I remember when we lived in NJ there was a guy that had a huge layout in his basement. We had a Lionel set on a sheet of 4x8 plywood but I don't remember ever having it set up to actually run. Once all us kids moved out and our parents decided to downsize they gave the train away to our cousins without even asking if any of us wanted it. Of course we did but none of us had anywhere to keep it so it left town.
When I started looking to fulfill my wife's desire for a train to go 'round the tree I of course looked at Lionel first. Every store owner asked what I had in mind and they said if you can afford it LGB is the way to go. They're the ones you see in store displays in the mall that are running all day.
So now we're way in over our heads but it keeps me out of trouble most of the time. With the grandkids coming up in age now it's going to be a lot of fun to share it with them.

When you ride with Tabs, you never have to worry about missing your stop....

You may appreciate this:

<iframe width="974" height="548" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JMpFq3c1_n8" title="Wander through N.J.'s record-breaking railroad display at Northlandz" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://northlandz.com/about-us