Santa Fe car remembers a personal friend

I sent the photos and text below into our local NMRA Division, the NJ Division, as part of their newsletter series of "what I have been working on during these unusual times". It describes a freight car project with ties to my friend who passed away last year, Sam Natal.

Sam Natal at his Santa Fe layout

I have been taking advantage of extra time the past few months getting to some projects that have been on the back burner for quite some time. If you are anything like me you have a number of unstarted, partially started or nearly complete freight car, locomotive and structure projects that, for whatever reason, never made it across the finish line. For me these tend to get back into their boxes and placed under the layout.

I have completed a number of freight car projects over the past few weeks, including a bulkhead flatcar conversion to a pole car complete with new telephone poles. The starting point cars for this were purchased 5 years ago! I also built a few Intermountain and Branchline kits I purchased many years ago. I often post pictures and some info to my Facebook page for my layout, Northeast Kingdom Model Railroad. If you are on Facebook, search for it and request to join - it would be great to have you aboard.

One project in particular I was very glad to finish. As many of you know, Sam Natal passed away late last year. Sam was a longtime NJ Division member (you can see his name on the original list of charter members on the Division web site) and he served on the board for many years. Sam helped guide the Division when I was superintendent, and revised our bylaws at the time to bring them up to date. Sam was a good friend, and served as a judge for the State of New Jersey. Sam was kind enough to perform our marriage ceremony in his chambers in 2002 when Tanya and I got married.

In the late 1990’s while Sam was building his layout, a number of us would join him for weeknight work sessions. One time while I was there Sam pulled out a painted but unfinished 2 bay covered hopper. It was in his favorite prototype’s mineral red pain, with Kadee trucks, gloss coated and ready for decals. Sam explained that the car was too modern for his early 1950s layout and asked if I wanted it to finish and use on my future layout, Sam offered it as a thank you for helping him with his layout, which was unnecessary I was getting plenty of enjoyment being there. But I agreed and took the car home that night. 

It has sat for quite some time as I forgot about it and never looked into getting what I needed to complete it. A couple of years ago I came across some Microscale ATSF covered hopper decals. Remembering the car Sam gave me, I picked them up. For whatever reason though I still did not get started on finishing that car.

With extra time the past few months, I have been going through all the stored items I have, and found the car. I thought I had the decals, and when I checked the decal box, sure enough there they were. Not wanting this to sit any longer I got to work. 

As the car was fully assembled and painted, I decided not to do any upgrades to the roofwalk, which shows its age (it is the old Ramax 2 bay covered hopper kit from the 1980s). I could not find a good prototype picture of this particular car on the Santa Fe. I figured I would just use the set diagrams and decal it to what the Santa Fe did on their other covered hoppers.  I like to follow the prototype when possible, but allow leeway on my model railroad. And I really wanted to have this car finally done!

Decals complete, I gave it a flat finish, then some light weathering with pan pastels. Couplers were added and it was ready for an official builders photo before going onto the layout.

The completed Santa Fe covered hopper ready for service on the layout

Somewhat belated, but thank you Sam, not only for the car but for your friendship, guidance and assistance, and also for being there for me and Tanya on our special day.

Below is text from newspaper article about Sam from 20 years ago or so.

Updating Old Web Site

Most of my online postings have been here on this blog, as well as some posts on my Facebook group (Northeast Kingdom Model Railroad), as well as a few posts to the railroad-line.com forum. Preceding all of this activity was the web site I created over 12 years ago, nekrailroad.com. I put a lot of my research information on that site and continued to update it and add information over the following few years.

With the ease of use of this blog as well as the discontinuance of the software I used to maintain the website, nekrailroad.com has been pretty dormant the past 3-5years. I maintain some other web sites, and acquired new software about 2 years ago to easily maintain these web sites. However there was n real easy way to import the old sites. This wasn't a problem for the other sites which were relatively small. It was an easy matter of just building them from the ground up with similar, yet updated, content. The nekrailroad site though was more work, so I just put that on the back burner.

