LNRR, as an American, I cannot agree with you more. The mainstream paper magazines here in The States show a lot of track plans with too many turnouts in it. Most Americans will support a Timesaver layout but they will frown when they see a Inglenook layout. Building trains on a Inglenook layout is prototypical! I had just talked to a professional railroader today about switching a yard. He told me that the railroad builds a train with cars in chronological order of delivery. Americans need to look at the prototype in building their layouts instead of building a "puzzle" layout.
Wendell
Idaho, USA