I don't have a functioning layout so, at the moment, all my pleasure comes from buying junkers and getting them back into respectable operating condition.
My current project started out with the purchase of a Mantua 4-6-2 from an acquaintance on a Facebook group of which I am a member.
This is what I started with. At the time I took the picture I had already completed work on the tender.

Several months ago I grabbed a "box of junk" at a train show for next to nothing dollar wise. The two cars pictured here were in the box along with a CP F7A engine (it runs) and 3 other cars. The 2 pictured cars are Tonshodo brass CP Vista Dome observation cars that I am currently attempting to resurrect. The pictured seating is home made and incorrect for the boat tail car, so some time will be required to acquire the correct seating or make my own. One end of one of one of the car floors was also broken and I have repaired that problem.

A little over a year ago I got back into the model railroad hobby and slowly began unpacking my many boxes of trains and accessories. One engine I came across really intrigued me. It was broken and wouldn’t run; the valve gear hanger was damaged. The motor would run until the valve gear bound up and stalled the motor. Not wanting to do any further damage I didn’t force anything too hard.

I decided last year to get back into the model railroading and have spent the winter cleaning out the basement spare room and unpacking/assessing my equipment after 20 years in storage. I had a layout with completed trackwork and some scenery and have been looking it over to ascertain the needs to rewire it for DCC.

Woke up this morning to 4 inches of water in my basement. The sump pump quit over night and it was raining quite hard. Layout on hold while I repair the basement floor.

I have been busy unpacking and checking out my engines and rolling stock the past weeks and thought I woudl post some pictures of what I have done so far. My models have been in storage for about 18 years and some engines are in sad shape, mostly from mild corrosion. I had them stored in a spare room  in the basement with the heat turned off. Anyway, these engines are now working like new and ready for DCC.

I constructed the "Marquette & Independence" layout from the Model RR Magazine's series that started in the Dec. 1975 issue. It has been in storage for a number of years and is in sad shape. I constructed the original design, in modular form as I had no place for a permanent set up. This was not a totally bad decision as I was able to move it to three different homes without problems.