Thanks for all of the enabling folks. Really appreciated. I'm actually going to beg off the E33 Rectifier at the moment. I don't think it'll work that well on the O27 track. Willpower FTW!
@Adriatic thanks for the tips. I definitely will get the lower level (which will eventually be the mid-level) completed and running - and enjoyed - before I start an elevated section. Curves are definitely going to be tricky because a lot of the realestate towards the outer edges of the layout are already spoken for. It'll need to be a much smaller oval. The other option is to run a trolley along the back and not have to worry about curves ... but honestly that doesn't appeal to me much, I'd rather have a loop. I'll remember your advice on building that elevated trestle system.
For the time being, I've hunted down a couple extra O27 uncoupler track sections and will get them installed. I'm looking at a Vulcan or 0-4-0 LC switcher (both bottom of the line engines, but a small footprint) for the Inglenook. When the layout turns from a simple 4x8 into the "Southern Darlington Rail Road" I'll go in search of a LC+ switcher to do more complex switching exercises. Instant gratification is good, but having goals is sometimes better. Of course, maybe I could offload a couple of the nine engines I've already purchased to fund a more realistic and useful engine? I just don't know which ones - if any - I could bear to part with.
It's funny because I looked at golf clubs similarly. I'd have a few clubs that I haven't played in years, but thought ... man, that was a good club, I'll keep it. Maybe I need to get a newer hobby, so I don't horde trains like I used to horde clubs?
