a ModelersLife

People are fascinating and those of us involved in the hobby of model railroading are as interesting as any. This week two completely different stories tied together by nothing more than a love this great hobby. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast you’ll recognize both names as regular contributors to the podcast, the host of Tomstock 2020 and a modeler that regularly posts to the Facebook page. So it back with a big bowl of shredded thesis papers, a tall glass of used stable water and enj

Join us for a return visit to one of the premier layout builders in the hobby, catering primarily to those who demand the highest levels of craftsmanship and realism for their railroads. In addition to building layouts that operate with bullet proof reliability, Lance creates works of art and that’s what we stopped by to chat about. Our guest has recently published a new book called the art of Model Railroading. It’s a great episode that we know you’ll enjoy.

Still trying to figure how fast your hotcakes will sell, not sure how far east you can go before you start heading west. You’re waiting for the day that mattresses aren’t on sale, you’ve planned a surprise birthday party for your favorite psychic but he already knew about it. We can’t help with any of these questions but you’ll get a chance to match skills with our next contestant on the Kelly Questions. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded pillows, a steaming hot mug of gooey pancake mix an

What happens when you mix N-scale, garden railroading, two and half inch scale, 1:1 scale, a guy qualified to operate full size locomotives, an Amtrak conductor, a custom painter, DCC decoder installation wizard and a helix building machine?? A guy named Adam with personality as big the great plains of Kansas and refreshing as a clean underwear. He's one interesting dude and I’m glad to call him friend, so grab yourself a tall cool glass of acrylic primer, a big bowl of shredded overalls and enjoy !!!

The “Big Boy” steam locomotive was a big deal, with barely more two dozen built beginning in 1941, then after an almost super human job to restore an engine barely good enough to be used for a static display but the Union Pacific railroad along with Ed Dickens and his capable crew achieved the impossible and our very own Adam Pinales was there to witness it all in person. There’s room for one more in Adam’s Ford Expedition as we recreate this exciting railroad event for those unable to attend.

If you’ve been in the hobby for any amount of time, more than likely you’ll recognize the name of our next victim… Errr, I mean guest. His photography is second to none and his numerous magazine and catalog covers are spectacular. Ken has ventured into the world social media with a successful YouTube show entitled “What’s Neat This Week.” Along with his newest sidekick Michelle Kempema, he’s taking the hobby on a magical carpet ride. Grab your Doobie Brothers t-shirt, a warm Mexican Coke

Some shows are good, some shows are great and some shows are historic. Firefighters are always there when you need them and this time was no different. We here at the AML Nation knew we had something special on our hands but it took a retired fire captain from Miami, Florida to finally identify that at best our efforts were marginally adequate. So join us for this historic round of Kelly Questions as we learn as much about ourselves as we do about our guest. Enjoy !!

From the recesses of “Professor” Tony Cook’s mind, come the musings of a life long model railroader and more info on the history of this hobby. Life-Like Trains introduced EMD’s BL2 in 1989, the first in their series of higher-quality Proto 2000 models. It made a big impact on the hobby, it was the first serious attempt by a manufacturer to mass-produce an accurate ready-to-run model. Plus plenty of TV trivia answering the question, where would we be without the “Cone of Silence.” Enjoy !!

An accomplished drummer in Australia model railroading wasn’t part of Martyn’s life until his early forties 40’s but he’d always had interest in scale models. Wandering into a hobby shop looking to build a scale model of a traveling carnival the large O-scale layout in the shop gave him the bug. His layout is based on the bi-directional line between Newport and Geelong in 1983. An active member in the NMRA since 2008, it provides inspiration in the hobby and provides friendship with others. Enjoy

Not sure which armrest is yours at the theatre, still wondering if vegans eat animal crackers?? Why does it take so long to sink in quicksand, if your child refuses to sleep at nap time is he/she resisting a rest?? Can’t help with these problems but you can waste another hour of your life. We have two great interviews with our very own Shane “the Young Gun” and Aaron Maue a frequent post of all sorts of interesting stuff. Grab a bowl of ground foam and ballast, a tall mug of watery plaster and enj

Still wondering if you can buy an entire chess set at a pawn shop. Do vegetarians eat animal crackers, when does it stop being partly cloudy and start being partly sunny? Can’t stop wondering if it’s illegal to park beside a fire hydrant even when your car is on fire?? We can’t help you solve these problems but pull up a chair ringside as we introduce you to another exciting round of the Kelly Questions. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded cowboy boots, a tall glass of crude oil and enjoy!!

What happens when you can’t get all the parts and pieces you need to build your dream N-Scale layout… Simple, you start a successful business called MidWest Model Railroad. Stephen and along with his mom, Alice and dad Gary decided to make the hobby more accessible to everyone with great prices and timely delivery. Early on they decided to keep the cost of operating their business to a minimum and pass the savings along to the individual modeler. It’s a great story and one I’m sure you’ll e

You have questions about extra terrestrials helping the stranded astronauts on Apollo 13?? Not sure if your multiple choice answers on the grade ten geography test were correct?? Still wondering about the viability of turning Star Trek into a musical?? We can’t help with those questions but if you’ve wondered what kind of super hero the host of Ron’s Trains and Things would be, you’ve come to the right place. Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded SATs, a tall glass of spent rocket fuel and enj

The HO scale Piney Fork Branch re-creates a New York Central branch line in eastern Ohio during the 1960s. This is a multilevel layout featuring an extensive steel-mill scene. An emergency room doctor by day and an avid model railroader at night, Seth as been in and around railroading since his boyhood days in Minerva, Ohio, about 50 miles southwest of Youngstown. This is a great railroad recently featured on the cover of the August, 2018 edition of Model Railroader Magazine. Enjoy !!

It’s the Down and Dirty Weathering Contest over at Ron’s Trains and Things and the AML Nation needs your vote !! So vote early and vote often, the boys are counting on you !!!