I've had a hard time visualizing a layout in my basement capturing the elements I want to incorporate in this layout. I will follow Tony Koester's lead and call the elements Layout Design Elements or LDEs. As of right now, I have the area I could use to make the layout (the walls and restrictions of my basement) drawn onto graph paper with 1/4th inch graduations with highlighted 1 inch blocks. I am using a scale of one inch to the foot, so I've had to graft two sheets together. The sheets are 17" X 22". My basement is 23 feet 8 and 1/4 inches on the Northern, East to West axis, then I have an 11 foot run along the east wall and attaching to this is an 8 foot run, running east to west, again. and along the west wall I have a 14 foot run that I could put a turn back loop on. So, I know how much of the basement is usable for the layout. To help me visualize how to use this space, starting at the south end of the RGS, I have sketched out an LDE for Lizard Head Pass, which has a wye for turning trains with, an LDE for Ophir loop, an LDE for Vance Junction/Ilium with a turn back loop for the Telluride branch and an LDE for the wye and yards at Telluride. There would be a short lead off at Vance Junction. It would be nice to incorporate some storage for trains from the North (Dallas Divide, Ridgeway) here at Vance, as well as from the South (Rico, Dolores and Durango) at Lizard Head. At both Ridgeway and Durango the RGS connected with the Denver & Rio Grande Western Narrow Gauge lines. The RGS was the western side of the Narrow Gauge Loop. I can fit these LDEs together to see how I might be able to use them in the layout. Having made up the LDEs has really helped me see how I might design the layout.