After my studies, after starting my own family and having kids,
I have had the opportunity to visit the "Musée Rambolitrain" , principally O-scale model train museum
in Rambouillet. 

http://www.rambolitrain.com/

Before leaving the museum, trying to find a souvenir to buy,
I was happilly surprised to find a Märklin HO limited edition
freight car labeled with the name of the museum.

Just back home, I set up my old starter set ont the living-room table
and add this 3rd wagon for a few minutes oval run.

This was the beginning of my actual project, I started to collect plastic kits
of houses. I built the train station first, long before I had a layout.

I first planned to build a small two tracks oval layout. Then I found
on the web a free demo version of Raily 4.0 layout software.
This free version has the Märklin tracks already in its data bank.

So I tried to compose asymetrical layouts with the help of this software.
The projects could not be saved with this demo version, so I used the
"print screen" function of the PC to capture a bitmap image of the layout
and the tracks list.

 

It was in 2001, the year Märklin stopped building M-tracks.

Why M-tracks?
Here is the answer.

Why Märklin?
Here is the answer.

We had to move in an bigger place and, miraculously, there was a place for my Märklin layout.
My dreams could get out of my 1967 Märklin catalog.

I tried to find complementary M-tracks, but it was difficult,
and I had to take back the design of my layout to fit with
the last M-tracks parts that were found in shops. 
I was obliged to finished my layout project with C-tracks.
I've chosen to hide the parts where C-tracks are placed.

In fact, I've purchased two more starter sets, on sale too,
again because of not being sold for Christmas - undoubtedly a bargain.
These starter sets allowed me to own two power regulators, a lot of C-track,
two Delta steamers, a bunch of freight cars !

So the layout was ready to be built.

I made the choice to stay in analog mode and not to use a computer to control the train.

Why analog?
Here is the answer.

Why not a computer?
Here is the answer.

I've worked my layout as I was in the sixties, using relays to schedule the trains.

I've bought a third power regulators - again on sale because of coming from a starter set -
to feed the catenary.

I've decided to re-use parts of my old N-scale Arnold Rapido tracks to add a HOe line.


So, what's new, ten years after the layout start?