I am not the first to reach such a conclusion. Fellow modeler Craig Bisgeier went through the same process of creation, destruction and rebirth of his Housatonic Railway design to reach, in my opinion, a much more interesting and unique design. I learned a great deal about the history in an area important to me. It just didn't translate into a model railroad I wanted to build. Model building, be it rolling stock or structures, is my favourite modeling activity.
Prototypical operation is desired, but at a relaxed pace and with a small number of people.
I would like the model railroad to be based on a prototype in the Parry Sound, Ontario area. Constraints on my time, due to both family and business activities, will limit the amount of time I'll get to spend modeling. This set of givens and druthers lends itself to a modest model railroad in a large scale like O scale. The Layout Design section will discuss the development of the layout plan as I try to work all the good stuff in. I have listed the various books, videos, and such that I have using been in the Resources section.