As I detail out the sketches for the Halloween layout, I'm realizing more that I'm not going to be able to pack in as many elements as I'd originally imagined for this first project. Scale and size limitations are getting clearer. It will take probably a set of connected layouts to build what I'd imagined, but that's a future project.
One thing I thought about for one end was a seashore with a rundown lighthouse, shanty buildings, docks and maybe a wrecked sailing ship (pirate?) -(my imagination can get carried away with itself) with the tracks running around all of this. Well, there's no room for all that but I'd wondered if anyone here had ever done any nautical themed layouts or an area within a regular layout (steam era). Not necessarily a haunted looking one but anything related to the seaside.
The closest thing I've seen is in the 2006 On30 Annual magazine of the "Isle of Fenwick" railroad consisting of a couple Porters that wind down to a cliff at the edge of the sea to dump phosphate from ore cars. Kindava quiet scene with sheep grazing in the grass by the tracks (low stacked stone walls keep them in).
I'm assuming such a theme would be a freelance design as I'm not aware of any trains that work that close to seashores.
~Brad :)