This shot shows how the track sections lock together. You also get a close-up of the grass and the gravel of the rail bed. I use small brads to nail strategic sections of the track down for stability. One brad for every third track section or so is enough to secure it in place. For a better scale appearance, I should raise the gravel bed a little above the platform. That will take a lot of work and so is left as an exercise for whichever of my children takes over for me in the future.

Once the track has been fitted together and wired to the transformer, I run a test with one of my locomotives to ensure that I have electrical continuity in all sections. This is a good opportunity to have a little fun because the time-consuming parts are next.

This model train set has been in my family since 1951 when my father began setting it up annually at Christmas time. I have been carrying on that tradition for my children and now for my grandchildren. These are the steps it takes to assemble every year.