a ModelersLife

This the final installment of Blair Kooistra's thirty-seven-day extensive railroad photography expedition across the United States, undertaken after his retirement from working as a full-time railroad dispatcher. Blair used the trip to continue lifelong passion for railroad photography, documenting freight trains, railroad infrastructure, industrial landscapes, and model railroads along the way.

Starting from his home in Texas, he traveled across the Midwest, photographing working railroads, freight trains, and industrial landscapes. He continued eastbound and down through the Appalachians, documenting railroad operations and touring model railroad layouts. The trip combined his professional railroad experience, decades of photography, and ties to the model railroading community, yielding an extensive collection of photographs. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded film cannisters, a tall cool glass of Kodak D-76 film developer and enjoy!!

On this edition of "a ModelersLife" we welcome back Michael Petersen one of the co-founders of Iowa Scaled Engineering located somewhere in Colorado. ISE has been bringing engineering innovation mostly through electronics to the hobby of model railroading for several years while helping layout builders create sophisticated railroads that are more fun to operate.

Michael founded the company with Nathan Holmes and together their work sits at the intersection of engineering and a passion for the hobby. In this podcast we'll find out what's new and explore some of the challenges behind designing specialized products. Plus, we talk about the ideas, creativity, and engineering decisions that go from concept to a successful product that builders can use on their own layouts. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy!!

Right from the beginning the goal of Midwest Model Railroad was to be different, be bold, daring and willing to take chances in order to create one of the most successful model railroad shops in the lower forty-eight. Enter Brayden Anderson a young twenty something who became the general manager of the store at an age when most are still just trying to find their way.

For most people Brayden's age being the manager at a large modern model-train store and distribution center near Kansas City, with a 15,000-square-foot facility and more than 100,000 products in stock and a goal to ship orders within one business day could quickly become quite over-whelming even for the most experienced veteran. Store owner Stephen Atwell needed someone who could handle retail management, warehouse operations, customer service, and have some model-railroad expertise. This is a real incite into the retail side of hobby and a podcast we're sure you'll enjoy !!

Steve Goaring's Illinois Terminal Railroad, O'Fallon Branch, is a terrific example of prototype-focused HO scale model railroading. It recreates a relatively obscure Southern Illinois branch line and, rather than simply building a generic railroad, Steve researched the prototype and built the layout around how the railroad actually operated.

For the basic concept he modeled the Illinois Terminal's Troy Junction–O'Fallon branch in 1961, in HO scale. The layout is approximately 12 × 21 feet, with about 75 feet of mainline. It represents the line from Troy Junction through O'Fallon to the St. Ellen coal mine. The prototype is particularly interesting because this wasn't a big mainline railroad. It was a relatively short branch, but it connected with several important railroads and generated substantial freight traffic. This a great podcast with an experienced modeler that does a nice job of explaining the overall concept.

Steve Goaring's Illinois Terminal Railroad, O'Fallon Branch, is a terrific example of prototype-focused HO scale model railroading. It recreates a relatively obscure Southern Illinois branch line and, rather than simply building a generic railroad, Steve researched the prototype and built the layout around how the railroad actually operated.

For the basic concept he modeled the Illinois Terminal's Troy Junction–O'Fallon branch in 1961, in HO scale. The layout is approximately 12 × 21 feet, with about 75 feet of mainline. It represents the line from Troy Junction through O'Fallon to the St. Ellen coal mine. The prototype is particularly interesting because this wasn't a big mainline railroad. It was a relatively short branch, but it connected with several important railroads and generated substantial freight traffic. This a great podcast with an experienced modeler that does a nice job of explaining the overall concept.

David Popp has brought knowledge and joy to model railroaders around the world for well over two decades, with his deep his enthusiasm for the hobby, and his ability to make even the most complicated modeling subjects approachable, David has become one of the hobby's most recognizable and trusted voices.

Whether he's talking about layouts, operations, scenery, locomotives, tools, or the people who make this hobby great, his enthusiasm is contagious. David has a wonderful ability to remind model railroaders that this hobby isn't about building the perfect railroad. It's about having fun, learning something new, sharing ideas, and enjoying the journey.

That's why David Popp doesn't just bring knowledge to model railroaders around the world—he brings joy, enthusiasm, and a genuine love for the hobby. So grab yourself a big bowl of unfettered happiness, a tall cool glass of infectious personality and enjoy !!!

