Dale,
Honestly, I think your layout looks great, you have a clear idea of what you want it to be, and you most certainly are going to fully enjoy the fruits of your endeavor!
Learning to do the scenery will just take some experimentation, and as you alluded, this forum provides a world of ideas. Just a few days ago I tried one of the tricks provided by Jim Policastro in his last article in OGR Run 256, and it worked better than I had hoped. The trick was to lightly brush an off-white or similar color paint, using a dry brush, on surfaces that are supposed to be rocks.
I had added some rocks croppings to one of my otherwise relatively flat walls, and I just could not get them to look like rocks. I did as Jim suggested, and voila! All of a sudden the rocks looked like rocks. (Or at least they look much better, as the picture below depicts.) BTW, I have used many of Jim’s hints, including the use of Structolite, and I can’t thank him enough.
Watching and emulating the works of Jim, Rich, Dennis, Alan, Elliot, Patrick, Alex (the other one), Roger, and of so many others is what makes this hobby so much fun.
Please, do keep us posted on you progress.
Thx!
Alex