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I don't see the image.

Marklin designed most of their equipment, including the F7, to run on 5.75", and many old Z layouts were designed for that. I would call that an extra-sharp curve. Their American steamers required about 7.5". This is about equivalent to 18" in HO or 9.75" in N; the traditional "sharp" standard...

Okay, I recognized the snoot, but didn't associate it with that designation, since there was no actual difference in the model number. I know... I use some of my own abbreviations in documenting locomotives, like GP38-2 nd (non-dynamic brakes), F7B SG (steam generator) or C36-7 XR...

Start by thinking about how you want the two roads to interact. Also, do you want one road to dominate, or should they be equal? Is there a specific location you're trying to model?

I have noticed that US modellers tend to ignore Canadian roads, and Canadian modellers focus on their own. This tends to annoy me, because I see US and Canadian railroads as a unit. (Can't yet make myself think of Mexican roads in the same breath - but that doesn't mean I totally ignore them. I...

You can't assume there's one standard for any scale. 8" in Z equates to 20" in HO. For a long time, all Z layouts were designed with sharp curves because there was no big power available. At one time (or am I getting the release order wrong?) there were only the Marklin F7, 2-8-2 and 4-6-2...

Okay, I learned a while back that square steam chests (that is the correct word?) contained slide valves, but I'd never heard the term D-valve and thought it might be a smaller component.

I didn't know there were any Class 1 highnose GP9s left. The fact that it's a torpedo tube unit in H1 makes it all the better.

Even in Europe, TT was largely limited to East Germany. I'm not sure how much is still available.

If you don't have a yard, interchange/staging/fiddle track(s) are nearly essential. They offer somewhere to supply and absorb cars. Actually, they're very useful on any layout, and I suggest you incorporate them into your plan. It doesn't take much to include such an off-stage connection.

And let me be the first to say... Welcome aboard!

I've seen photos of cars carrying sectional switches before. Those, however, seemed to only carry half of a switch per car, because the angle wasn't as close to vertical. Or maybe I wasn't looking closely enough before. I never knew that switches were shipped in four sections. I wonder what...

What does SN stand for in SD40T-2SN? I've heard of SD40T-2R (rebuilt).

I do often find that to be true. They seem to supply better structure.

Are you planning to bash an SD30? It's an often-mentioned "could have been" loco. More serious a "could have been" than some, for this design was actually ordered by Kennecott Copper! EMD wouldn't make only one unit, and KCC got the last SD24 instead.

I've seen that shot before and I loved it. I've seen consists of 4 E-units on many roads (even 5 on the UP), but this was the first time I saw 4 PA/PBs.

Okay, I'll bite. What is the D-valve? I'm not sure what I should be looking at.

Uh... GE wasn't supplying domestic road diesels until 1961. Incidentally, 1961-built U25Bs for UP and Frisco had high noses, though UP at least had gone to short hoods on their EMD power by then. So I don't think GE offered low-nose hood units until '62. Now, Alco/MLW... 1959 I can believe.

It's easy to forget that SD60s look good long hood forward.

One on the pilot looks like an air tank, on the smokebox is an Elesco feedwater heater. Also needs another dome between the existing ones, and raised sides on the tender - looks like 5265 might be an oil burner. Which, incidentally, most Santa Fe steam was, but your model isn't, probably...