diff --git a/Timeline/Audio_Sequence.C b/Timeline/Audio_Sequence.C
index 5f77598..d590db4 100644
--- a/Timeline/Audio_Sequence.C
+++ b/Timeline/Audio_Sequence.C
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@ deurlify ( char *url )
 void
 Audio_Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length )
 {
+    Sequence::handle_widget_change( start, length );
+
     /* a region has changed. we may need to rebuffer... */
 
     /* trigger rebuffer */
diff --git a/Timeline/Sequence.C b/Timeline/Sequence.C
index a5e81f6..1c4c0e6 100644
--- a/Timeline/Sequence.C
+++ b/Timeline/Sequence.C
@@ -176,6 +176,26 @@ Sequence::remove_selected ( void )
 }
 
 
+void
+Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length )
+{
+    timeline->update_length( start + length );
+}
+
+
+/* /\** calculate the length of this sequence by looking at the end of the */
+/*  * least widget it contains *\/ */
+/* nframes_t */
+/* Sequence::length ( void ) const */
+/* { */
+
+/*     if ( _widgets.size() ) */
+/*         return _widgets.back().start() + _widgets.back().length(); */
+/*     else */
+/*         return 0; */
+
+/* } */
+
 Sequence_Widget *
 Sequence::event_widget ( void )
 {
diff --git a/Timeline/Sequence.H b/Timeline/Sequence.H
index 0b1a0e6..daf84c9 100644
--- a/Timeline/Sequence.H
+++ b/Timeline/Sequence.H
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public:
     /* child classes should implement this if they need to take
      special action when a widget is changed/moved/resized. /start/
      and /length/ define the affected region */
-    virtual void handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length ) { (void)(start + length); }
+    virtual void handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length );
 
     /* welcome to C++ */
     LOG_NAME_FUNC( Sequence );
@@ -115,6 +115,8 @@ public:
 
     Sequence_Widget * overlaps ( Sequence_Widget *r );
 
+    nframes_t length ( void ) const;
+
     virtual Sequence * clone ( void )
         {
             assert( 0 );
diff --git a/Timeline/Sequence_Widget.C b/Timeline/Sequence_Widget.C
index f70c0dc..6db33cf 100644
--- a/Timeline/Sequence_Widget.C
+++ b/Timeline/Sequence_Widget.C
@@ -384,6 +384,8 @@ Sequence_Widget::handle ( int m )
 
                     timeline->xposition( timeline->ts_to_x(  pos ) );
 
+                    timeline->update_length( start() + length() );
+
                     /* FIXME: why isn't this enough? */
 //                sequence()->redraw();
                     timeline->redraw();
diff --git a/Timeline/Tempo_Sequence.C b/Timeline/Tempo_Sequence.C
index ecacd8c..0f98e28 100644
--- a/Timeline/Tempo_Sequence.C
+++ b/Timeline/Tempo_Sequence.C
@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@
 #include "Tempo_Sequence.H"
 
 void
-Tempo_Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t, nframes_t )
+Tempo_Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length )
 {
+    Sequence::handle_widget_change( start, length );
+
     sort();
     timeline->update_tempomap();
     timeline->redraw();
diff --git a/Timeline/Time_Sequence.C b/Timeline/Time_Sequence.C
index 712b473..0907a16 100644
--- a/Timeline/Time_Sequence.C
+++ b/Timeline/Time_Sequence.C
@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@
 #include "Time_Sequence.H"
 
 void
-Time_Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t, nframes_t )
+Time_Sequence::handle_widget_change ( nframes_t start, nframes_t length )
 {
+    Sequence::handle_widget_change( start, length );
+
     sort();
     timeline->update_tempomap();
     timeline->redraw();
diff --git a/Timeline/Timeline.C b/Timeline/Timeline.C
index 95cc874..c3aeada 100644
--- a/Timeline/Timeline.C
+++ b/Timeline/Timeline.C
@@ -107,6 +107,12 @@ Timeline::adjust_vscroll ( void )
     vscroll->value( _yposition, h() - rulers->h() - hscroll->h(), 0, pack_visible_height( tracks ) );
 }
 
