When I was 7 or 8 years old my father set up a circle of tracks and an American Flyer electric train set around our Christmas Tree. (Yes, they had electricity way back then)
I was (and have been since) fascinated by model trains, and it was long a dream of mine to set up a realistic model train layout.
On September 20th 2011, about 2 months before my 69th birthday, I decided that I had waited long enough, and with the blessing of my fantastic wife I demolished a small room in my basement cleared a 14 X 9 foot area and began to build.
By October 10th the "train room" had been constructed so I went to Train World (www.trainworld.com) here in Brooklyn and purchased a load of track, two locomotives, a power supply and a bunch of other goodies and with no idea of what I was doing or where this was heading, I began to build.
There was still a long way to go, but by Christmas Eve 2011 I had a working railroad and was able to bring our Christmas Eve guests down to the basement to see it, and on December 29th I uploaded my first video to www.YouTube.com
The camera wasn't very good, so I got a High-Def Panasonic Video recorder, and on January 13th (about 3 months after I began) I shot my first video with the new recorder and uploaded it to YouTube.
It's in High Def, so maximize the screen and be sure the sound is on once it starts.
The layout started out as 14 X 9, and over the next year I added another 40 or so square feet bringing it to 25 x 11. I think I am done expanding (but I thought that in 2012, so who knows?)
Click this link to go to my YouTube Page.
Click this link to see my most recent (July 4th, 2015) YouTube Video covering new additions & improvments to the layout.
I hope you enjoy watching these videos as much as I have enjoyed making them.
I now have a total of 20 videos on my YouTube channel (Paulietree1) at www.youtube.com covering everything from the demolishion of the room on day one to the latest upgrades on 07/04/2015
Two are about A)- An elevated N.Y.C. Subway line I added to my layout, and B)-About the station & platforms I built.
The "F" Train runs from Queens through Manhattan, into Brooklyn (underground for the first few miles) and then becomes an elevated line and runs right down McDonald Avenue, the location of my nursery.
I built a replica of my store, and once my store was there, the subway was the inevitable next step, so I couldn't help myself.
Recent videos deal with the additions (An Amtrak Acela Express line, and enhancements to the boardwalk & beach including real water, Friday night fireworks over the beach and much more)
If you like the video, visit my channel and check out some of the others.
Click this link to go to my YouTube Page. Once there, if you like what you see and click "Subscribe" YouTube will notify you whenever I post a new video.