Some lessons can only be learned the hard way, through experience and by doing. My son is now a sophomore in high school and is at that age where he is increasingly interested in the dating ‘experience’. Without exaggeration I think it’s fair to say he has his eye on a new female ‘person […]
Category: Opinion
If I Had A Million
Five years after I placed the first slab of bench work East Rail provides as much enjoyment as ever. Here’s how it looks today. Between work, family activities, and construction of the Downtown Spur my East Rail layout has sat essentially ignored and unused in the corner of my shop for what has probably been […]
Why We Build Model Railroads
Why do we build model railroads? Psychologically, what is at play that compels us to create something that, if viewed at face value, could be mistakenly taken for a detailed toy? Like many people, both in and out of the hobby, I’ve made the mistake of trivializing model railroading. Over the past several years I’ve […]
Are Dramatic Scenes Necessary?
A big part of model railroading is creating images that we enjoy looking at. Although totally lacking in drama, this shot of the Sanchelima Dairy is one of my favorites of the layout. A visitor to my website brought up an interesting point yesterday. It’s an issue that I’ve been subconsciously aware of. Given its […]
Family Friendly Layouts
Simple steps can make the layout much more palatable to the rest of the family and make them more receptive to having it in the house. A clean Pullman green fascia, absence of clutter and junk, nice shelves, and not having tools scattered about are inexpensive ways to make the model railroad more family friendly. […]