One Rogue Valley manufacturer cranks out the railroad cars and locomotives in large numbers, but makes little noise and does not disturb the neighbors. The name of the company should be a clue: Micro-Trains builds equipment for model railroads, in three sizes (HO, N, and Z gauges).

The company and the hobby it serves are spotlighted in a new edition of our business/entrepreneur segment, The Ground Floor. Management consultant and host Cynthia Scherr goes down the track with Eric Smith, the company owner, about helping people run miniature railroads... and how to make money off such a hobby when so many pursuits are done through video screens.