The N.C. Transportation Museum, Trains Magazine, White River Productions, Scale Trains, Virtual Railfan, and Jack & Audrey Harris are excited to present the America 250 Locomotive Celebration August 28-30 at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC!! And we here at the AML Nation are excited to present our very own Marcus Neubacher (the AML's most eligible bachelor) with a complete run-down of the upcoming events.

Experience a once-in-a-generation railroading event as the North Carolina Transportation Museum hosts the first and only gathering of commemorative locomotives from Class One, short lines, and passenger railroads, all specially painted to celebrate America's semi- quincentennial. Set against the iconic Bob Julian Roundhouse, this extraordinary display of red, white, and blue locomotives is expected to create one of the most memorable railroad photography opportunities of the America 250 celebration.

It was a beautiful morning in Chattanooga, Tennessee home of this year's NMRA national convention, the Scenic City Express. The trains were running, the vendors selling and the clinics were filling up. And somewhere inside the Convention headquarters Scott Lister was standing beside his contest entry with the confidence of a man who had just built one of the finest models ever constructed in the history of mankind.

Scott had spent months on it with every board carefully weathered and every detail in place on the model with the greatest care. It wasn't long until the judges arrived as Scott stood silent while one judge leaned over the model, another pulled out a flashlight while a third one put on magnifying glasses. The tension in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. This story is epic and most likely be recalled for years by all in the AML Nation, so grab yourself a big bowl of shredded score sheets, a tall cool glass of contest marking ink and enjoy!!

Another successful NMRA National convention has come and gone with one of the major highlights being a chance to operate on Chris Wehman's fabulous N Scale Norfolk Southern Heartland Division. Registration was handled through OperatingSessions.com, and attendance was limited because of the number of available crew positions. Plus layout tours were available for those who just wanted to stop for a look see, with all parking was supervised by Marcus Neubacher, the Foundation director for the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

Chris also hosted an operating session for members of the AML Nation. As the podcast's "videographer extraordinaire," he was in his element explaining the railroad, assigning jobs, and helping operators settle into their roles. Between trains there was plenty of the good-natured banter, with experienced operators helping first-timers and everyone enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. With the AML Nation in attendance somehow trains arrived on time, nobody drove a locomotive onto the floor, and the dispatcher only threatened to retire twice. By the end of the evening everyone agreed that operating sessions are a lot like ModelersLife podcasts—organized chaos, plenty of laughs, and somehow it all works out in the end... usually.

Wallace Locomotive Works is a small manufacturer specializing in 3D-printed detail parts and accessories for model railroaders. Rather than producing complete locomotives or rolling stock, the company focuses on the small prototype details that help make modern locomotives and railroad scenes look more realistic. Chris Wallace is having way too much fun creating parts that represent modern railroad equipment that larger manufacturers often overlook.

He also produces replacement and upgrade parts for commercially available locomotives, with many of the parts designed for straightforward installation with a hobby knife and CA glue. Recently Chris has added paints, tools and other needs for the modeler making his online store a one-stop shop. Wallace Locomotive Works sells directly through its online store and also through several hobby dealers, including businesses such as White Rose Hobbies.

Once again, it's time to answer our voluminous ViewerMail we gathered together some of the greatest minds in the AML Nation to carefully evaluate each piece of mail with the utmost care. Each one was carefully steamed open so that it could later be re-sealed and placed in the Busted Knuckle library to be enjoyed by future generations. The good news is we might answer your mail; the bad news is your DCC system might be obsolete by then.

If patience is a virtue, our ViewerMail contributors are saints. It's not that we ignore ViewerMail, we're just letting it gain value, like a brass locomotive. By the time we answer your email, your grandkids will have inherited your locomotive collection.So, gather round folks… You too kids, as we share stories of intrigue, bravery, daring and downright pluckiness on another episode of ViewerMail. Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded one cent stamps, a tall cool glass of melted glue sticks and enjoy !!

It's another exciting episode of "a ModelersLife" and this time we travel to the great state of Michigan to visit with Andrew ("Andy") Keeney, a highly respected HO scale model railroader best known for his large, operations-oriented Nashville Road layout.

This home is an impressive three-deck HO scale layout measuring roughly 48 x 56 feet, with over 1,100 feet of mainline, more than 40 staging tracks, and around 70 scheduled trains operating on a 24-hour timetable. It recreates the railroads around Nashville, Tennessee, in 1956, using a mix of prototype practice and selective freelancing. Andy is an awesome gentleman with a rich history covering several decades. If you don't do anything else today, listen to this great podcast!!

