I was pretty sure the basic form was still free, so Carl's note was a dissapointing shock. I'm glad you got it. A slight learning curve but a good program. Hopefully your experience turns the curve into a fastball (highball 
)
It only takes a week for me develop an southen Ohio drawl again. I am from Michigan originally, but spent various amount of time growing up and working in Ohio. From the WV border first, North to Twinsburg, N.W. to Elyria/ Vermillion and another little town in the Cuyahoga Valley (?), then far N.W.- Toledo/ Temperance, and back south east to Willard. I often travelled from Detroit to Dayton, Cinnci, and into the Kentucky hills for entertainment and visits, some extended. I love the valleys of Ohio... and Cincinatti Chili 
(3 way, extra cheese )
Salt Fork, and much more so Wolf Run were our regular camping destinations. I pulled a weight record smallmouth out of Wolf Run 
; short on length 
but big on taste It had about a dozen crayfish in it; never seen a fatter fish.
All happy memories of the past, at about your age I tore my diaphram, ending a non-carrer road travel average of nearly 200 miles a day for over a decade... most in Michigan and Ohio. Being "in park" restarted the childhood train hobby. I knew I'd be back, it just happened sooner than expected
I think you should focus on the knook and or the "reading room".(is the throne accessible?) The knook is an awsome scene oportunity visually. The shelves might work better for you as a "birtday cake", wider at the bottom, narrow up high..?
The reading room suggests any lack of creative aspect is a "crock" . You might have patience and focusing trouble; prefer " pieces", but constantly scene experimenting in your head is what I see (projection? lol). But I'm guessing in general, perseverance usually brings your best ideas together for you in time too.
On the undershelf /overhead lights...Grey a low section of shelf and the one above, maybe grey the wall (or use contruction paper), insert a few grey round dowels, edge it with a foam ½ wall (quater wall?) and or X braces of trim wood/platic/or even metal strips etc.. X across the shelf edges for a fast city "basin" line/subway look or faux tressel bridge, etc. I bet you'd have a blast with some scrap foam and some cheap waterbased craft acylics. (matte/flats, satins for gloss. Save real gloss for super clean or wet looks)
I like a long straight. Going into a turn then a staight again more so. Adding over crossings, and/or S turns to shift the line around an "obstacle" here or there vs a dead straight on every line, every wall would add a lot of action, but I would try hard not to loose or break up the straights too bad.
The run in front of the knook doesn't have to go. Narrowing it and design to open holes for background viewing is needed imo. Take a look at mine from above. I added the S shifts intending on having the controls on the snake side, but found myself contantly on the opposing side to eyeball the straights. While there, I also noticed the snake had added background action and it drew my eyes across the layout into the background. Contols are on the left now and I mostly look over and into the background, stoop for some intersting shoot the gap angles, and have a great broad view and "edge of the rails" distance perspective all within three steps of me. Above the water tower to the right of the building there is a scrapped steamer. That is my only real blind spot.
