With model railway layouts once you get to the 80's a lot has changed from steam days which can mean quite a lot for track plans.
Passenger services on the remaining branch lines 1 to 2 car DMU's while main-line services are LONG.
With freight, the classic goods yard is no more: most trains are either single-type bulk deliveries or long strings of containers, and both of these need pretty large facilities to start, stop, load and unload cargoes.
There were (and still are) short train workings to be found, but many of these will still originate/terminate at large depots. The small ones have mostly been closed!
This is an interesting thread on what is still around,
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... ht-trains/
Matching this with the desired passenger service is what the planning will be about.
An obvious idea would be to look at a "watching the trains go by" design, with one side of the board being hidden parallel tracks to hold a supply of trains while the opposite side had largely unencumbered track, the centre of the board holding a "just large enough to survive" single-purpose depot.
China clay in rural Cornwall, or a fuel depot in rural Scotland, perhaps.
To try to get in a passenger junction with a branch line as well would probably overload things, and that would do better with longer freight trains just passing by on the main line.
An option for more variety, right up to "anything" goes, would be to have a preserved railway operating out of the bay platform of a still-functioning larger station, with little interaction between the two.
Different decision: are you looking for a one-level layout, or are you happy with gradients and multiple levels? The second is more work but might offer more capacity or more scenic opportunities.
Just thinking, Chris.
