Love the 48 Club concept! I think I qualify as a member. I am space challenged, but I don't let that stop me from enjoying O Gauge trains! My portable "layout" is just shy of 16 in wide by 8 ft long - or about 10.5 sq ft. It features a double track "mainline" with a crossover. The mainline passes a coal dock that has a spur to spot a hopper. The other end of the layout has a depot scene and in the middle there is a road crossing that gives me reason to blow the whistle of a passing engine. (Admittedly, I sometimes blow the whistle just for fun and ignore prototype practice 
) It may be small, but I have tons of fun with it.
Here is a photo of the coal dock scene:
Here is the depot scene with an approaching PRR K4s, bell clanging to announce its arrival of course! I use a Z-Stuff lower quadrant semaphore for the train order signal that adds a fun bit of animation. To the right of the depot is the watchman's tower for the grade crossing. Having bookshelves for a backdrop detracts from the images, but so it goes with a portable layout. No matter, when I'm operating my tiny slice of hi-rail heaven its easy to ignore the background and concentrate on the foreground scenes.
I plan to expand the layout with a TT and roundhouse to the right of the coal dock, but even then I will be less than 32 sq ft. I look forward to many years of 48 Club membership!
