Good site, and a nice looking layout, bramleyman.
It's also nice to read how you began the club from the ground up, and I see what you mean about your wind-up suspicions!
As for the N gauge project, I'll be interested to follow that one, so please keep us updated. I've had quite a bad experience with N, but I'm still determined to do something in the future, once I'm settled in a new house. I don't think that N is very suitable for a layout which involves a lot of shunting, so I personally would go for a continuous run with fiddle yard.
But I reckon Swisstrains John might have differing ideas!!