I've decided to put a few hours into updating the site by bringing it over to the new web site software. That work is now in progress, and I have started the update to nekrailroad.com:

The overall look and content will be similar to the old site, but I will be able to update it more easily now, and fill in some new or missing areas. It will better document the layout and be easier to get to a specific topic, and more easily get to research info I have documented.

This will be an ongoing process, so not everything is done yet. The content from the old site will move over a period of time, so I am providing a link to the full content of the old site, as noted on the first page. This can be accessed via nekrailroad.com/NEKOLD/Welcome.html.

I'll still mainly post updates via this blog, but will probably copy a few things over to the nekrailroad website as well, such as finished work for example.

TBT - Free-mo module

Getting the module together for the trip up to Springfield got me thinking about when I started to build it and everywhere it has been. It has also led to new friendships and good times with modelers and folks I otherwise would not have met. I am certainly glad I embarked on this project. So here is a Throwback Thursday look at my Woodstown Junction Free-mo module.

It started with an issue of Railroad Model Craftsman in 2008 where Free-mo was explained and demonstrated, including construction ideas. This looked like a great way to do modular railroading, something I had participated with in the past with traditional style modules in the 1980s. Back then, an HO version of what N-trak was doing was all the rage. That group fell apart after a few years and modules built by me and some friends were disassembled.

I certainly did not need a new model railroad project as I was fully involved with my home layout. But this looked like something that could augment that and allow me to participate in other events besides home layout tours and open houses. I've always enjoyed the idea of modular layouts coming together at shows and events, and this new (to me) style had a lot going for it with a more prototypical look to things, and no difficult backdrop to deal with.

So I embarked on a design inspired by a prototype scene in Calais, Maine, the end of a Maine Central branch, I am not sure how I came upon that idea exactly, but it probably was from studying some pictures and seeing a view much like the picture below. The arrangement of track seemed like it would fit nicely into the parameters of a module, and offer operating potential even without other modules attached.

This early picture shows construction progress in early 2009, shortly after I started building. Here the track is in with basic wiring. It was just about ready for it's debut at an NMRA Division Meet, demonstrating Free-mo to a group who had never seen it before.

Initially I completed just 2 sections of the module set before starting on the shorter bridge scene section.

That the module was something that could provide operations when set up by itself was important as I was the lone pioneer in the New Jersey area with Free-mo. It would be a few years before more modules came on-line in our area, so it was great to have what was essentially a self contained portable layout. It certainly would have been easier (and maybe wiser!) to start with the traditional 2x4 module with maybe a single siding, but luckily things worked out well construction-wise and the module has performed well.

Since that debut in May of 2009, the module has been to 23 events, traveling nearly 5000 miles and getting looked at by thousands of people. Pretty cool when you step back and think about it!

When the modules were 2 years old they had their first chance to connect to other Free-mo modules, traveling down to Timonium to integrate into the Capitol Free-mo group's layout. This was certainly a moment of truth to see just how well a Free-mo module built in a vacuum might hook up with other modules from other builders. Luckily there were no issues and the module performed well. A testament to the Free-mo standard that I could build this and have it work so well right away.

The modules have attended multiple NMRA Regional conventions, public train shows such as Timonium and Springfield, numerous NMRA Division Meets and a few public displays. The modules have also participated in numerous formal operating sessions. 

My module is somewhere around 80% complete. I still have a little more scenery work I'd like to do and finalize some structures. Certainly if I did not also have a home layout I would have completed these things long ago. But the fact that the module is operationally sound and relatively complete looking has not let these things deter from my enjoyment. I look forward to many more adventures with these modules!

The bridge section, getting an initial scenery base in 2011. This bridge has survived a complete collapse when the module fell over and flattened out the bridge. I was able to rebuild it, but it is a reminder that dealing with modules requires extra care. This is often why I turn down assistance from those who want to help me carry the modules in and out from events. I would love their help, but it is easy to damage things and I don't want anyone to feel awful if something goes wrong! 

