Evening everyone,
Belated thanks for all of the replies (I've had a really manic time at work, so haven't been able to get online for a bit).
I am looking hard into the folding baseboard option. I am not too worried about weight as I will build it as light as possible, plus I don't have to move it far from where I intend to store it to where it'll be run, so I don't think damage will be a problem. I think the folding option will make storage easier and will minimise set-up time (therefore maximising modelling time).
I'm also not too put-off by the prospect of building another board. The last was made with off-cuts from previous DIY projects so I've not lost out financially. I'm sure I will find a use for it in the future too. Also, I really enjoyed building it with my Dad, so the idea of some more 'father-son' bonding time to build a new board is great.
Finally, Pete (trisonic), I know where you are coming from with the 'another timesaver layout' point. However, I do feel that the revised plan ticks more of my criteria than I could fit into 6 ft. I am looking to build a small layout in the limited space available in my flat. I really want a plan which fits passenger and freight operation into the space and allows some interesting shunting operation. I used the Piano Line plan for inspiration and as soon as I saw Kris' revised and more 'flowing' interpretation it felt 'right.' There were also some great contributions from other posters which I wanted to try to incorporate. To do that (as well as in order to fit a longer run around loop) I needed to lengthen the board.
I think that I've managed to fit as many of the elements of what I'm looking for as possible into the space but the next steps are to build the board, buy some more track and put it all together so I can 'play trains' a bit to find out.
I am hoping to draft some plans for the board as well as some more detailed layout plans, so I will try to post them on here shortly for further advice/comments.
All the best, and thanks for the assistance so far!
Rob.