The first axiom for this layout when it was proposed in the Theory of General Minories thread, was one of confined scope that would be achievable in a reasonable amount of time and still provide a degree of operational satisfaction.

Track and the Permanent Way in general fascinates me. I wonder if it is because so many of my layouts have never got past the track planning and laying phase that I've unconciously gravitated towards gleaning as much enjoyment as possible from that aspect of model railways? Either way  - I'm often straight down into the weeds of correct timber spacing, panel length, precise configuration - as can be seen by this entry here . 

As a result of that I did flirt with P4 and built a functioning turnout without too much trouble - but I came to realise that while the work of hand-laying the track wasn't particularly onerous, the re-chassis'ing as well as re-wheeling of most commercially available stock would be a large undertaking. I'm not aiming for a fully RTR layout, but part of the first axiom was to ensure my layout is achievable in a reasonable amount of time, so leveraging those offerings where feasible is a key consideration.

RP25 vs P4 wheels - different, but not as much as I'd thought..

After pondering this for a while, I resigned myself to 00 - until I realised that Peco Bullhead turnouts are permanently out of stock everywhere. I then thought about hand-laying 00-SF, but the only benefit of this over hand laying EM is locos wouldn't have to be re-wheeled.

 While looking on the EMGS website, I saw they hold stock and sell some nice looking EM gauge B6 turnouts.  Infact, I could get all of the track required for the layout for just over £300.

By using these RTP turnouts and track, I would have the benefit of a much more accurate track gauge and the REQUIREMENT to hand-lay track is obviated. The layout was designed by CJF with 'standard' turnout geometry in mind, so my reservations about using proprietary turnouts is mollified to a degree. Ultimately - 80% of the looks of P4 for 20% of the effort, being able to leverage RTR offerings without re-chassis'ing them. Most importantly - I would be able to move beyond the track laying stage of layout construction, to other aspects: electrics, scenics, signalling, rolling stock construction, etc.

Alea iacta est