I've spent considerable time digesting the advice and information given, in response to my blog inputs, and on the forum blogs and discussions.  Thanks one and all, very much, especially Byron:  I've tried to remove the extra nine buckets full from my one bucket!

I've reduced the complexity of the trackwork to something that in reality is do-able, and also in a smaller budget.  I gave a lot of thought to what I really, really, wanted to see and to do with this layout.  I had in mind that it was to be a "chainsaw" layout to experiment with, and try new techniques.  I think that it may be something I'll end up staying with, though.  My daily drive to work kind of reformed my thinking about what prototype features to include, so what I see every day is more or less included, with the addition of a bit of the coast running north of Ventura.

So here's the list: 

Local agricultural:  PFE icing facility, packing houses, a hint of the ag. fields feeding them;

Oil:  least one operating oil well, and rail service for that industry.

Main line running-mostly in the background (the passenger cars are too long, but will only be seen from the inside of the curves). 

Enough mainline to justify operating APB signalling.  (I could even update and do CTC:  10-12 blocks x one detection circuit and two searchlight circuits per block = about 800 solder points.  I could do an article for Model Solder Hobbyist magazine!).  (And an FYI:  For searchlight signals:  3mm bicolor two-lead LED's @630/565 nm red/green with equal lumin.intensity are at Digikey: part #160-1058-ND or a similar one at Mouser:  part #859-LTL-1BEHJ )

A variety of scenery possibilities:  coastline running with shale cliffs/slide detection, fields with row crops and orchards, coastal hills.  Use scenery for visual breaks between "scenes".

And a "by the way":  much of the trackage will be adjusted during construction so it's NOT parallel to the benchwork edges. 

Branch line/local switcher serving the majority of the industrial trackage.  The idea with the track behind the icing and large packing house is sort of a variation on the old trick of empties in at one industry become loads out somewhere else, so in from the main on the right, and out on the branch.  I don't know if it will be effective until I lay it out, mock up the buildings, and start switching.  We'll see!

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