Current Research
Model Railroading
Description
I have been interested in model railroading for as far back as I can recall. I remember going on a variety of trips, or just hanging out, with either my father, grandfather, my grandfather's friend Ernie (who, like my grandfather, worked for the railroad) or childhood friend Chad to observe "actual trains". Those trips and hangouts were motivation to model trains on a smaller scale. When I was a child, the only "toys" that I would ask for at Christmastime were model trains. I grew up in a family of modest means; so, I cherished those trains whenever my mom, nana or Santa Claus were fortunate enough to gift me one (or maybe even a whole set if I was a really good boy, I thought)! Having had my first job at 14 years old at a greenhouse also helped with this later on! I recall going to many area yard sales looking for model trains, track and scenery back then that people were looking to get rid of for cheap.
Also relevant to my interest in modeling railroading and railroads at large (scale) are scanners. I bought my first scanner at about the age of 12 from lawn mowing and snow/debris removal money which enabled me to listen in on railroad operations. The channels on this scanner had to be manually programmed so that each channel mapped to the frequency of a particular railroad's operations. So, for example, a railroad might use one frequency for operations along a section of mainline but a different frequency for yard operations. To figure out what frequency was used for a given type of operation, I used the scanner "seek" function. I used the seek function over the 160-161.99 MegaHertz (MHz) range (Incrementing by .01 MHz.) This incrementing allowed me to listen for clues to figure out what radio chatter mapped to what railroad and railroad operation. This was often quite a challenge and involved a considerable amount of cataloging of trackside features, like mileposts or control points, which were often referenced by train crews over the radio to dispatchers; which was motivation for me to carry around a pocket-sized notebook and writing utensil. Later on, I discovered a manual (I cannot recall the name of the book now, unfortunately) at local library that listed this information, which circumvented the need for this sort of research. Nevertheless, the seek function, and subsequent cataloging early on allowed me to learn a considerable amount about railroad operations (and at least some, electronics) at an age when I probably should have been playing with toys. Interestingly, I was able to do something similar to satisfy some of my aviation and emergency management interests, but that is another story.
What I like most about model trains is what I refer to as "realism to scale". For me as a child, those trains and trackside scenery just had to be in proportion to what one might actually observe at a grade crossing. If my trains were 87 times (i.e., HO scale) smaller than a passing train, everything on my (crude) layout had to be that scale. As my childhood friend Michael and I discovered, one could not simply put a (large) Matchbox semi truck alongside an HO scale model train and expect it to "match up". How outrageous, we thought; the Matchbox semi truck was out of scale in relation to the train.
Nowadays, I have an HO scale model layout in my office / workshop at home (the office / workshop is a partition I made within of our living room.) The layout is 24-in by 126-in and is situated in present day in the high country of the American Southwest. Benchwork for the layout is 54-in in height. Operations on the layout are focused on a locomotive and crew facility at a yard operated by a new iteration of the Rio Grande Railroad. The purpose of the layout is to service locomotives and to prepare locomotive consists for trains departing the yard. Previously, I had two N scale layouts; however, I made the switch back to my childhood "roots" in HO scale after careful consideration for a variety of reasons that I may detail some time later. Nevertheless, designing and maintaining my current layout and others has been a lot of fun. As anyone who has seriously done model railroading probably realizes, the hobby has the potential to teach you and others to think about a lot of things that one might not have otherwise bothered to learn; which is why the hobby is a great all-around STEAM activity. I will continue to post, on occasion, photos of my model railroading activity to my "Trains" album.
This brings me to what I might be able to offer those interested in the hobby. Since I have been doing model railroading for quite a while, surely I must have learned a thing or two about model train maintenance, eh? And of course I am STILL learning! Anyways, in my labour, I follow NMRA standards and recommended practices when performing maintenance. So, if you have a locomotive (or rolling stock) and are interested in upgrading and/or repairing it I might be able to help you out for a modest fee. If that is something that might be of interest to you, feel free to send me message or give me a call. I will probably post more content here as time goes on, so stay tuned.
Links
Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
James Hilton Custom Model Railways
National Model Railroad Association
New Mexico Rail Runner Express
Rix Products (includes Pikestuff)