POSSIBLE LAYOUT THEME MODIFICATION

Having just returned from a day trip into the Sawtooth Mountains, I may be rethinking part of my layout theme.  The layout will still be set in 1947 but I may modify the fictional locale somewhat, from the southern semi-desert Idaho plains to the southern central mountains of Idaho.  A real-life example would be the town of McCall, a couple of hours north of Boise.  It no longer has rail service but there was a line up there that I believe was a UP branch, later part of Idaho Northern & Pacific before that portion of their road was abandoned.  The scenery in that area is very appealing, though with such a small layout, I'd only be able to suggest it by having plenty of trees and some water.

No track plan modifications would be required, but the scenery, rather than representing arid sagebrush country, would feature forest...ponderosa and lodgepole pine, inland Douglas fir, etc.  The station name will have to reflect this, of course.  Rather than "Snake River" it might be something like "Ponderosa Lake" or "Ponderosa Junction" or simply "Ponderosa." 

If, instead, I decide to stick to the sagebrush, I think I might model a very thin slice of the Snake River at the front of the layout.  Whatever I settle on, I think it's important to convey a strong sense of time and place so that any viewer can grasp it without additional explanation.