I started model railroading in 1973 when my grandparents gave me my first HO (Lima) train set.  Grandma thought that the N scale water tower, switch tower and factory she gave me back then were the right scale, and I used them until about 1976 when other interests took over.  In 1996, I dug out my old HO gear to run with my children.  Frustrated by the sporadic performance of the old Tyco track and transformer, I lost interest once again.  In 1997 I   saw a Lionel New York Central Flyer starter set in a hardware store and thought I would switch gauges to O27.  Very happy I did!  The kids and me had fun for a year or two before we got into turkey hunting where the trains went dormant for ten more years.  In 2008, my son started expressing interest in the Lionel equipment at Christmas time, and that's all I needed!  A couple more starter sets purchased from Menard's and we were back in business.  I began a modest 6 x 6 foot layout using pink polystyrene board, stacked and carved with my Dremel tool, painted with latex sandstone colored primer and sprinkled with dry earth toned pigments and sand (I don't like using plaster!).  I wanted it to resemble the limestone quarries that dot the landscape of west central Wisconsin where I live.  I dubbed my town "Quarryville" with the story that the town was established in the void created by an abandoned hollowed-out stone quarry at the turn of the century.  Recently, I have found new excitement in all things prewar tinplate, cast iron, A.C. Gilbert erector sets, and tin toys.  I have plans to build a dedicated "tinplate - toy" layout of 8 x 8 foot where I can connect the two layouts with a bridge.  In my photos you can see a sample of my Marx and Lionel tinplate. A post script to all this is that I have also begun an N scale layout (only 2 x 5 foot - so far) as a tribute to grandma, where I am using that old water tower, switch tower and factory she gave me as a kid. Thanks for reading.  Happy railroading!  --Dan