When building a model railroad layout decisions need to be made on the importance of different aspects of the layout. One such vital decision depends on the amount of space available. It relates to the importance of scenery at the expense of operation.

Scenery looks good, is fun to build, but takes space. Train operation is also very enjoyable, but may require a compromise in the scenery (or realism) depending on the space available.

With a small layout it might not be practical to have the desired operational system as well as the perfect scenery and realism. The key is in deciding what is important to you and making the right choices before building your layout.