I currently have two layouts underway, a 4mm scale mainline project based loosely on the Walsall area, and a 7mm scale undertaking amounting to little more than wishful thinking and some Templot files at the moment. This is quite a good arrangement, in that I can indulge both my penchant for a realistic model railway with scale length trains and also my need to lose myself in wagon detailing. These two aren't, technically, mutually exclusive, but in practical terms they're very difficult to combine effectively for an individual with limited leisure time. Rather than delude myself that I can build a large, mainline layout to the highest standards in one lifetime I decided to cheat, as most people do. The large layout is therefore built to normal 'off-the-shelf' standards and the more serious b*gg*ring about with bent bits of brass is confined to a limited number of larger scale models where the detail is more readily appreciated. Nobody lives forever!