Hi Paul
I have just started to expand my layout. I wanted a railroad with a lot of operations so This is how I started.
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Make a few scale drawings of your available space.
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Make a scale drawing of the layout. Play around with the arrangement of the main line. This might take a few drawings until you get the one you like. Establish the mainline of your railroad on the drawing. Build your open grid whether shelf, penninsula etc. Do not put the deck on it until your have your wire bus, accessory bus run, and your track leads soldered on connected to the bus. This will save your aching back from bending and crawling under the layout.
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Nex decide what era you want ot model.
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Next look in a catalog for the main structures and industries that fit your era. Either buy the models or get the footprint of the structures. You can get these online in most cases.
5.Make a cardboard cutouts of the footprints. Be sure to label the foot print. Include where the tracks and spurs will be placed in relation to the structures. Don’t forget about trucking and vehicular roadways.
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Now lay the footprints on the deck in relation to your mainline.
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Once you know where all your structures are to be placed, you can draw in your spurs, sidings, passing sidings, other non railroad highways, streets, parking lots, truck loading pads, etc.
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Figure where you want you other landscaping features to be placed, such as hills, mountains, valleys, ravines, rivers, trestles, bridges etc.
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Now before laying track over revines and rivers, be sure to landscape those areas so they are pretty complete. Do this before bulding your trestles, and bridges unless they can be lifted out. It’s hard to landscape around those structures once they are permanently placed.
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If making tunnels, be sure you can get to the track. Example have lift out mount