a ModelersLife

This week, we hear from G4, aka Doctor G4, Notch 11, aka John Gardiner IV. G4 is a long-time friend of the podcast and a valued member of the AML Nation. In this sprawling conversation, we hear about G4's travel across nearly the entire Amtrak system from coast to coast to explore and photograph Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). We discuss G4 biking across commuter rail systems, capturing thousands of photographs to support a future article for Railroad Model Craftsman.

There's also discussion about European and American DMU prototype equipment, currently available as scale models from Europe, and all the while, G4 does his best to absolutely annoy the Evil Overlord. So sit back, with a big bowl of shredded light rail schedules, slow down your podcast player's speed to 0.75x, and buckle up for a fun conversation. To learn more about G4, DMUs, or their podcast, "Proto-Future", visit their website: https://www.bgtmrring.org/

When speaking with a third-generation railroader, that usually means he or she comes from a family where railroading has been passed down through the generations, and in the case of our next guest, his grandfather started as a track worker in the very early years of the 1900s and took such pride in his job that his son followed in his footsteps. So it's no wonder that when Tom Holly came along with a wealth of knowledge from his father and grandfather, the next step seemed only natural.

Don't think it's unreasonable for us to assume that Tom didn't choose trains, trains chose Tom. In model railroading this kind of lineage is actually a big deal because by the time the third generation gets around the building a layout, they're able to call on a wealth of knowledge that not many modelers have access to. This is a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

Gordy Robinson is a well-known figure in the hobby of model railroading, particularly through his involvement with the National Model Railroad Association. He has served in leadership roles for the organization for several years and as president has led the NMRA out of the dark ages.

As a strong advocate for growing membership, encouraging younger hobbyists, and promoting innovation in the hobby and he's frequently seen at many NMRA conventions, regional meets, and some industry events held by leading manufacturers.

But more importantly, unlike some presidents in our past, Gordy is known for being very approachable and engaging with members of all ages, whether they're beginners or master modelers. Gordy is devoted to the hobby, and on this podcast, he talks about plans for the future and possibly a lower membership rate. This is a great podcast with lots of good info and interaction. Enjoy!!

When you've got a whole bunch of stuff and you need someplace to put it, where else would be more suitable than a Monday morning podcast. We get the gang together to introduce two segments that have not yet been heard on the free channel.

First, it's an interview about the "Flying Yankee" being produced in HO scale by Bethlehem Car Works also known as White Rose Hobbies and secondly, we have a segment that'll leave you on the edge of your seat with Steven Atwell, the owner of Midwest Model Railroad located right there in downtown Independence, Missouri. But that's not all, we manage to kill an hour with useless chatter on either end of those segments. Sit back and relax with a big bowl of shredded assembly instructions, a tall cool glass of super glue and enjoy!!

It's part three of the Blair Koostra epic 37 day journey across the northeast with camera and hand. One can only hope to achieve the mastery with a camera that Blair has done for decades and decades.

What makes railroad photography so important is that you're freezing that moment of a freight train grinding upgrade a sleep passenger train flying by creating a sense of drama you don't get with many other subjects you're not just photographing equipment you're capturing a place and time whether it's in the Appalachian mountains of the eastern United States small towns in the Midwest bridges, massive steel Mills in Indiana, or just a rural crossing railroad photography turns landscapes in the storytelling backdrops. This is a great podcast and one year show and enjoy.

The name Stephen Attwell probably doesn't really resonate very much with most model railroader, but it's a name in the hobby that folks should take note of because Stephen is the owner of Midwest Model Railroad one of the finest model railroad stores in the lower forty-eight. Located in Independence, Missouri it's a 15,000 square-foot store that's similar to walking into the Home Depot of model railroad stores.

Stephen started this business with his father in the basement of their home, not so many years ago and now are producing a highly detailed line of N-scale cars starting with a center beam car that is destined to be a winner. If you have any interest in what it's like to be in the model railroad retail business, this is the podcast for you. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded wheelsets, a tall cool glass of axle lubricant and enjoy!!

Jon Stackpole is everywhere these days promoting designing, overseeing construction of multiple products for Athearn while appearing in webcasts, manning show booths discussing upcoming projects with customers like the HO-Scale locomotive newest versions of the GE AC4400CW, EMD SW1500, and other Genesis-series models.

He's very excited about the Athearn Genesis Series a high-end model train line produced by Athearn. It's designed for modelers who want very accurate, highly detailed locomotives and rolling stock compared with the company's standard Ready-to-Roll models.

The Genesis line began in the late 1990s, when Athearn wanted to compete with other high-detail brands in the hobby. Before that, Athearn was best known for the classic Athearn Blue Box kits that many model railroaders grew up building, but they've come a long way and as you'll find Jon is excited to talk about it. Enjoy!!

You'd think when the gang at "a ModelersLife" got the chance to talk with the lead product manager with Athearn we'd have all sorts of questions to ask. Well, you'd be wrong, Jon has travelled such an interesting road to where he is today, Athearn barely came up. Once we discovered his Dad owned "The Hobby Depot," a small, well-known model train shop in Monroe, Wisconsin, we wanted to know more!!

Often times in life the journey is more interesting than the destination as you're about to find out with our next guest. Besides being a life-long model railroader Jon is also an accomplished musician, a one-time kayak guide off the shores of Lake Superior and prize-winning modeler. So sit back with a bowl of shredded fine wooden paddles, a tall cool glass of warm lake water and enjoy!!

Now that was the show, another year has come and gone at the Springfield train show and this one will be remembered as the great snowstorm of 2026. It was so anxiously anticipated that several vendors never even bothered to show up but those of us who did, had a great time in spite of all the problems created by the weather.

It was truly historic, bringing widespread snow across the northern Plains and into New England, impacting travel at airports, railway stations, and of course on the highways and bywaysDespite all this, a very large crowd showed up on Saturday and enjoyed what there was to see. Unfortunately the snow was scheduled to arrive sometime early Sunday morning and the AML crew along with several others left on Saturday evening, however we did still manage to get some good interviews. So, grab yourself a big bowl of shredded snow tires, a tall cool glass of yellow snow and enjoy!!

Well, the show is over, the vendors are gone, there's no more tickets to be sold and the planning for next year's Springfield show is already underway!! As always there was lots to see and do, from checking out different manufacturer's new releases, fabulous layouts, renewing friendships and looking for deals on that one particular piece of rolling stock you need!!

Our favorite magazine editor Otto Vondrak stopped by to give us his take on all there was to see and decipher how the hobby is fairing and where it might be headed. Otto has a wealth of knowledge about the hobby and when you combine that with biggest model railroad show in North America (possibly the world) you've got yourself a great podcast. So, grab yourself a big bowl of shredded floor maps, a tall cool glass of warm hot dog grease and enjoy!!