Tncentrr and Don, thanks for the compliments. I paid for it with some money from various part time jobs (most of the money was earmarked for college). Among the odd jobs that helped pay for the layout was baby sitting. As you might expect, as a guy, the only kids I got were the ones no one else would deal with.
When I set up the trains one of the things I did was invite my charges (and their parents) over for a train running/watching session. Time and again the parents would come in with their kid and stare down into the rec room in shocked amazement. In spite of my charges less-than-desirable home behavior, most of the time they were well behaved and both they and their parents had a good time. There were, of course, exceptions.
In 1967 I remember one woman in particular whose son was an absolute ****-on-wheels with respect to lack of good behavior and this lack extended well beyond the confines of the family home. She came over with her son and rang the doorbell. I answered and ushered them into our house and we headed for the stairs. From the top of the steps (the vantage point of the picture) his mother caught sight of this layout, yanked her son backwards, wrapped both arms firmly around his torso so he couldn't take another step, refused to go any further than the top of the stairs and, in a very loud voice repeated over and over, "How much does it cost? How much does it cost?" Needless to say the running session was rather brief.