+void
+Timeline::adjust_hscroll ( void )
+{
+    hscroll->value( ts_to_x( xoffset ), tracks->w() - Track::width(), 0, ts_to_x( _length ) );
+}
+
 void
 Timeline::cb_scroll ( Fl_Widget *w, void *v )
 {
@@ -135,6 +141,7 @@ Timeline::cb_scroll ( Fl_Widget *w )
 
             const int tw = tracks->w() - Track::width();
 //            hscroll->value( ts_to_x( xoffset ), tw, 0, ts_to_x( _length ) );
+
             hscroll->value( max( 0, ts_to_x( under_mouse ) - ( Fl::event_x() - tracks->x() - Track::width() ) ),
                             tw, 0, ts_to_x( _length ) );
 
@@ -333,8 +340,9 @@ Timeline::Timeline ( int X, int Y, int W, int H, const char* L ) : Fl_Overlay_Wi
 //        sample_rate() = engine->sample_rate();
         _fpp = 8;
 //        _length = sample_rate() * 60 * 2;
+
         /* FIXME: hack */
-        _length = -1;
+        _length = x_to_ts( W );
 
         {
             Fl_Pack *o = new Fl_Pack( X, rulers->y() + rulers->h(), W - vscroll->w(), 1 );
@@ -643,8 +651,8 @@ Timeline::xposition ( int X )
 {
 //    _old_xposition = xoffset;
 
-    /* FIXME: shouldn't have to do this... */
-    X = min( X, ts_to_x( _length ) - tracks->w() - Track::width() );
+/*     /\* FIXME: shouldn't have to do this... *\/ */
+/*     X = min( X, ts_to_x( _length ) - tracks->w() - Track::width() ); */
 
     xoffset = x_to_ts( X );
 
@@ -960,6 +968,26 @@ Timeline::handle_scroll ( int m )
         return 0;
 }
 
+void
+Timeline::update_length ( nframes_t l )
+{
+    _length = max( _length, l );
+
+    adjust_hscroll();
+
+/*     nframes_t l = 0; */
+
+/*     for ( int i = tracks->children(); i-- ; ) */
+/*     { */
+/*         Track *t = (Track*)tracks->child( i ); */
+
+/*         l = max( l, t->sequence()->length() ); */
+/*     } */
+
+/*     _length = l; */
+
+}
+
 int
 Timeline::handle ( int m )
 {
diff --git a/Timeline/Timeline.H b/Timeline/Timeline.H
index dfd1eae..ed99bae 100644
--- a/Timeline/Timeline.H
+++ b/Timeline/Timeline.H
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ class Timeline : public Fl_Overlay_Window, public RWLock
     Fl_Scrollbar *vscroll;
 
     void adjust_vscroll ( void );
+    void adjust_hscroll ( void );
     static void cb_scroll ( Fl_Widget *w, void *v );
     void cb_scroll ( Fl_Widget *w );
     static void menu_cb ( Fl_Widget *w, void *v );
@@ -103,7 +104,6 @@ class Timeline : public Fl_Overlay_Window, public RWLock
     int _fpp;                                                 /* frames per pixel, power of two */
     nframes_t _length;
 
-
     nframes_t p1, p2;                                           /* cursors */
 
     /* not permitted */
@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ public:
 
     nframes_t fpp ( void ) const { return 1 << _fpp; }
     nframes_t length ( void ) const { return _length; }
+    void update_length ( nframes_t l );
     nframes_t sample_rate ( void ) const { return _sample_rate; }
     int ts_to_x( nframes_t ts ) const { return  ts >> _fpp; }
     nframes_t x_to_ts ( int x ) const { return x << _fpp; }