as well. I think a large hill that the train enters a tunnel and maybe a small farm that is actually on top of the hill above the tunnel, but I am not sure again. Other than the general plan for the large areas, I am not planning anything. I am letting this come together as it comes together. I wanted at least 2 loops before 1 lap was completed, and I pretty much have that. I played with track layout for 3 weeks before I settled on this. Pretty much a project that is more it feels right, right now. Not modeling anything specific, and there will be things that don't match (cars, buildings, wrong era for locomotives, etc...) but I am just doing what I like. I figure this will not be "done" for a few years.