Another Shot of the old Sefton Layout in 1977

Before you all start writing me letters about how it's not Tom Sefton's museum, it's the San Diego Railroad Museum, stop. I know.

I like how this layout is done. I wish I had this kind of room in my attic. I have to start considering my layout in two phases. By the way, click on this pic (or any on the website for that matter) to blow it up.

Phase 1 - Will be the initial layout to showcase stnadard gauge and Leland Detroit Monorails plus some accessories. Basically it will be flat with a tunnel. 2006 is the official start year and 2007 (1/2) I will finish (or as finished as I can be).

Phase II - Provided I don't move or have some ridiculous illness, phase II has to involve knocking down my office walls in my attic in 2025. Maybe by then I can have helper robots pack up my standard gauge trains, knock down the walls, clean up the mess, haul it down two levels of Victorian House and polish the 130 year old pine on the floor. It will expand my space by about 25 to 30 square feet. I can move my office and a few prized trains downstairs. Hopefully my kids will be out on their own (depending on what the economy looks like 25 years from now (don't ask, I really hate speculating on the economy, it's too depressing)). Hopefully the solar cells on top of my house and batteries in my house will power the ZW (yes, it will still be used even then).

I'll add some stretching room for the standard gauge as well as a large 2 7/8 addition (two 2 7/8's bridges and an elevated). Maybe a small O gauge pike as well.

It sounds bizarre but I look at the old TCA Quarterly's as well as some of the old literature I have from the early part of the 20th Century and there are a ton of guys that started collecting before television. More than half of the TCA still doesn't use the internet (not a slant, just reality).

Layouts evolve over decades and mine is going to start evolving in 2006. I wonder what the world of trains will look like in 2025? Looking at the above picture, I could have lived just fine without computers, cable or cell phones in 1960.

Marc