a ModelersLife

It's time for another exciting round of the Kelly Questions with one of Conrail's biggest fans, we've all got to know him up and personal from his fabulous Facebook live podcasts featuring operations in upstate New York and now it’s our chance to find out how he holds up under pressure.

It’s our very own “Uncle” Dave, as he dons the tin foil helmet and gets ready to answer some of the most toughest questions in the hobby today. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded timetables, a tall cool glass of melted aerosol cheese and enjoy!!

What do you get when combine a lifelong model railroader with a doctor and an ex-navy guy?? A great layout built by a dedicated member of the NMRA and someone who has squeezed as much out of the hobby as possible. This is a great episode that follows the journey of a lifelong model railroader that travelled the world while serving his country.

When he finally settled down, he decided to preserve the memory the Susquehanna & New York Railroad in HO scale. Mike has also created a great website at: snyrr.com

So sit back and get comfortable for a story that we’re sure won’t disappoint !!

It's election time at the NMRA again and we’ve offered this podcast to anyone running for office in order for them to express their positions and answer questions about the future of this hobby and the organization. John Doehring who’s running for Eastern Director and Gordy Robinson who’s put his name on the ballot for president of the NMRA agreed to answer some questions and tell what they think is store for the future of this hobby.

These two gentlemen were more than to make time to answer our questions covering many areas of concern about where the hobby is headed. Hopefully this episode will help you decide one way or another who to vote for in this critical upcoming election. Enjoy !!

What happens when a guy with lots of enthusiasm for the hobby with a personality as big as Manhattan itself, twelve hundred freight cars, a wobbly car float finally decides to build an operating layout?? You get a place where friendships come first and operating a model railroad in a realistic fashion is a close second.

Welcome to the New York Harbor Railroad on the west of Manhattan set in the year 1947. Serving the Erie Railroad, Lehigh Valley Railroad and the New York Central all jammed into one basement primarily for the pleasure of other modelers to operate. Dave is a fun guy to talk with and this is an episode we’re sure you’ll enjoy !!

Starting a new career can be as exciting as anything you’ll ever do and getting to share the adventure with others might be the next best thing. When we found out our very own George “the Boy Wonder” Taylor (a.k.a. “Teaspoon”) had been hired on by the Canadian National Railway, we jumped at the chance to ride along.

These are the first two installments in a journal of life as we tag along on what we hope will be a long, exciting journey for our intrepid hero as he begins a new chapter in his life. So grab your book of operating rules, radio, some warm boots and hop onboard this train bound for the future.

Backdrops are as important to scenery as any other aspect in the overall appearance of a finished model railroad scene. This month Scott shows us how he created the Rock River on his Milan Branch of the Iowa Interstate Railroad layout. Through a series of experiments, mistakes and successes the finished product turned out beautifully. Ron Marsh is the co-host for this episode and does an excellent job of keeping the conversation on “track.”

So grab yourself a big bowl of course medium green ground foam, a tall cool glass of unfiltered river water and enjoy !!

Since the beginning we’ve checked up on the state of the hobby each year with Joe Fugate editor of the online magazine Model Railroad Hobbyist and this year is no different, but we decided to add our favorite NMRA Director-at-Large Gordy Robinson all the way from the Orkney Islands in the North Atlantic just off the coast of Scotland.

Both of these gentlemen had some interesting information to share about the future of this great hobby and with the kind of enthusiasm Gordy has the future looks very bright for everyone. So grab yourself a bowl of haggis, a pint of Guinness and enjoy !!

Conrail guy, flight attendant and museum curator walk into a bar… Sounds like a great lead in for a joke but instead it’s the lead in for the AML Nation’s Christmas Eve Special featuring our very “Uncle” Dave Abeles, Tracy Boyd the official flight attendant of the AML Network and Michelle Kempema the fastest talking museum curator east of the Rockies !!

This podcast is like the jelly of the month club… it’s the gift that just keeps on giving. So grab yourself a bowl of last year’s butternut squash, a steaming hot mug of leftover gravy and enjoy!!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Peter would soon be there. Matt with his tattoo and Andy with his beard had just settled down for a long winter’s podcast when outside the studio there rose such a clatter, I sprang from my chair to see what ‘twas the matter. What to my eyes should there appear but eight tiny boxcars so lively and quick lead a jolly young man with a smile on his face yelling, “come on NMRA, pick up the pace.”

The young man smiled as his ideas they did come and I’m here to tell you, the NMRA is not done. I’m Gordy, I’m Gordy so vote for me now, I’ll be your president and for sure you’ll say wow !! 

Merry Christmas from the AML Nation !!!

If you’re interested in the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad or you’re wondering what sort of choices a Canadian National locomotive engineer from Fort Dodge, Iowa would make under pressure, then you’ve come to the right place. If you’ve ever wonder how elitist hobby manufacturer like Scott Thornton would handle scoring on the Kelly Questions, then you’ve come to the right place.

It’s time once again to don the tinfoil helmet as we take another contestant down the precarious road of providing useless knowledge that no one needs to know. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded score cards, a steaming hot mug of melted locomotive axle grease and enjoy !!