To get a full look back at all my posts that included Free-mo, click on the 'Free-mo' link at the right under Labels to filter just for those posts.

Railroad-Line Forum

There are lots of online places to look at and talk about model and prototype trains. As such, it is unlikely anyone can really know about or visit too many on a regular basis. I have a few places I like to frequent, and I also follow a few blogs here on blogspot to keep up with what is going on with some layouts I am interested in.

One place I do visit and post to is the railroad-line forum at http://railroad-line.com. There is some really nice modeling there and it can be a good place to ask a general question now and then.

railroad-line forum main screen

I recently started a thread there on my layout. A number of modelers here in South Jersey have active threads detailing their layouts with info and photos. A few of them include some great information that has helped my model building. For example, the use of grout as a scenery material was something I learned from Rick Bickmore, aka Harsco on railroad-line, in his great thread on building his layout.

My thread was started to focus on operations on my layout. It will be a way for forum members to see my layout and also allow for interaction regarding my operating plans. I hope to be able to detail my plans and show photos, and perhaps get some feedback on things I can consider and change to make for a better experience. The idea is to help me get operations off the ground with an initial session sometime this winter.

Check out my thread at this address:

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44172

You do not need to have an account to view on the forum, but you do need one if you want to post or comment (it is free).

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish all those who stop by here to check out my model railroad blogging a very Merry Christmas, and thanks for your interest in what I am modeling and continuing to check in here to see what is new.

Although I had trains at an early age, various train sets on 4x4 and 4x8 tables, I feel that I became a model railroader in 1980, at Christmas, when my parents left a copy of Railroad Model Craftsman under the tree. It really opened my eyes to scale model railroading and what people were doing that was so much beyond what I knew about "trains".

That October 1980 issue of RMC is pretty worn out now, I know I went cover to cover for weeks poring over every word and picture. Just the front cover alone with this realistic looking coupler I had never seen before was so realistic and fascinating. And weathered freight cars, trees, a road scene - such great stuff!

And to top that off, an article inside about Whitefield, New Hampshire's ball signal. This was a place I had been to! I didn't really know much about what happened in Whitefield other than that was where we came across trains during our summer camping trips in the 1970s. This showed me exactly what was happening there.

I would start picking up back issues of RMC and later MR and absorb everything model railroading that was between the covers. It was a great education in how to do all things related to the hobby.

I still keep this issue in my office with other railroad books and special magazine issues that I refer to often. And I am glad to see RMC rise again with White River and continue on. Hopefully an issue this year will make it under the tree for a young kid interested in trains, and help them start a journey into the hobby of model railroading and all it has to offer.

Everyone be safe and have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Model Railroad Hobbyist and the Allagash model railroad

If you do not get the FREE online magazine Model Railroad Hobbyist, you really are missing out on a great resource. It is as simple as going to mrhmag.com and copying the magazine to your computer, iPad, Kindle, iPhone, whatever. Then enjoy it like any other model railroad magazine, just without the annual subscription fee. Be sure to create an account so you get e-mails when new issues are posted, around the first of every month. They also have a pretty good discussion forum if you are into that.

You get great content every month. I always find something useful. And with the January issue starts a series of articles about a layout I really have come to admire, the Allagash built by Mike Confalone up in New Hampshire. Mike previously was modeling Vermont, including the Lamoille Valley, so that hit my radar. The realistic photos and overall level of modeling was really compelling. About 5 years ago Mike switched gears and decided to proto-freelance along the lines of the Virginian and Ohio and Allegheny Midland, layouts that were huge influences on me when I was getting started in the hobby.

The January issue kicks off the series with a rail fan tour of the layout. In addition to the incredible pictures (that you really can zoom in on to see more detail), there is a cool story to go with it recollecting a rail fan trip in April of 1980 by two friends. The story line resonated with me as it was somewhat similar to a trip I took with my friend Glenn Salvatore back in April 1985. We chased trains of the Vermont and Green Mountain railroads in less than hospitable weather. But it was a great time, and it reminds me how much I still miss my model railroading mentor and friend.

