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Kevin started his first
layout (HO scale) in 1976 while in high school. It was mounted on a
4 x 8 sheet of plywood suspended on saw horses. The turf was a
bright green paper mat and was otherwise devoid of scenery.
On Christmas Day, 2003, Kevin was presented with a gift of a Life Like "Little Joe" mini railroad empire, consisting of N-Scale steam engine, stock car, reefer, caboose, assorted track and scenery.
That day, the kitchen table was cleared and the empire consisted of a 2 x 4 foot oval. The mighty steam engine powered around the track loop after loop.
The next day, a trip to the local do-it-yourself center resulted in
a 2 x 4 foot plywood surface for track mounting. It was soon realized that this was no empire. A second trip was made and another 2 x 4 foot section was acquired. By merger, the first 2 x 4 panel was united with the second 2 x 4 panel and the empire covered 16 square feet.
It was discovered that this was not nearly enough track mileage to
survive the ever growing expansion. A 4 x 4 acquisition was made and merged into the existing 4 x 4. The
layout was now ready for major construction.
On Dec 30, 2003, the owner of the railroad realized that its current trackage was going nowhere. Before retiring (for the evening) he realized the entire organization needed overhauling. The next morning, before going to work, he went downstairs, and ripped up all the existing trackwork. He then started searching for a new layout.
The new layout plan would have plenty of room, be made on a 36 x 80 hollow core door along with a 24 x 80 door in an "L" configuration. Work begun on Jan 01, 2004.
The empire now operated under the name, Central Carolina South Bound
(CCSB)
Work continued until March 19, 2004. It was on that Friday that the
CCSB was once again thrown into upheaval. It was discovered that there was a tendency for
freights to derail inside a 936 scale foot tunnel with no access. The president called an emergency meeting of the board and announced that they had better take one last look at the old CCSB. The next morning, deconstruction began.
By Sunday March 21, the CCSB had been spun off into 3 distinct groups, moved to new headquarters and remerged. Also added was a 4th section, Ruby Ridge. Now,
my wife thinks this guy makes entirely too many deliveries
to our house......... 
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