I had never taken contours into full consideration. The idea had begun with just the terminus, which I set in Reading to provide the reason for DMUs, which is my main interest. I found that I could buy the Hornby 101 and 121 reasonably priced which set the region for the line. In this way a link could be provided with the GWR Reading-Basingstoke line so that DMUs could access Reading Depot. I 'plotted' the route of the line to the nearest sizable dwellings west going south-west of Reading. Some places I found weren't that big, but then thought that I could site stations anyway in order for them to poach passenger traffic from surrounding villages as well.
The line goes out almost dead straight west out of Whitley from the terminus (called 'Reading Whitley Central'). It passes over the Kennet and Avon and under Rose Kiln Lane. A branch to Burghfield continues west whilst the main route sharply curves southwards and crosses the river again. It then provides a 'Parkway' station at Pingewood, where there is interchange with the M4 and the Reading FC/London Irish Stadium. After that stations include ones at Spencers Wood (before passing under the GWR line), Tadley, Sydmonton, Litchfield (for A34), Hurstbourne Tarrant, Redenham, Tidworth, Bulford, Amesbury, Lower Woodford and ultimately Salisbury, joining with the LSWR main line.
Class 205s seem the likely candidate because I remembered that they definately ran to Salisbury and beyond to stand in for Class 159s. Could therefore have loco-hauled as well. If I wanted Derby-built DMUs I might have to move the location further afield.
I started making station and road signs. Being on bolser wood they didn't go so well through the laminator, so I could use tacky-back instead as means of protecting the signage. They're only printed on deskjet paper.