Great layout, great photos, and FREE! Brrr...Looks cold!!

I so enjoy the Allagash and Mike Confalone's modeling that I also get the paid premium content that is made available. Previously Mike had two articles on modeling a paper mill and modeling a quarry. Videos were made available for each entitled Modeling Outside The Box, Volumes 1 and 2. I opted to download the HD video (as opposed to paying more for a DVD). The cool thing is I can watch the video techniques right on my iPhone or iPad right on the layout while I am modeling. So when it was announced that an Allagash Story e-book would be issued in 4 volumes, I jumped on that too.

The first volume was made available at the end of January and is a 62 page landscape book with over 100 photos (again that you can zoom in on - try looking at them full screen on a 30 inch monitor - awesome!). This volume covers the concept of the layout, and information about building it. Similar to the V&O Story published years ago, it covers reasons why certain things were chosen and overviews of methods used to construct things. It reads better than your usual layout story and again imparts a lot of good ideas you can use in your layout and model building.

The next 3 volumes will be released around end of each month, Feb, Mar and Apr. This is in addition to the next 5 FREE issues of MRH magazine. There is also going to be some video released as well, so I'll have plenty to keep me busy studying this great layout.

Volume 1 of the Allagash Story e-book

I should also mention there is a link at the end of the first rail fan tour article in the MRH magazine that leads to a video showing an Allagash RS3 switching on the layout. Really something you should check out and listen too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbuGSGmNWaw&feature=youtu.be

If you think the best way to consume model railroad magazines is printed versions, you may be surprised how much you enjoy looking at one on your laptop, iPad or whatever. You get a lot of content, pay nothing, and may find you like it even better! Certainly worth a try for FREE!

Happy New Year

I have not been real diligent in posting updates and info to the blog. I'll see if I can remedy that this year and put more info out there. Anyway, Happy New Year to all that follow or otherwise come across my blog. This blog works in conjunction with my main web site, nekrailroad.com. That has more static type information about the layout while the blog is more about in progress stuff and updates.

I thought I would start of 2011 with some updates on layout building progress in the past year. As previously mentioned, I completed the staging yard for Portland/Newport (double ended serving as staging for 2 different mains, MEC and CP). After that was in, I started to figure out how to get the track from the MEC up to the new shelf I added for North Stratford. Here is a pic of the "ramp" that gets a train there. It will be hidden behind the backdrop as you will see later. Building it was done with laminated spline and simple risers. It was kind if like those old train and trestle kits I had as a kid that raised the track on a figure 8 so it could pass over itlself!



Next up was installing the long backdrop behind Whitefield and Crawford Notch. I again went with styrene and here are some in progress building shots. if anyone has specific questions, just use the comments section here.





I then painted the styrene blue and started installing photo backdrops. Here is a couple of views of the completed backdrop. I'll post some more with the photo backdrops in place later.




One thing I did not do this past year was post updates from my trip to the Fall NMRA convention. I actually attended 2, one in Burlington, VT and the other in Princeton Jct., nearby here in New Jersey. I just got caught up in things and didn;t have time to post daily updates. I did however post photos and a video from the Burlington VT convention. Check out the foloowing 2 links to view those:

NER Burlington Photos
NER Burlington Video

My other activity going on this past year or so was building a Free-Mo module set. I think I did post something about Calais, Maine a while back as my design choice for the modules. I need to add a page to my web site about the modules I suppose. The only real drawback is that I cannot configure them into the layout. However I plan to take advantage of them being separate to model more up-to-date stuff that would not fit on the layout. I plan to share more info about building the modules on the railroad-line forums. For now you can check out njfreemo.org for more info and some photos.

The Model RailCast Show

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have started contributing to the Model RailCast Show, a podcast that you can listen to on your computer, iPod or other MP3 device. Starting with episode #112, I have been contributing segments on the prototype railroads of Northern New England. These segments are mixed to the regular show content and are about a 10 minute segment of the 90-120 minute shows.

