I've been a model railroader since the age of 10. On my tenth birthday in 1967, my parents gave me an HO scale Southern Pacific SD45 diesel model, along with a bay window caboose. Both were Athearn "blue box" models, and both are still operational. 

I've built nine layouts, and none to near completion. In 2010, I began construction on a two-shelf layout in a two-car garage. In a very loose sense, I am modeling where I grew up (or, as some would say, where I spent my youth, the growing-up part yet to come) the East Bay, from Oakland to Martinez. I model the Southern Pacific in 1967, however, I am not a purist, and some locos, cars, and structures appear on the layout just because I like them. 

The layout is in the process of having scenery added, and I'll use this blog as a way to track (ha ha) the progress for myself, and as a way to keep me motivated and focused,