Dave, Mom was from Meadville, I stopped in several times during the winter to see Aunts/Uncles and cousins, the humidity and length of your winters always reinforced why I was glad my stints back east were over. I do miss having a basement but have overcome that shortcoming with a loft.
I went with Fastrack because I have 27 switches and like how they perform. I spent the 9 months before started refiguring the layout in RR Track until felt had it close. Once I started, the number of switches reduced from 36 to 27 and one loop lost its siding so landscaping could be added in the future. I keep looking at the boxes of trees, groundcover and details and know when summers heat blazes, I need to begin beautifying the area.
I was well on my way when grandkids began popping out, so it took me 3 years to get this far.
Ron