Layout Blues

Currently the SBT is a route without a home. I've made it as two pieces and right now it's just to big to set up as one piece. But here it is on the floor of my mom's house. East Ballard is on the back wall, and Salmon Bay is camera side.

I've got a pretty good layout going. Plenty of operation options and a reason for the route to exist. Much of what I've designed could quality the layout as a "Micro-Layout" as seen at the Micro-Layout Web page. Here is a short tour of the layout. Starting in the town of Salmon Bay and the interchange with the Northern Pacific.

This small coastal town is home to several major points of operation for the Salmon Bay Terminal. Hansen Lumber, which mills the lumber from the Barret Sawmill in East Ballard and ships furniture all over the country. And the Port of Salmon Bay Terminal, where ships of all kind load and unload their cargo.
Heading geographically northwest we head toward the "Big Cut". This was blasted through the rock by workers left over from building the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The spur to the Salmon Bay Terminal is seen at the bottom of this photo.

Now heading due north we enter the seaside community of East Ballard. This area is heavy industry, most of it open ocean based. This represents a massive port and all that go along with it.

In this photo you see the Great Northern interchange, WESCO oil (With my storage facility in for a test fit), Freemont Cement, Barret's Sawmill, and the East Ballard Port Authority. The Port Authority also ships and receives various cargo destined for local and interstate business.
In my ideal world, a two or three track fiddle yard would be at each end of the layout, representing the GN and NP. In addition, the way bill system will support ships docked in port show the manifest and where it needs to go.
I'm also preparing my back drop. Right now it's some tag board. I cut it with a power saw and am joining it together with glue and weight.