More Horse Before the Cart Talk


Conductors don’t have wings. They can’t fly. In this view, the conductor is taking a final look at his work before walking back to the locomotive. Motion isn’t constant. Pauses like this are frequent. Incorporating even a touch of this reality effectively stretches a layout requiring fewer elements to keep you entertained. Drawing a track […]

Decision Making


In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell takes a deep dive into decision-making at both individual and organizational levels.  He examines split-second decisions that must be made in the “blink of an eye” as well as longer-term planning.  The question becomes, is there a relationship between the amount of time spent making a decision and the […]

Attitude and Approach


Ben Sullivan stands in front of his masterful rendition of the Georgetown Branch’s Rock Creek Viaduct. Results like this come from being in the game long term, making mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward. Attitude and approach to the hobby goes a long way. The last two weekends were particularly enjoyable for me, both […]

Indian Matchmaking & Layout Design


One evening, a few weeks ago, I was melting into my couch and surfing Netflix. Scroll, scroll, scroll, nothing.  Essentially what I was looking for was something short, borderline entertaining, and took minimal neurons to process. In other words, trashy but not too trashy.  Up comes the series “Indian Matchmaking”.  Okay, nobody will know, I’ll […]

Free Money


This is railroading and it’s happening now. Tolga Erbora caught FEC’s CIS local down in the dirt and earning revenue as it works OMNI Transload, a logistics warehouse in Miami. Subject: Model Railroad Layout Design Service It was over a decade ago when I sat in on a seminar at Cocoa Beach presented by the […]