Index: gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.h
===================================================================
--- gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.h	(revision 4949)
+++ gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.h	(working copy)
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@
 	Gtk::Menu*          playlist_action_menu;
 	Gtk::MenuItem*      playlist_item;
 
-	void use_playlist (boost::weak_ptr<ARDOUR::Playlist>);
+	void use_playlist (Gtk::RadioMenuItem*, boost::weak_ptr<ARDOUR::Playlist>);
 
 	ArdourCanvas::SimpleRect* timestretch_rect;
 
Index: gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.cc
===================================================================
--- gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.cc	(revision 4949)
+++ gtk2_ardour/route_time_axis.cc	(working copy)
@@ -1353,6 +1353,12 @@
 }
 
 
+struct PlaylistSorter {
+    bool operator() (boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> a, boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> b) const {
+        return a->sort_id() < b->sort_id();
+    }
+};
+
 void
 RouteTimeAxisView::build_playlist_menu (Gtk::Menu * menu)
 {
@@ -1366,33 +1372,32 @@
 	menu->set_name ("ArdourContextMenu");
 	playlist_items.clear();
 
-	if (playlist_menu) {
-		delete playlist_menu;
-	}
-
-	playlist_menu = new Menu;
-	playlist_menu->set_name ("ArdourContextMenu");
-
-	vector<boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> > playlists;
+	vector<boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> > playlists, playlists_ds;
 	boost::shared_ptr<Diskstream> ds = get_diskstream();
 	RadioMenuItem::Group playlist_group;
+	
+	_session.get_playlists (playlists);
 
-	_session.get_playlists (playlists);
+    /* find the playlists for this diskstream */
+	for (vector<boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> >::iterator i = playlists.begin(); i != playlists.end(); ++i) {
+		if (((*i)->get_orig_diskstream_id() == ds->id()) || (ds->playlist()->id() == (*i)->id())) {
+            playlists_ds.push_back(*i);
+    	}
+	}
 	
-	for (vector<boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> >::iterator i = playlists.begin(); i != playlists.end(); ++i) {
+	/* sort the playlists */
+	PlaylistSorter cmp;
+	sort(playlists_ds.begin(), playlists_ds.end(), cmp);
+	
+	/* add the playlists to the menu */
+	for (vector<boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> >::iterator i = playlists_ds.begin(); i != playlists_ds.end(); ++i) {
+		playlist_items.push_back (RadioMenuElem (playlist_group, (*i)->name()));
+		RadioMenuItem *item = static_cast<RadioMenuItem*>(&playlist_items.back());
 
-		if ((*i)->get_orig_diskstream_id() == ds->id()) {
-			playlist_items.push_back (RadioMenuElem (playlist_group, (*i)->name(), bind (mem_fun (*this, &RouteTimeAxisView::use_playlist),
-												     boost::weak_ptr<Playlist> (*i))));
-
-			if (ds->playlist()->id() == (*i)->id()) {
-				static_cast<RadioMenuItem*>(&playlist_items.back())->set_active();
-			}
-		} else if (ds->playlist()->id() == (*i)->id()) {
-			playlist_items.push_back (RadioMenuElem (playlist_group, (*i)->name(), bind (mem_fun (*this, &RouteTimeAxisView::use_playlist), 
-												     boost::weak_ptr<Playlist>(*i))));
-			static_cast<RadioMenuItem*>(&playlist_items.back())->set_active();
-			
+		item->signal_toggled().connect(bind (mem_fun (*this, &RouteTimeAxisView::use_playlist), item, boost::weak_ptr<Playlist> (*i)));
+		
+		if (ds->playlist()->id() == (*i)->id()) {
+			item->set_active();
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1403,26 +1408,28 @@
 	if (!edit_group() || !edit_group()->is_active()) {
 		playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("New"), bind(mem_fun(editor, &PublicEditor::new_playlists), this)));
 		playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("New Copy"), bind(mem_fun(editor, &PublicEditor::copy_playlists), this)));
-
 	} else {
 		// Use a label which tells the user what is happening
 		playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("New Take"), bind(mem_fun(editor, &PublicEditor::new_playlists), this)));
 		playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Copy Take"), bind(mem_fun(editor, &PublicEditor::copy_playlists), this)));
-		
 	}
 
 	playlist_items.push_back (SeparatorElem());
 	playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Clear Current"), bind(mem_fun(editor, &PublicEditor::clear_playlists), this)));
 	playlist_items.push_back (SeparatorElem());
-
 	playlist_items.push_back (MenuElem(_("Select from all ..."), mem_fun(*this, &RouteTimeAxisView::show_playlist_selector)));
 }
 
 void
-RouteTimeAxisView::use_playlist (boost::weak_ptr<Playlist> wpl)
+RouteTimeAxisView::use_playlist (RadioMenuItem *item, boost::weak_ptr<Playlist> wpl)
 {
 	assert (is_track());
 
