'Newbie' here!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!  I recommend two excellent books for making a layout.

First is Building a Layout by Jim Barrett which you can order from OGR here:  https://ogaugerr.com/jim/

The second is Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains by Dennis Brennan which you can order here: http://www.brennansmodelrr.com/products.html

FWIW I own both.

As to what type of wood and table top construction you are going to get numerous answers.  Your skills in building one and budget will ultimately determine your direction.

-Greg

This was invaluable to me:

Welcome to the Hobby!

I just have a 5x8' board, but I built it with 2x4 legs, 2x4s every 16", and a 1/2" thick plywood top. 3 " Deckmate screws hold the frame together, while 1 1/2" drywall screws hold the top on.

I just covered it with a JTT Scenery Products medium green grass mat.  You can glue the mat down if you like, but I just put some staples on three sides of it, real close to the edge.

Note: I use the DCS Remote Commander, so you can only run 1 train at a time. I just have all my engines on it as a display until I get the new pieces of track that I need.

Glad to have you on board! Enjoy the Forum.

Jim K

Welcome Aboard! Plenty of good sources of info here.