10-08-2011, 07:40 AM
As Mike said, mock ups are just stand in to help you visualize what the layout will look like when it is finished. They are intended to be quick and easy to slap together to hold a place. If you spend the time to make the mock up look like the real structure that you are going to put there, you might as well not bother with a mock up at all. The railroad looks like a really good start. You may not get past the mock up stage on this one. The idea is to operate it and see what you might like or not like. If you see problems that need fixing, it is easier to start over on a "plywood central" with mock ups than to tear apart a fully finished model railroad if it doesn't do what you wanted to accomplish.