Poul started setting up his train set in Denmark in the mid-seventies and soon it wasn't enough just to have the tracks and the trains running. He got ambitious and wanted all the fancy details that you can just loose yourself in. But he had no interest in building all the houses, so he in-listed Ulla's help for that endeavour. It just so happened that she needed a distraction in her life, as her rheumatic arthritis was starting to be a major factor in her life, as she became wheelchair bound. Their very first purchase of houses involved over 80 kits at a store closeout sale. When the owner heard none of them had ever assembled a kit before, he thought they were crazy, but he wished them good luck. The challenges were great and pretty soon Ulla became so engrossed and involved in creating all these houses, that she forgot all about her pain. To date she has assembled more than 2000 different models and son-in-law Joe is now helping out with that task as well.

The train started to come alive, but then they decided to move to Spain in the late seventies. All the tracks, trains, houses, cars, people and trees were all taken apart and packed up with a heavy heart. What had taken years to create was demolished in no time, but not the dream. After a couple of years in Spain another move was in the works, this time to Canada were they landed in the early eighties. It is now the fourth time that the train set has been set up and they hope it is permanent now in it's new location.

The whole outlay is pure fantasy and they have all worked really hard at creating a piece of Europe in miniature. It all started with Poul setting up all the framework in wood and then putting down all the tracks, track switches and signals. After that the wiring took place and then the computer programming started with Phil Walkers help. Then Ulla & Lotte went to work to create the magic of little towns and the roads to connect them. There is no master plan at work here, it is a pure visual thing, as they have to work around the tracks. Since the tracks and the trains are the main attraction, the decorations have to compliment it and not take anything away. But it sure helps that they have so many different models in all areas to choose from, whether it be trees, cars, lights, houses, castles, factories or people. As a matter of fact Ulla has painted over 26,000 little people, and that takes a very small brush, a dab of paint and a very steady hand. Over the many years Lotte has become a master landscape and scene builder, and it is a great credit to her abilities, that she can take a section apart every year and rebuild it, so it blends in with the existing surroundings. Since the whole family is heavily involved in the creation of the train set, it is no wonder they constantly are upgrading and improving various sections as new products come on the market all the time. Son-in-law Joe Mendes is now also involved in running the trains and the computers.  Truly a family affair.