Here is what I have contributed so far:

Episode #112 - North Stratford RR
Episode #116 - Canadian Pacific in Vermont
Episode #117 - Portland Terminal, Belfast & Moosehead Lake, Aroostock Valley
Episode #123 - Recap of the NER-NMRA Convention in Burlington Vermont

Upcoming is a look at the Maine Central's Mountain Division.

The MRCS podcast is a great way to find about other model railroaders, prototype and model railroads, manufacturers, big names in the hobby - and lots more. It is well worth a listen and can help make your commute to work or wherever a little more enjoyable.

The Model RailCast Show is hosted by Ryan Anderson and you can find out more info by checking out the website modelrailcast.com. If you like what you hear, please consider a small donation to the show to help keep it on the "air" and available to all model railroaders.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone out there. Here is a photo I staged on the layout for the season. Enjoy:

NJ Division / RPM Meet

Not too much to report on the layout front over the past few months. Lots of other things have been keeping me busy, but I do hope to get to some things as we move into the Spring. Hopefully you'll see that reported here. Anyway, here is a quick update on my model railroad activities.

Last weekend the New Jersey Division MER-NMRA held a meet and also celebrated the Division's 40th anniversary. It was a good time and I think everyone enjoyed the Meet. I appreciated the other NJ Division board members work to make this Meet special with lunch and a birthday cake, as well as coordinating an interesting slide presentation on local railroads. I plan to write up the event for an NMRA publication.

I currently am serving as Superintendent of the Division and recently reported that I will be stepping aside after 10 years serving in that position. I feel I have done my part to strengthen the Division and keep the train rolling. It is time to let someone else step in with fresh ideas and passion to take the Division into its 5th decade. I must admit I am a little burned out. I do plan to keep editing the newsletter for another year, and I'll stay active with the Division of course. But stepping back will allow me to spend some more model RR time doing actual model RRing!

Right now I am getting ready to attend the RR Prototype Modelers Meet in Malvern, PA (outside Philadelphia) at the end of March. I will be giving a slightly modified version of my clinic I gave at the Albany convention, focusing on researching the prototype railroads around St. Johnsbury to plan for my layout. I look forward to presenting again and this will help refine the presentation for the NMRA National in Hartford next summer 2009. This time I plan to include a handout, so I am finishing that up. For those interested I will post a PDF to my web site for download.

So, that's it for now. Talk to you again soon!

Quiet Summer

Well, here it is the middle of August and all is quiet on the model railroad front. The long road to get as much done as possible on the layout before the Philadelphia National convention is now over. I knew about the convention before we moved in to our house and before the layout was started, so this was always a goal and a driving force to keep me motivated. There were also a couple of local open houses to keep me going as well. But now the convention is over and I must say I have taken a break from things the past few weeks.

First a recap: I had my layout open for 2 tours on the convention as well as one other night where I had some friends visit. (If you want more info on my layout, be sure to visit my website for the layout at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mikemcnh/mrr.html) The focus up to that point was to have the 2 independent mainlines in place so 2 trains could run unattended. That accomplished I focused on the scenery on what I termed the first phase. I wanted to get more done, but I think I got enough in to convey what the layout will look like, Fall in 1980 in upper Vermont and New Hampshire. I completed the farm scene at the right to help convey the feel of Vermont. I also comlpeted the majority of the scenery in St. Johnsbury plus I had the scenery in Sheldon Jct. completed last November. I put sound into a few more locomotives, completed a second Lamoille Valley RS-3 and weatherd a lot a freight cars. This work really paid off because many of the visitors commented positively on the weathering and the scenery, so this was quite satisfying.

