John Oberhauser's Marklin Layout.

John has a layout in his garage and it has a unique aspect in that it is suspended from the ceiling. The layout can be lowered or raised as needed. This of course allows the parking of vehicles in the garage and allows easy access to the underside of the layout. John runs Marklin trains from the 50-60's era to modern ICE equipment. His layout consists of two levels and he has set it up to run seven trains at once. Two on each lower loop and three on the upper loop. The upper loop is especially interesting since his block signals protect each train. He can run the upper level in either a loop, dogbone or modified figure eight. The lower loops use block protection. The entire layout is Marklin M track and when seven trains are running there is that delightful M track clatter at its best.

Here's the view from the end. The truss bridges are metal.

The steam engine from the Marklin digital starter set.

John at the control of his empire. You can see the ropes which support the layout.

The loco has been given a green signal and is now moving towards another bridge.

The layout from the other end. This layout is a real blast to watch operating. One needs to keep an eagle eye on trains as they like to test your vigilance and rear end each other occasionally.