+	// exit if we were triggered by deactivating the old playlist
+	if (!item->get_active()) {
+		return;
+	}
+	
 	boost::shared_ptr<Playlist> pl (wpl.lock());
 
 	if (!pl) {
@@ -1433,13 +1440,13 @@
 	
 	if (apl) {
 		if (get_diskstream()->playlist() == apl) {
-			// radio button cotnrols mean this function is called for both the 
-			// old and new playlist
+			// exit when use_playlist is called by the creation of the playlist menu
+			// or the playlist choice is unchanged
 			return;
 		}
+		
 		get_diskstream()->use_playlist (apl);
 
-
 		if (edit_group() && edit_group()->is_active()) {
 			//PBD::stacktrace(cerr, 20);
 			std::string group_string = "."+edit_group()->name()+".";
Index: libs/ardour/ardour/playlist.h
===================================================================
--- libs/ardour/ardour/playlist.h	(revision 4949)
+++ libs/ardour/ardour/playlist.h	(working copy)
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@
 
 	std::string name() const { return _name; }
 	void set_name (std::string str);
+	
+	int sort_id() { return _sort_id; }
 
 	bool frozen() const { return _frozen; }
 	void set_frozen (bool yn);
@@ -178,6 +180,7 @@
 	RegionList       regions;  /* the current list of regions in the playlist */
 	std::set<boost::shared_ptr<Region> > all_regions; /* all regions ever added to this playlist */
 	string          _name;
+	int             _sort_id;
 	Session&        _session;
 	mutable gint    block_notifications;
 	mutable gint    ignore_state_changes;
@@ -221,6 +224,8 @@
 	void delay_notifications ();
 	void release_notifications ();
 	virtual void flush_notifications ();
+	
+	void _set_sort_id ();
 
 	void notify_region_removed (boost::shared_ptr<Region>);
 	void notify_region_added (boost::shared_ptr<Region>);
Index: libs/ardour/playlist.cc
===================================================================
--- libs/ardour/playlist.cc	(revision 4949)
+++ libs/ardour/playlist.cc	(working copy)
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
 #include <ardour/playlist_factory.h>
 #include <ardour/transient_detector.h>
 
+#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
+
 #include "i18n.h"
 
 using namespace std;
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@
 	init (hide);
 	first_set_state = false;
 	_name = nom;
-	
+	_set_sort_id();
 }
 
 Playlist::Playlist (Session& sess, const XMLNode& node, bool hide)
@@ -86,6 +88,7 @@
 {
 	init (hide);
 	_name = "unnamed"; /* reset by set_state */
+	_set_sort_id();
 
 	/* set state called by derived class */
 }
@@ -270,6 +273,35 @@
 }
 
 void
+Playlist::_set_sort_id ()
+{
+    /* 
+        Playlists are given names like <track name>.<id> 
+        or <track name>.<edit group name>.<id> where id 
+        is an integer. We extract the id and sort by that.
+    */
+
+    size_t dot_position = _name.find_last_of(".");
+    if (dot_position == string::npos)
+    {
+        _sort_id = 0;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        string t = _name.substr(dot_position + 1);
+        
+        try
+        {
+            _sort_id = boost::lexical_cast<int>(t);
+        }
+        catch (boost::bad_lexical_cast e)
+        {
+            _sort_id = 0;
+        }
+    }
+}    
+
+void
 Playlist::set_name (string str)
 {
 	/* in a typical situation, a playlist is being used
@@ -293,6 +325,8 @@
 	}
 
 	_name = name; 
+	_set_sort_id();
+	
 	NameChanged(); /* EMIT SIGNAL */
 }
 
@@ -1730,6 +1764,7 @@
 		
 		if (prop->name() == X_("name")) {
 			_name = prop->value();
+			_set_sort_id();
 		} else if (prop->name() == X_("orig_diskstream_id")) {
 			_orig_diskstream_id = prop->value ();
 		} else if (prop->name() == X_("frozen")) {