The convention itself started for me Sunday evening working in the Silent Auction room, which was being run by the New Jersey Division MER-NMRA (go to the web site at: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/njdivnmra/). I also spent all day Monday there. (Tuesday was the 4th of July and I was of with the family). My first tour was Wednesday night and I spent all of that day making final preparations. Around 8:30pm the bus pulled up and about 20 people from all over the country descended on the basement. The trains ran without incident, everyone took pictures and had a good time, and I was happy that all went well. Whew! Thursday was back to the Auction room, then back home for the private layout visit. Friday I went to the opening of the train show, was floored by the Intermountain pre-production sample of an HO GE U18B locomotive, and purchased more stuff for the layout, of course. Friday night was the second tour and again all went well for the 20 visitors. I only wish I had time to take in some clinics, but sometimes you just have to be a volunteer!

So since then, I have not done too much. I have really enjoyed wathching the trains run through the new scenery and listening to the sound equipped units. But I think things will be picking up soon. At the train show, I picked up a crossing flasher circuit and I really want to get that installed now that I have a highway grade crossing in place (here at Hardwick, VT). I also just received in the mail my Digitrax sound decoder for the Kato F40PH. This is supposed to be an easy install and then I can try out my Amtrak train (a bit of proto-freelancing to have an Amtrak train travel through St. Johnsbury - I'll have to post my thoughts on that in the future). So I am starting to feel like doing some things now that the burn out is wearing off. The good thing now I suppose is that I don;t have to feel to much pressure of an approaching deadline. I can do some projects I enjoy and still run the trains around for my own enjoyment.

Of course, there is the local November model railroad self-guided tour. I could put my layout on that tour I suppose, just to help keep things moving. Maybe I can get that corn field in place and that rough scenery in Lyndonville, VT completed. And perhaps I can get the paper mill at Gilman, VT started. Hmmm....

South Jersey Workshop

In my last entry, I mentioned an informal "club" that I participated in where we built some modules and worked on home layouts in a round robin style. That group was called the South Jersey Workshop and the idea was based on the Hartford Workshop, a group of modelers in Connecticut that worked on each others layout. The group started out with members who participated in another, traditional model railroad club but were each interested in starting personal layouts.

I dug through some old photos and found 2 pictures from about 1988. Not the greatest quality, but they do show what we were doing at the time (Interesting how today with digital cameras I take pictures of everything and sort through them on the computer, but when it was film that had to be developed I was much more selective before pressing the button).

The first photo here is from Glenn and Diane's layout. It depicted the Rutland from Bellows Falls to Rutland. This was the first scene, Gassetts, VT. Diane really did some great scenery here and we did get the foreground and fascia in later. To the left, the layout crossed the entrance to the room on a drop bridge into a workshop area. Under the top level is the lower level. The layout used an alternating upper level/lower level scene, giving space between each town on each level, with the backdrop creating a shadow box type look.

In the next picture, this is to the right of the Gassetts picture, turning 90 degrees. Here the layout continued down the wall, across the far wall and back up the wall to the left. At this time, Rutland yard (and the hidden Whitehall staging yard) were not built. The 2 modules we first built as a group are temporarily added here to the end of the mainline so we could run trains back and forth. I really wish I had more photos documenting our accomplishments on this layout.

There were a lot of good times working on the layout with Glenn, Diane and our friend Anton, plus a few others here and there. The SJW concept worked well for us. We all learned a lot about building layouts and we got a lot more accomplished then if we worked alone. A few years later we started work on a layout in my home. Glenn helped a lot getting the basement area ready and then handlaying some track.

Here you see me doing some early benchwork assembly on the area of the layout to depict Bartlett. This photo is from October 1995. A lot of the concepts learned on Glenn's layout and then this layout were applied to my current layout, such as the benchwork style and spline roadbed assembly.

In this last shot, we see more of the Bartlett benchwork completed. The corner location meant that we were going to include the wye in Bartlett. The tail leg was going to be used for a continuous run option and that is where the loco and boxcar were sitting at the time. This area progressed to full trackage with handlaid code 70 and code 55 track featuring switches built by Glenn. A move from this house in 1996 ended the layout. But one thing I realized from the trackplan and what I had built is that the layout I was building, Portland staging feeding into Bartlett, Crawford Notch, Whitefield and finally St. Johnsbury, was going to be faithful but did not offer too much in the way of operations. The St. J area would have the most action, including north and south Canadian Pacific staging and a short Lamoille Valley staging track in the electrical closet. These lessons were important as I planned my current layout and found that focusing on St. J offered the most operating potential for the era and geographical area I wanted to model.

