Headshot - welcome to Trainz...
When I first started with Trainz and Surveyor, I downloaded a bunch of routes to get ideas about how to do things and then started imitating and experimenting with the different techniques for texturing, landscape building, etc.
Now, 67 miles later and counting, my route is getting better and better. As I've continued with pretty much the same route I started with, I've improved my techniques and added or removed things as I've gone along. I actually did start over a couple of times, but I incorporated whole sections that I liked from my previous versions of the route.
First of all be observant! Don't be afraid to look at real life places and try to imitate them even if your route is fictional. I've incorporated track layouts, road placements, etc. because I like the way they look in real life and I've found a way to fit them into a scene. Look at maps, photographs of different areas, and get some ideas about track and building placements, etc. These maybe not be your particular route, but use them for ideas anyway. One of the things that helps here is to take an area that has a highway or road, and turn that into a railroad instead.
Second, of the many things that helps, one is setting standards on how you want things to look. I strive for non-floating roads and tracks. This is one of my peeves, and I spend a great amount of time fixing these two nigglers. The other thing I try for is keeping the textures simple, but varied. I use about 3 or 4 different grass textures, 2 or 3 ballast textures, and a few sand, dirt and gravel. I find that this not only makes things simple when texturing, it also helps with Trainz not dropping textures later on should you wish to import a route from someone else.
Third, try to be consistent with a set theme for your route. My route is about a former textile mill-town to ocean route with additional branches and now an expanded "northern" main. By sticking to a theme, I've been able to find station names (towns and cities), that I like when looking at maps, and to choose particular building styles and types for my different towns. This is easier when working with real life routes, but when working with a fictional route, we tend to put coal mines next to big cities. By keeping a consistent theme, it is easier to spread things out some, and use some artistic license to make it all work.
Anyway, as you can see I'm a big fan of Surveyor. My route, which started as a single baseboard about three years ago, is now more than 67 miles long. This route includes some incorporated layouts from from a few route-builders as well as a recently added DEM map of an area that fit my theme perfectly.
Good luck on your route, and please post progress pictures for us to see.
John