Emphasis


Model railroading is a miniscule portion of the much larger universe of design in general.  Art, architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape design, etc. all fall under that umbrella. In the big boy world of design, the one where people and companies actually make their living at it, the process is driven by a foundation of […]

Getting Things Done When You Have Limited Free Time


Depending on where we are in life, the amount of time we have available to devote to our hobby will vary.  Regardless of our circumstances at any particular moment, however, we all want to have the satisfaction of knowing that we are getting at least a few things accomplished.  That can be much easier said […]

Approaching the Finish Line


Tolga Erbora catches the local passing Family and Son on The Downtown Spur in this August 2020 image. The fact that the line is still active, and so well documented, keeps me motivated. What do you do when your layout is getting close to being “finished”?  The day is in site when there will seemingly […]

Model the Trees or the Forest?


Model railroading is a hobby.  It’s recreation.  Our “success” is measured by how much satisfaction we wring from our efforts.  While the occasional “attaboys” are nice, most of the time, we are performing for an audience of one, ourselves.  Unlike a performing or commercial artist, we don’t carry the burden of having to please an […]

Fine Standards N Scale


When I started on the Brooklyn Terminal layout it wasn’t with the intention of making it a “Fine N Scale” project. “Fine N Scale” is a sub-section of the hobby dedicated to, as the name implies, much more delicate cross sections that are closer to prototype dimensions. It’s a small niche of a scale that […]