As for the South Jersey Workshop, Diane moved to New York a few years ago and Anton is curently living and working in Maryland. Anton did help out on a lot of the initial benchwork on the current layout when it was started in 2003. So the SJW is somewhat in hibernation I guess, pending visits from past members for work sessions (hint, hint) or bringing some new people into the fold. My advice: In the area where you live, look into establishing a round-robin group like this. There are many benefits and it can really boost your ability to get things accomplished on the layout. You'll make some great friends along the way too!

My model railroad background

(Note: The idea for this web log was inspired by a similar blog by Mike Hamer. Mike actually hosts a few blogs, including the bostonandmaine.blogspot.com blog and the www.fridaynightgroup.blogspot.com blog. Both are very interesting with great pictures and I highly recommend a visit to both)


My interest in model railroading goes back to having trains when I was young. My parent's gave me HO trains at Christmas and helped me set up a 4' x 8' layout in the basement. They supported my "hobby" by giving me additional gifts of cars, structures, etc. as I grew up (in the 1970s). Meanwhile, our family would go camping each summer in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. At this time, the Maine Central ran regularly through the area, Crawford Notch and Twin Mountain, on its way to St. Johnsbury, Vermont or back to Portland, Maine. Seeing these trains helped cement my interest in railroading and model railroading.

One Christmas, my parent's included a Railroad Model Craftsman magazine with my gifts. Included in this issue, the October 1980 issue, was an article about the ball signal at Whitefield, NH. Wow! This was a place I had been to. Along with the other articles and photos, this feature helped me realize that playing with trains could be based on what was going on out on the real railroads. I would say this is the point that I became a model railroader. I started getting more copies of RMC, including back issues, and started learning a lot about model railroading. The Editor's Notebook column in RMC written by Tony Koester really influenced how I perceived model railroading should be done, how things should be based on the prototype and how operations could really enhance your enjoyment of the hobby.

At this point, my main prototype knowledge was the current day Maine Central running through New Hampshire. That became my modeling focus and remains so to this day. It was probably the purchase of the MEC by Guilford and the abandonment of the Mountain Division through NH that kept my interest locked into 1980 or so.

My model railroading was helped along by having the good fortune of quality hobby shop in my hometown, Sattler's Hobby Shop, in Westmont, NJ. I was lucky enough to also work there for a little over 1 year while I was in high school. It was from Sattler's that I learned about the Gateway Model Railroad club and soon I was visiting their large layout in Gloucester. I soon became a member and learned many new skills over the next few years. I also had the good fortune to meet Glenn Salvatore and his wife Diane, members that also had an interest in New England railroads. (The top picture on this post was taken by Glenn in 1981). Soon after Glenn and Diane moved into a new home, we set up the South Jersey workshop, a modeling group that functioned like a club, but without the politics, dues and other "club" issues.

Our first project was a pair of HO modules based on North Stratford, NH. These would be my first "real" model railroad as I would consider it as it was fully wired, had scenery and was used in a few local modular set ups. Next, we started work on Glenn's layout, which featured the Rutland line between Bellows Falls and Rutland, VT. We met weekly at Glenn's for a number of years, and had the layout open for a local NJ Division NMRA Meet. We also started a layout in my home based on the Mountain Division between Bartlett, NH and St. Johnsbury, VT. Sadly, Glenn's health deteriorated and I lost my good model railroad friend in 2000. (I do remain freinds with Diane, who has since moved to NY state.)

In 2002, we moved into a new home with a nice basement and plans were underway for a new railroad. I knew I would still want to model the Maine Central in New England and the timeframe would be the late 1970s to early 1980s as that was the focus for much of my model building and research. How I came to choose the theme for my current model railroad will be the topic for a future post.