During my childhood, I gathered a rather large amount of Lego toys. One of the most enjoyable toys were my 12V train sets: after several years I collected enough material to build an interestingly looking railroad layout. The fact that in those days (i.e., the late eighties) all 12V trains were ran by a transformer to which several control panels could be hooked up, adds even more to the pleasure. Nearly everything could be controlled from a single central position (a capability that was lost when Lego started using the 9V train sets).

The pictures shown below, were taken at various angles and positions. The landscape (containing the track-layout) resides under my old bed (parent's house) in a separate drawer that can be rolled out. The green base level consists of a grass carpet, with holes cut out so that all electrical wiring can run underneath it.

The track crosses itself at a central level crossing; it also has a side track (with an electronically controlled stop light), accessible via an interchange. There are two trains present, a black freight train and a red TGV; they change positions at the interchange.

Notice the big grey transformer which provides the 220V-to-12V power conversion. At its left, a large array of control panels is shown. The transformer itself is located at the top of a tunnel through which the track runs. The crane (located at the harbour) is controlled by three 9V Technic motors, which in turn are controlled by a programmable control center located to the right of the transformer. In the final two images, you can see me playing around (actually, I am carefully operating two trains that nearly collided).

Click on the thumbnails to view their fullscreen versions.