a ModelersLife

It's part three of the "Springfield Interviews" and this time our very own Queso Cowboy takes to floor to get the latest scoop on what's happening around the hobby.

In this report Queso stops by Mine Mount Models to find out about their first limited edition kit, there's a visit with Rudy from Garbely Publishing and a great chat with the folks at Valley HO Trak. Plus he checks in on all the latest news from Walthers before stopping by the White Rose Hobbies booth to discuss they're recent acquisition of Bethlehem Car Works and finally Matt Herman from 3D Central tells us all about this great new company.

So sit back with some week-old candy floss, left over soda from your brothers BBQ and enjoy!!

It's Part Two of the Springfield Reports with more exciting interviews, more headline grabbing quotes, and an opportunity to hear about some of the exciting action in and around the ModelersLife booth in the Better Living Center.

In this episode, we hear from all sorts of different folks in the hobby, including Gordy Robinson the president of the NMRA, Bill Ford an avid AML listener, Matt Stern from Bachman, Kent Carrier from the R.I.T. club in Rochester, Brandon Bolwerk the travelling companion of "Mr. Jingles," Michelle Kempema from the Colorado Model Railroad Museum, Matt Dawson one of the AML's favorite sons, and finally Otto Vondrak, the editor of Railroad Model Craftsman. It's a great episode and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to operate on some of the most famous and greatest model railroads ever built or to be a regular crew member on Tony Koester's Allegheny Midland/Nickel Plate railroads or to visit Harold Werthwein's fantastic Erie Railroad layout.

On this podcast we talk with some folks who've done just that. Tom, Doug and Ralph have known each for decades operating layouts regularly, operating on layouts throughout the northeast. In part one we lay the foundation for further discussions about what's expected when visiting such layouts and what's it's like to be a regular on some well-known layouts. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

Another year has come and gone at the great Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show. With over twenty-six thousand people in attendance it was a roaring success with lots of folks to talk to, bargains to be had, layouts to seen, friends to reconnect with and new friends to be made.

In our first series of interviews we talk with folks who stopped by the booth to answer some hard-hitting questions. Ray Persing talks about his son Steve, Cale Leiphart about what's new in the world of Lego modeling, John Frantz on taking his model railroad in a different direction, Ken McCorry on selling parts of his steel mill to make way for some new structures and Lucy Dormont on becoming the social media manager for the NMRA. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy!!!

What happens when two guys from Pennsylvania who claim to be lone wolfs in the hobby, take over a Facebook page from a third modeler and then realize what they've done?? This is the heartwarming tale of Patrick Moore (the other guy) and Bradd Williamson from Crater, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Oval, Pennsylvania nestled in the sleepy valley of Nippenose.

From the first time they met until present day, the relationship between Patrick and Bradd reads like the finest "Harlequin" romance novel ever written. Together they created the "Iron City N-Scale" group that's gone from just two members to well over six hundred and continues growing each day. Fellowship is the name of the game for these two model railroaders, and we're glad they stopped by to share their story.

There are hundreds and hundreds, probably over a thousand volunteers in the National Model Railroad Association. (NMRA) Each one working tirelessly to make this great hobby even better and one of our favorite department heads of the NMRA is Andy Zimmerman.

Andy oversees the Standards and Conformance committee guiding an enthusiastic volunteer force of almost a hundred dedicated folks each of whom spend several hours a week making sure manufacturers produce products that will perform well right out of the box. There's also a lively chat about marketing and selling the NMRA. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded conformance applications, a tall cool glass of battleship gray paint and enjoy!!

Building a model railroad layout is a rewarding hobby and documenting the process on YouTube can be both educational and entertaining for fellow hobbyists. From researching prototype railroads to designing and constructing the layout, there's a lot to cover and share with your audience. Peter Borcherds has an entertaining YouTube channel detailing his build of the BNSF Chicago Sub.

As well as being a lifelong model railroader, devoted AML listener, Peter is also the newest president of the NMRA's British Region a vibrant model railroad community in the United Kingdom that provides valuable support and resources for members and others throughout Great Britain. This is a great podcast with a view of modeling an American prototype from across the pond. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded seaweed, a tall cool glass of salt water and enjoy.

It's that time of year again, the Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show is about to open and once again we got John Sacerdote the show director for over two decades stops by the studio to tell us all about. We're also joined by our very own "Uncle" Dave and Northeast RPM coordinator Dave Owens to get all the scoop.

From the Lego layout, 1:87 Scale Vehicle club, hundreds of vendors, Rapido Trains, who's buried in the levy, chalking out the tables and getting the coveted parking pass, it's all right here. Every year several charities benefit from some of the monies collected from admissions and table rentals, it's the largest model railroad show in North America. Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded vendors list and a tall cool glass of left-over cola and enjoy!!

With the Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, Massachusetts just around the corner, we here at the ole' AML World Headquarters decided it was time to gather the crew together to coordinate all the weekends activities. Of course, the AML offices are a buzz with the with news that the Saturday Night Pizza has been replaced by the AML Dance Party in the same location and the same cast of characters.

Also there's the typical back-and-forth between the Mailboy and the Queso Cowboy about who's in charge of the jingles, plus the modeler simply known as "Kelly" takes an in-depth look at Keen Boots. Things get heated when the Mailboy and the Queso Cowboy heatedly discuss the value of manufactures giving customers an indication of what data will appear on the side of their next freight car. So grab a big bowl of shredded Bobby Socks, a tall cool glass of liquid boot protectant and enjoy!!

It's time to check in once again with our old pal "Uncle" Dave and see what he's up to. On this episode of the "Fireside Chat," we talk about instant gratification, and how it pertains to Model Railroading. There's more discussion about the "Chicago Line" book, plus our in ability to coincide our calendars with each other and how the Buffalo Sabres got involved.

There's nothing more the Evel Overlord enjoys than a chance to chat with Dave about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When life is getting you down and the brakes just aren't going your way, there's no better medicine than being trackside with the Onondaga Cutoff. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded hockey tape, a tall cool glass of melted rink water and enjoy!!