QUOTE: Originally posted by darylcsmith hello all, I had a small layout as a kid which was never completed and after about a 20 year break, I got back into the hobby (starting in Jan 2005) I began collecting some steam engines as I have always had a passion for steamers and my girlfriend asked why dont we build something to run them on. It took me about 2 seconds to agree and started looking for a track plan. We settled on the N scale "scenic and relaxed" cookie cutter layout offered by Atlas. I chose to go with N scale after determining I presently dont have the space for a good size HO layout. The modified version of scenic and relaxed we are building is a 3'x6' layout and will give us both a chance to practice some techniques before we move into a bigger place and build a nice HO layout. Here are some pictures of the layout which were taken about 3 weeks after my girlfriend suggested we build a track. I have since added a mountain on the end opposite the river. This mountain will be the location of a yet to be named coal mine. I will probably end up scratch building the coal mine as I havent found one that i really too crazy about yet. There are 2 tunnels in the mountain and I will show the progress we have made as soon as she brings the camera back. We have also built about 5 buildings so far for the "downtown" area which will be located near the river. Anyhow, I'll post some updated pictures soon. (I hope I am inserting these pictures correctly)