Chris-I hadn't thought of a base elevation of 30 inches, definitely something to experiment with.
JD- good point about accessories near curves I've had that issue before
Carl- There really is no walking around room as I split the room with my son's HO layout. Up to this point if I need to reach something on the far side of my existing layout I tiptoe gingerly and try avoid disaster. I imagine if I raised the layout I could put in access hatches to solve for this. I have no problem sharing the file you just need to tell me how.
Thanks everybody for the input.