cross post doesn't butcher the content
If you had used cross-post (this icon under the title: 
, you don't have to be the OP to cross-post), the contents of the post would stay the same, instead of going through text-grab
The idea reminds me of onion plots that I think are very good for non-railroady-railroading.
In general it's not really that railroad in itself is bad. Unless the table really agrees to play improvised sandboxes. You need to railroad to some extent to be able to prepare something. The problem is when it takes away player's agency, the feel that the story depends on their choices, etc.
So have a railroad, but keep changing it from session, to session. And I think that's also what Sly Flourish's "Lazy GM" boils down to. Instead of planning an epic tale with all the possible side-ideas covered (which is not possible), keep brainstorming, adding new ideas, storing some ideas for later, etc. Have a plan that constantly changes