After a quiet couple of days following construction (or at least putting together - it hasn't been fixed yet!), I have had a look again at the sides/middle divider that came with the TV unit, with a view to using them. I initially rejected these as sides/wings due to the height of 6.5 inches, but having looked again, and as the layout is designed for eye-level viewing, I have decided to use them.

Cutting them down to size has given me the sides and wings - you will have to excuse the poor quality snapshots, taken on my mobile with less than ideal lighting, and resized on paint.net.

You will also see that I have gained a backscene board - this has also been re/upcycled - it is the front of a draw unit from a cheap chest of drawers which has fallen apart under the weight of clothes my wife has put into it - that it is a different colour really doesn't matter as it will be hidden in any case, and the slight (it's about quarter of an inch, and very frustrating!) height difference will be resolved later in the post. The holes are where the handle used to be.

I wanted to see if my 'vision' would work, so knocked up some quick card mockups from a box purloined from the recycling - it is simply held together with sellotape, so isn't particularly accurate and is more to show what I am aiming for, although the Station Building is accurate in dimensions as an aid to planning. Starting front left, we have the seed warehouse, with the part relief cottage rear left. In the middle is the station building, and to the right, the goods store.

The rising ground at the front(Polystyrene resting on a pile of business cards at one end) represents the farm track, although it is very tight, and I think I might abandon the idea in favour of the farm track in favour of just a grassy bank.

Looking to the left, you can see where I am going with the seed warehouse with a shelter/loading bay sticking out over the tracks. I have also very quickly mocked up the cottage garden wall, but I think this will either need to be higher or perhaps just a simple fence instead.

Finally, I thought the whole 'box' was lacking 'something' to finish it off, and then I remembered that I had lopped 3' off to form the baseboard. Luckily, I cut this in one length, and put it in a sheltered spot of the garden. When I retrieved it earlier this evening, it seemed to still be OK despite some rain over the past few days, and after cutting it down a little, put it on top to see how it looked - with the idea that it would finish off the 'front' of the layout, as well as hide the slight height difference in the backscene when viewed head on;

The whole process has answered a few questions for me - and also, inevitably raised a few more - I now don't know about the road - but overall I think it has been a more than productive evening, and I am now confident that all my amendments and 'trimming' of the layout plan has been worth it, and I will be satisfied with the end result. As always, your thoughts are more than welcome!