Island layouts

[nachoman]

I think the closest I can think of to what you are describing (if I understand you correctly) is a weird octagon layout featured in Model Railroader back in the early 1990s. It was N scale, based on conrail, and had a big mountain in the center. I thought it was quite creative. I have seen several others that are up against only one wall but otherwise protrude into the room, basically just one penninsula (sometimes an irregularly shaped penninsula).

Many, many people will tell you the shelf layout is the way to go. But I think that layout style has drawbacks for rooms that have many windows and doors. The shelf works best in a basement. Personally, I refuse to block any door or window, even a closet door (claustrophobia speaking). I also think that shelves are too narrow to represent mountainous scenery. Sure, you can get that feel a little bit in the corners or on any penninsulas, but along a 24" wide shelf, it is pretty difficult to create the illusion of an extensive mountian range. Sure, there are some talented backdrop painters, but a backdrop is still a 2-d backdrop.

I am curious what you come up with here.