Area 11ft x 3ft for a new layout

[Stephen Rainsbury]

Hi Alan, try this for layout ideas https://www.carendt.com/

Unfortunately the guy behind it is no longer with us, but it is being maintained although occasionally disappears for a few days. There is a lot there, mainly standard gauge, but still plenty of ideas  and examples

Digital is pretty good for new stock that is designed for it but can be a bit of pain to retrofit to older locos due to the sizes of the decoders. (Try Zimo for really small ones). It does add cost but I prefer the feel of it when driving a loco. 

If you are up for a bit of technical wizardry check out https://dcc-ex.com/#, I put my controller together using an Arduino and power board, controlled from a laptop for well under £20.  You can add displays and wireless upgrades quite cheaply but its not for the faint hearted.

You might like MERG too, https://www.merg.org.uk/its paid membership but does a wonderful range of electronics kits at very good prices for all sorts of model railway related issues.  Its a bit like a sledgehammer to the head when you first look, but start with the beginners guides, work through and it soon becomes clear that there is an absolute feast of options there.