The thirty-seven epic road trip continues… Starting from his home in Texas, he traveled through the Midwest, Appalachians, and Northeastern United States, photographing railroads, visiting friends, and touring model railroads along the way.

Most people come home from a 37-day road trip with a cooler full of souvenirs. Blair came home with enough railroad photos to keep modelers studying scenery, weathering, and railroad operations for years.

Ken Patterson is one of the best-known personalities in model railroading today. He is a professional photographer, modeler, and media producer who has been published extensively in hobby magazines and has photographed dozens of model railroad magazine covers. He's best known for his "What's Neat This Week" a popular weekly video show featuring model railroading projects, starring the often enthusiastic Joshua Barton and the always peppy Mike Budde.

Ken's show features new products, techniques, industry news, and guest appearances from hobbyists and manufacturers around the hobby. Recently there was a major fire on the layout and thankfully the "Dude" is still here to tell us all about it. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded melted freight cars, a tall cool glass of extinguisher fluid and enjoy!!

It's time for another exciting edition of ViewerMail where every episode starts with hope and ends with somebody discovering there's a much more complicated way to accomplish what you're doing. It's your opportunity to listen as the AML Gang turns a simple two sentence email into a 14-page discussion.

Let's face it ViewerMail is cheaper than therapy while bringing together model railroaders from around the world to disagree about the same thing. ViewerMail is like switching cars in the yard—you never know what's coming next. If model railroading were easy, these podcasts would be a lot shorter, as we try to determine why cleaning the train room somehow ends with buying three locomotives. So please join us where weathering powder, benchwork, and life advice appear in the same sentence.

George Taylor has been hanging around the AML Nation almost as long as the modeler simply known as "Kelly." We've travelled a lot of miles with George through the years and it seemed like as good a time as any to catch up on what he's been doing. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy!!

Bob Ginger is a well respected model railroader known for his detailed N-scale layout work and realistic operations-oriented design. He earned the prestigious Master Model Railroader (MMR #695) designation from the National Model Railroad Association.

The Pepper Valley Division is an N scale freelanced railroad inspired by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Great Northern railroads set in October 1954.

Op-sessions on the Pepper Valley are either one or two-man crews with operators working near each other, making it easy to coordinate train movements. Each train moves in an east or west direction for the duration of the job. The layout features a walk-in design, long mainline run for the size of the layout, realistic scenery and good traffic flow all wrapped up in a mid-century western railroad atmosphere. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy!!

Dustin Whitten is a full time 1:1 railroader that's also an HO scale model railroader known for his coal-hauling Appalachian-themed layouts. His current layout was featured in the "Built by Others" series on https://www.trains.com/ inspired by the Virginian project layout that first appeared in the pages of Model Railroader in January of 2012. Dustin's Norfolk & Western South Branch layout took inspiration from this project and adjusted it to fit his space. His freelance layout, the Norfolk & Western South Branch, models Southwestern Virginia in 1987 during the early Norfolk Southern era.

On this podcast he explains how he expanded and customized the original Virginian project plan with broader curves, a redesigned coal marshaling yard, realistic operations based on prototype railroad practices using a mix of Norfolk and Western, Southern Railway, and early Norfolk Southern power. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy!!

Andy Zimmerman is well known in the model railroading community through his work with the National Model Railroad Association, as the Standards & Conformance Director. Andy's just one of those guys that makes the hobby go, being heavily involved with modular groups such as N-TRAK and T-TRAK. Recently he took on the role of "N-Rail" president because he has so much spare time.

Before his railroad hobby leadership, he served twenty-three years in the U.S. Navy, he's been president of the NMRA Sunshine Region, is active with the Big Bend Model Railroad Association in Florida. But for this interview he's here to tell us all about the T-Trak world record attempt at this year's national convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded NMRA standards, a tall cool glass of warm salt water and enjoy!!

Long time friend of the AML Nation, Dave Owens stops by to bring us up to date about this year's Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet or NERPM (excuse me) as the regulars call it. For the past three years NERPM has run in partnership with The Amherst Railway Society and provides an opportunity for modelers to participate in a show where modelers of all skill levels are able to exhibit their work, learn about new products, and enjoy the company of other talented modelers.

Dave is always quick to point out NERPM (excuse me) is a "MEET" and not a "SHOW." This is where folks come together to show what they are working on and see what others are doing, enjoy some great clinics, chat with others and just generally have a great time. So, the bottom line is to go and see for yourself and if you happen to bump into Dave… Tell him Lionel sent you!!