I experimentally added Little Logistics to my Bliss SMP server, and it has fit the vibe very well, so I figured I'd go ahead and suggest it here too.

It's pretty much just an overhaul of
Vanilla boat and minecart mechanics, and could be a good first step for someone wanting to start looking into automation mods without going headfirst into a huge mod like Create for example.

My users particularly liked how cute the Tug Boat and Steam Engine from the mod are, which feel like player-sized toys.