Hey everyone, I am just starting out and I am trying to work in a limited space.  I am working with HO scale. Can you please have a look at my layout in the attached pdf, and give me your thoughts.  The blue line is where I will probably have a backing board with some background scene.

On the back right hand corner, I was thinking about having a hill with a tunnel for the upper track.

In the middle section I will probably have it a bit narrower, with about maybe 2 feet deep.

I am unsure on how to set out the left hand side.

Most of this is still on paper. I have the room done with air conditioning, insulation and lighting. The lower staging is paid for all the turnouts including a "8 double crossover" has been completed (fastracks) etc...

Not being satsified with the look just decaling the new Bachmann 2-6-6-2 to represent a SP MM3 articulated I decided to go a step further by replacing the air compressor heavy smokebox front with one better representing the class MM3 of which there were 2 originally running on the Verde Tunnel & Smelter line near Jerome Az.

Please excuse my naivete up front but I have to ask this question:

One word in the model railroading vernacular I see thrown around quite a bit is "laminate".  I see it used very often when people talk about building spline roadbed, using multiple thin layers of material as load bearing structures on their benchwork etc. and I was curious what if any difference there was between laminating something and the tried and true "glue 'n screw" that I've done for years with basic wood forms.