I am encouraged by others who seem or have been "in the same boat." Misery loves company 
Just kidding, this is supposed to be a fun hobby, and it can be, minus some of the headaches from the lack of QC in our new trains, "operator errors", and "great expectations" that we sometimes put on ourselves in getting the dream layout underway and finished.
Rick: I'd love to move out to Central PA and join you and others in that beautiful part of our great state. It would take a financial upswing however, such as finding a pot of gold or buried treasure. Like others, I am locked into a mortgage and job, and my equity in the home is not very much, and a recent divorce knocked me down some more.
Some of you mentioned one of life's variables: moving. That is certainly a hinderance in starting/building the dream layout. I strongly considered that when I moved into my present home in 2011; in fact I didn't think I'd be here in Amish country this long, and accordingly, shortly after moving in, built a display-type layout (island-style 15' x 9') with the very idea I'd be moving at some point. And, like some of you, I didn't want to endeavor on a dream layout that would have to be torn down - been there done that in 2009 over job-change...still makes me cringe thinking about tearing down my former dream layout of 11-years.
But, as pointed out by someone, there is no time like the present because you just don't know what tomorrow holds. And, so for me, that display-type layout I started in 2012 is now the new dream layout -- facilitated by minor modification (installing 4-45 degree crossovers and looping the mainlines around the perimeter of the basement.
John, I use to be like you...enjoyed working more than running trains, but I think I am crossing over into the desire to run trains more than anything else. There will always be something to do with regards to working on our layouts, though.
