diff --git a/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee b/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
index f291c727b..686a6b1d8 100644
--- a/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ describe "Editor", ->
           otherEditor.simulateDomAttachment()
           expect(otherEditor.setMaxLineLength).toHaveBeenCalled()
 
-    describe "when some lines at the end of the buffer are not visible on screen", ->
+    describe "when some lines at the end of the buffer are not visible on screen when the editor is attached", ->
       beforeEach ->
         editor.attachToDom(heightInLines: 5.5)
 
@@ -401,21 +401,37 @@ describe "Editor", ->
         expectedMarginBottom = (buffer.numLines() - 6) * editor.lineHeight
         expect(editor.lines.find('.line:last').css('margin-bottom')).toBe "#{expectedMarginBottom}px"
 
-      it "renders additional lines when the editor is scrolled down, adjusting margins appropriately", ->
+      fit "when the lines are scrolled down, removes lines that become invisible and build lines that are become visisble", ->
         editor.scroller.scrollTop(editor.lineHeight * 2.5)
         editor.scroller.trigger 'scroll'
 
-        expect(editor.lines.find('.line').length).toBe 8
-        expect(editor.lines.find('.line:first').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(0)
+        expect(editor.lines.find('.line').length).toBe 6
+        expect(editor.lines.find('.line:first').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(2)
         expect(editor.lines.find('.line:last').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(7)
 
+        editor.scroller.scrollTop(editor.lineHeight * 3.5)
+        editor.scroller.trigger 'scroll'
+
+        expect(editor.lines.find('.line').length).toBe 6
+        expect(editor.lines.find('.line:first').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(3)
+        expect(editor.lines.find('.line:last').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(8)
+
+      it "adjusts margins to account for non-rendered lines", ->
+        editor.scroller.scrollTop(editor.lineHeight * 2.5)
+        editor.scroller.trigger 'scroll'
+
         for line, index in editor.lines.find('.line')
+          marginTop = $(line).css('margin-top')
           marginBottom = $(line).css('margin-bottom')
-          if index == 7
-            expectedMarginBottom = (buffer.numLines() - 8) * editor.lineHeight
+          if index == 0
+            expectedMarginTop = editor.lineHeight * 2
+            expect(marginTop).toBe "#{expectedMarginTop}px"
+          else if index == 5
+            expectedMarginBottom = (editor.getLastScreenRow() - 7) * editor.lineHeight
             expect(marginBottom).toBe "#{expectedMarginBottom}px"
           else
             expect(marginBottom).toBe '0px'
+            expect(marginTop).toBe '0px'
 
       it "renders additional lines when the editor is resized", ->
         setEditorHeightInLines(editor, 10)
@@ -425,6 +441,16 @@ describe "Editor", ->
         expect(editor.lines.find('.line:first').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(0)
         expect(editor.lines.find('.line:last').text()).toBe buffer.lineForRow(9)
 
+    # describe "when lines at the beginning of the buffer are not visible on screen when the editor is attached", ->
+    #   beforeEach ->
+    #     editor.attachToDom(heightInLines: 5.5)
+
+    #   it "only renders the visible lines, giving the first line a margin-top to account for the missing lines", ->
+    #     expect(editor.lines.find('.line').length).toBe 6
+    #     expectedMarginBottom = (buffer.numLines() - 6) * editor.lineHeight
+    #     expect(editor.lines.find('.line:last').css('margin-bottom')).toBe "#{expectedMarginBottom}px"
+
+
   describe "gutter rendering", ->
     it "creates a line number element for each line in the buffer", ->
       expect(editor.gutter.find('.line-number').length).toEqual(buffer.numLines())
diff --git a/src/app/editor.coffee b/src/app/editor.coffee
index aa1fda214..f90d2dfdf 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/editor.coffee
@@ -240,21 +240,30 @@ class Editor extends View
     @lineCache = []
     @lines.find('.line').remove()
 
-    lastVisibleScreenRow = @getLastVisibleScreenRow()
+    @firstRenderedScreenRow = 0
+    @lastRenderedScreenRow = @getLastVisibleScreenRow()
 
-    lineElements = @buildLineElements(0, lastVisibleScreenRow)
-    lineElements.last().css('margin-bottom', (@getLastScreenRow() - lastVisibleScreenRow) * @lineHeight)
+    lineElements = @buildLineElements(@firstRenderedScreenRow, @lastRenderedScreenRow)
+    lineElements.last().css('margin-bottom', (@getLastScreenRow() - @lastRenderedScreenRow) * @lineHeight)
     @insertLineElements(0, lineElements)
 
   updateLines: ->
+    firstVisibleScreenRow = @getFirstVisibleScreenRow()
     lastVisibleScreenRow = @getLastVisibleScreenRow()
-    highestRenderedScreenRow = @lines.find('.line').length - 1
 
-    if lastVisibleScreenRow > highestRenderedScreenRow
+    if firstVisibleScreenRow > @firstRenderedScreenRow
+      @lines.find('.line:first').css('margin-top', 'inherit')
+      @removeLineElements(@firstRenderedScreenRow, firstVisibleScreenRow - 1)
+      @lines.find('.line:first').css('margin-top', firstVisibleScreenRow * @lineHeight)
+
+    if lastVisibleScreenRow > @lastRenderedScreenRow
       @lines.find('.line:last').css('margin-bottom', 'inherit')
-      lineElements = @buildLineElements(highestRenderedScreenRow + 1, lastVisibleScreenRow)
+      lineElements = @buildLineElements(@lastRenderedScreenRow + 1, lastVisibleScreenRow)
       lineElements.last().css('margin-bottom', (@getLastScreenRow() - lastVisibleScreenRow) * @lineHeight)
-      @insertLineElements(highestRenderedScreenRow + 1, lineElements)
+      @insertLineElements(@lastRenderedScreenRow + 1, lineElements)
+      @lastRenderedScreenRow = lastVisibleScreenRow
+
+    @firstRenderedScreenRow = firstVisibleScreenRow
 
   getFirstVisibleScreenRow: ->
     Math.floor(@scroller.scrollTop() / @lineHeight)
@@ -369,7 +378,11 @@ class Editor extends View
   replaceLineElements: (startRow, endRow, lineElements) ->
     @spliceLineElements(startRow, endRow - startRow + 1, lineElements)
 
-  spliceLineElements: (startRow, rowCount, lineElements) ->
+  removeLineElements: (startRow, endRow) ->
+    @spliceLineElements(startRow, endRow - startRow + 1)
+
+  spliceLineElements: (startScreenRow, rowCount, lineElements) ->
+    startRow = startScreenRow - @firstRenderedScreenRow
     endRow = startRow + rowCount
     elementToInsertBefore = @lineCache[startRow]
     elementsToReplace = @lineCache[startRow...endRow]