Hello everybody :)

[66Sprint200]

Hi everybody.  I'm Michael.  I used to have an account here, but that was several years ago and things got busy in my life.  I'm now at college for automotive restoration and I have a bit more free time to work on my model railway.  I collect almost anything European, as long as it is HO or OO scale and I collect all the Thomas trains.  My roster includes Thomas (both Bachmann and Hornby), Edward (Bachmann), Oliver (Hornby), Duck (Hornby), Gordon (Bachmann), James (Bachmann), Bill & Ben (Hornby), and various freight cars from both.  I am hoping to learn more about model trains and layout building on here, as with my free time, I hope to start a semi-permanent layout, not one that just gets set up whenever the mood hits.

[pdlethbridge]

Try a small switching layout such as the John Allen 'timesaver'. It's a switching layout that would, like any puzzle, keep you busy for hours. It can be made as simple or complex as you want and it has a couple of great advantages. It's very portable and it can always be added to a larger layout.  You could use hand thrown turnouts. Caboose hand throws are great for this. Scenery could be added to enhance operation. Look at this link for more information. Have fun, Glad you're back!
http://www.gdlines.com/Timesaver_Plans.html

[CNE Runner]

Welcome '66!! Pdlethbridge has hit the nail on the head...start small and stay 'in touch' with your trains. There are lots of switching (shunting) layout plans to be had and the Timesaver is one of the classics. A good description of the Timesave (and other plans) is given on:

http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/

Going along with pdlethbridge's suggestion is a mandatory visit to Carl Arendt's excellent website at:

http://www.carendt.com/index.html

I also invite you to check out my own posts at:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,10410.0.html

and at:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,12615.0.html

Small layouts do not have to be boring or dull. Good luck to you.

Ray