a ModelersLife

It's always fun to welcome a newcomer to the AML Studios in downtown, Busted Knuckle, Kentucky and this week our guest travelled all the way from North Carolina. Marcus is a veteran in the world of N-Scale and his beautiful layout the Charleston, Roanoke & Eastern Railway set in the late 80's/early 90's when there was still a lot of variety on the Class One railroads and operations from that era were what kept the country moving.  

When our wandering reporter Nick Santo stopped by for a visit, we knew that there was much more to learn about the layout and the owner. Overall, Marcus's combination of interests in N-scale model railroading, his work at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and his affinity for the Norfolk Southern Railroad showcases a deep passion for railways and a dedication to preserving and promoting their legacy. 

It’s coming, like kids at Christmas or standing rail-side waiting for Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” the anticipation for this year’s NMRA National convention in Dallas, Texas continues to build. Model railroad enthusiasts are passionate about their hobby, and conventions are a chance to share that passion with others, talk about their layouts, share modeling techniques and show off their latest creations.

Chris Atkins and Riley Triggs stop by the AML studios to give us an update on all the exciting events taking place at the Supercharged Highspeed, Texas Express !! There’s plenty of great layouts, prototype tours, clinics and of course the chance to get your very 3D image thanks to Bernard Hellen at MiniPrints. Be prepared for surprises, whether it's a creative new design, a new locomotive release, structure kit or unexpected celebrity sighting, you just never know what you might see at the NMRA National convention.

What happens when a prospective member calls up and asks for advice??...

We say leave a message and we’ll get back to you, or we gather together some of the greatest minds in all of AML Nation to answer the call. Last week’s guest Bradd Williamson had fallen asleep in the studio while trying to decide whether or not to join the NMRA, so it only seemed natural to make a podcast out of it.

Bradd was trying to decide if joining the NMRA was worth the money and answered his own question as the night went on. He really wanted to attend a local NMRA regional convention with his buddies and in a final effort to get the ball rolling the “Queso Cowboy” stepped up to the plate and offered a challenge. If Bradd joined Tom Jacobs said he’d follow suit and before the show was over the NMRA had two brand new members added to their ever-growing membership list!!

Members of the AML Nation come in all shapes and sizes from all corners of the globe, with this episode of “a ModelersLife,” we meet one of the Iron City N-Scalers, a group of friendly fellows brought together by some other fellow, who’s name we can’t recall at this time. Bradd Williamson was destined to be a lone wolf modeler, until one day he decided to find out if model railroading had a presence on the internet.

A high school physics teacher from the Jersey Shore has had a passion for model railroading as long as he can remember, quite content to live out his life alone in railroading while the hobby slowly died away. Then one day this creature called social media reared its head and Bradd discovered a whole world of modelers just waiting to become close friends and help him set out on all sorts of exciting adventures!! Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded standardized tests, a tall cool class of Newtonian fluid and enjoy!!

After a quick chat at Springfield, Jason Shron expressed an interest to come back on the podcast and talk about what’s the landscape of the hobby post pandemic, what the future holds and the importance of pre-orders.  Running a successful model railroad manufacturing company based in Canada, or any other country for that matter, requires a strong business plan, good communication with suppliers, a solid understanding of the market with a commitment to quality and customer service.

There’s also a discussion about Jason’s deep commitment to his faith, working on his layout, “Canadian National’s Kingston Sub,” spending more time with his family, Rapido in the United Kingdom and of course one of the latest offerings from Rapido… The GE 44-Tonner. This is an interesting chat with lots of twists and turns, so grab a big bowl of shredded N-95 masks, a tall cool glass of fish fry oil and enjoy!!

Here comes another podcast with another great story from the AML Nation, this time we travelled all the way to Switzerland to visit with a locomotive engineer that’s about to change careers and become a police officer. Transitioning from being a locomotive engineer to a member of the local constabulary will involve several changes for Robin but it quickly became obvious to us that it won’t be getting in the way of his ongoing enthusiasm for the hobby.

American prototype modeling is alive and well in Switzerland with an active group of dedicated modelers accurately depicting railroading in north America. Robin has enjoyed weathering locomotives and rolling stock for some time now and with an impressive collection of brass engines his modeling can stand with the best of them. Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded moving citations, a tall cool glass of day-old coffee and enjoy!!

It’s the final installment of all the Springfield 2023 interviews and this time interview several folks from Rapido trains on late Sunday afternoon, plus we hear from John Sacerdote the show director for more than twenty years. After a tough couple of years, the show bounced back with big crowds and tons of new product announcements.

We finally get to meet some Rapido’s brightest minds, chat briefly with “Uncle” Dave and catch up with our old pal Kaylee Zheng. Bruce the Mailboy stops by at the end of the show to wrap things up and give his thoughts on hands free driving, it’s a great podcast with an interesting cast of characters. Enjoy!!

Well, we’ve come to the end of the Mike May thirty-seven part trilogy and a good time was had by all. We discovered that there is no bear on the “Polar Express,” learned all about the Hesston Steam museum in LaPorte County, Indiana, found out what it’s really like to a locomotive engineer on the Durango and Silverton and had a chance to hear about running on Amtrak.

We took in so much information during this series, it feels like our head is about to esplode, but fortunately for the AML Nation Mike agreed to come back and update us on his latest adventures. What a great story, a true railfan since he could remember, supportive parents and a journey through railroading that most of us can only dream about. This is another great podcast we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!

It’s part three of the Springfield, “Big E”, Amherst Society train show reports, where a great time was had by all. This show is a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends make new ones and browse a through a large variety of vendors all in one location, plus the pre-show clinics giving everyone a chance to learn more about the hobby.   On this podcast we hear from the folks at Hattons, one of the largest model railroad vendors in Britain, learn more about the Reading Historical Society, chat with our old friend Ron Klaiss from Mine Mount Models and promise George that next year we’ll visit his layout. This year was the first show since weathering a worldwide pandemic and the snowstorm of the century. The crowds were huge, and the fun was enormous. Enjoy!!

Running the “Polar Express” is a full-time job and yet our guest Mike May still has time to occasionally put his name on the extra board and run some of the most iconic locomotives in North America. In this episode we dive deeper into what it takes to keep the “Polar Express” on track at several different locations around the continental United States and various spots around the globe.

Mike has been an avid railroader most of his life whether it be model or prototype and his opinions on the hobby of model railroading and the influence railroading of any kind has on the population as a whole are interesting to say the least. There are so many that ride the Durango and Silverton that might only have a passing interest in are yet drawn to Colorado by the hundreds of thousands each year to ride a train. It’s a great episode with lots of thoughtful discussion. Enjoy!!