Honestly, I just get sick to my stomach thinking about it.
hey Daniel...there's no such thing as the perfect, or right/wrong, model railroad
be it the track plan or the choices made about which manufacturer's stuff one uses.
there is only what works for ourself
start small
maybe a hollow core door built as something that can be expanded on
and get some trains running
being able to choose whether it is a build day or a run trains day really tends to help
in those times when we need a change of pace or focus
i hope you find fun and a sense of accomplishment in your modeling
whatever you come up with is good
sincerely
Gary