I like my model train, but I’m not one of those enthusiasts who wants a permanent layout. So a very good friend of mine offered to help me design and build a platform that could be easily taken apart and stored. I confess that he did most of the design and construction while I watched.

The platform is made up of four 3x4 foot sections of 1/4-inch plywood. This photo shows the underside of two of them waiting to be bolted together. The houses will be lit from underneath by incandescent Christmas lights. I sacrificed a light string (green wires) and several extension cords (white) to permanently attach the wiring to the bottom of the platform and make reconnection simple. Wires for accessories that will run off the 15 volts from my transformer are tucked neatly into a spring-loaded clothespin at the top of the frame.

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.