Randy;

Here is a story about my Marklin HO train table “L” shaped using two 4’ x 8’ pieces of plywood. It was two levels and two tracks North and South bound in the European fashion so trains can run in both directions and not worry about sharing a common track.

Our son and daughter were 8 and 6 years old, and on a Sunday afternoon my wife went shopping with her girl friend. I was watching the kids and wanted to watch the 49’ers play football. So as I had just finished building the layout I placed two powerpacks next to each other and one train North bound and the other South bound. I like realism so adhere to the prototype operation as much as possible.

Children do not always conform to what his/her parents plan or suggest. The kids were quiet while running the trains and I was enjoying the football game. Suddenly the kids ran in from the garage and shouted, “Daddy, come see what we are doing”! I went out with the kids and they proudly displayed a new event. They turned around one of the trains so both were running in the same direction. They were having races and having the time of their lives!

Amazing how children may think differently then prototypical railroad operation calls for! European at that! I laughed my head of and will never forget the fun they had running the trains and how I enjoyed what they were doing!

Tom