Our family of five lives in Sellersville, PA.  We started collecting Lionel trains in 2001 after my wife came home with a Lionel train set for Christmas when our twin sons were two.  I'd mentioned having Lionel trains when I was young, and she thought it would be nice to restore a tradition.  Since then, we've finished a section of our basement as an orange and blue train room, and together with the boys, designed a mirror-image layout track plan as two separatable six by eight independent layouts, each of which can run three trains each, but joined to each other by drawbridges.  A small HO-powered boat navigates a river separating the two sides.  The boys helped build and wire the layout (first use of saw and drill).  Our layout is covered with operating acccessories, almost exclusively Lionel, and is a 1950's-era "toy trains" presentation, not modern "reduced reality".  My wife and daughter collect Lionel Disney items, and are ardent supporters of the activity.  A second level was added to each side of the layout, joined by a long, long bridge across the layout.  Following Trenton, NJ's lead, the four bridges are labeled with large letters spelling out "LIONEL MAKES DADDY TAKES", which pretty much says it all.