How it all started
Every story has a beginning. Here´s mine.
The budget and know-how was very limited for the projects in the early days. It was in the days of cameras using 35mm negative film (which I didn´t own) and printed books on paper as the only way to knowledge.
My very first layout
Daddy built me the first layout back in the late 70s. Maybe 1977 or so. It was an oval on a 1,2 x 2,4m Plywood board. It had a branchline going up to a terminal mountain station. The branchline was built using the 225mm radius curves and had probably around 10% grade, so the locomotive barely made it up there with two passenger cars without derailing. It was anyway a very nice layout and I spent lots of time with it.
My 2nd layout
Then another layout was built in the early 80s. It was slightly bigger. I would think about 1,4 x 3 meters. The landscape foundation was made of Styrofoam, but the old type built up by small white balls. This layout were never really completed, but here I discovered how to use LEDs to build signals.
The 3rd layout together with a friend
In 1989 I built a large layout together with a friend, Jörgen, in the basement of my brothers house. We did complete the trackwork and landscape to our best knowledge and it did work reasonably well with two operators. The layout was approximately 3,6 x 2 meters. Most of the tracks and the rolling stock was borrowed from friends. The benchwork was solid top which made access to such large layout a real headace. All the electronics was own design and built from discrete components. The layout was torn down in 1991.
Me operating my 3rd layout back in 1989
My 4th layout using Märklin M-tracks
In year 2000 my own daugther was just one year old, but we just moved into a house, so then it was time to get started on a new Model railway. I ordered lots of stuff from the German dealer Lokshop. It was great because I didn´t had to pay any VAT at that time, so the price was 25 - 30% lower compared to local shops. I did´t have no real plan when I started the build, but had great fun.
Read more and watch photos of the layout 2000
My 5th layout 2001 to 2002
This layout followed much in the same style as the 4th, since I was too busy raising kids and working to really spend enough time developing my knowledge and skills. Read more about the layout 2001 and watch photos here.
The Brestad layout 2003-2005
At this time I have found the Marklin-user.net internet forum and my knowledge how to design and build was growing quickly. The members on this forum were friendly and helpsome, unlike the swedish forums I´ve posting in previously which were terrible and really unpolite.
Read more about the layout and watch photos here.
Murkelberga (2004 - 2005)
With this layout, I wanted to take the signaling system to the next level. The scenery would feature a greater level of detail, with particular emphasis on the yard areas. The basic concept was to have a larger station, Murkelberga, located on the main line, from which a branch line extended to a smaller station and a mine. The real enjoyment would come from operating this junction and managing both freight and passenger traffic..
--> Read more about Murkelberga layout here
Tunnlarna fram i Murkelberga
Marbrodal (2005 - 2010)
This seventh layout was a major breakthrough for me. The control system became digital, and I started building scenery using modern materials instead of moss, wallpaper paste, and twigs. The trackwork, however, was still poorly planned, and the M-track system performed badly. The crossings and the three-way turnout were particularly troublesome. I decided to eliminate all of them from my next layout..
--> Read more about Marbrodal layout
Min 8:e layout "Tullinge" (åren 2010 - 2024)
I worked on this layout for more than 12 years. The design was excellent, although it had a few shortcomings as well. By this point, I had spent 18 months planning the railroad and received invaluable help from the knowledgeable members of what was then the world's largest and best Märklin forum, marklin-users.net. The layout eventually came to an end when I moved to a new house.
--> Read more about Tullinge here.
Martinstown (åren 2021 - 2022)
This ninth layout was developed in cooperation with the German company Noch GmbH. They wanted me to create a model railroad for beginners that would still offer interesting and varied train operations. Previous layouts in the "EASY-TRACK" series were essentially simple continuous loops where trains ran endlessly around the layout with little opportunity for operational variety.
--> Read more about Martinstown
10:e Modelljärnvägen "Göteborg" (åren 2025 - idag)
With this layout, I wanted to reduce the amount of hidden trackage compared to the Tullinge layout in order to operate the trains manually. I also wanted to place greater emphasis on a well-developed and functional freight operation where several operators could work together simultaneously. The prototype inspiration was Gothenburg, with Bergslagarnas Station in Gothenburg serving as the main station. The classification yard was based on Lärje, while the major industrial district was inspired by Marieholm.
--> Read more about Göteborg here.
Den främre landskapshalvan med Gullbergsvass (Augusti, 2025)