Hobby Bio: Briefly

Having been a model railroader since 1965, the only thing I've done longer is breathe. Although I've worked in O, HO, N and Z, my preference is N. That said, I'm currently working in Z, and my attempts to push the envelope in this scale have been quite satisfying. Anyway, given that I currently only have the room for a small shelf layout, my options are somewhat limited.

Occasionally I'm asked if I'm a Master Modeler. Funny, I'm not even a member of the NMRA. I used to be in the 70s, back when a lifetime membership cost only $100! (Now it's that much for just two years, and they don't even offer a lifetime membership option any more.) It seemed as though the NMRA was more about politics than modeling, so I let my membership lapse after a few years.

Some have urged me to become "MMR certified," but honestly I'm not inclined; the process is so horrendously complex and steeped in bureaucracy and paperwork that it's simply not worth the effort. Besides, I don't have all that it takes to be a true Master Modeler (for example, I have zero interest in operation), and frankly, the status symbol of a title does nothing for me. My specific accomplishments are really only meaningful to me. If I sound like a grumpy old curmudgeon, it's probably because I'm a grumpy old curmudgeon. (insert winking thingy here)

I haven't even won any awards—not surprising since I've never submitted anything to any contests. Perhaps I will someday build a model board-for-board just for the heck of it, perhaps I won't; my "thing" is creating evocative scenes, not contest-grade models. If the passenger car in my photograph is eight feet too short, I'm not bothered, because I'm not a rivet-counter. That said, I would not build an "impossible bridge" (one that could not support a train if built that way in real life)—I'm keenly sensitive to what's technically feasible. A passenger coach that's too short could have been modified in a shop; but a bridge with no abutments could not remain standing, and this would severely compromise the realism of a scene for me. We all have our idiosyncrasies, right?

I have, however, done a fair bit of writing, and I've managed to make occasional appearances in Model Railroader magazine over the years—my "article portfolio" includes:

• "A world in my lap" October 1975, page 42
• "How to build a waterfall" December 1975, page 81
• "Double-sided foam tape makes tracklaying quick and easy" March 1992, page 110
• "For improved realism: wipe out freight car wobble" November 1999, page 108
• "Enhancing an N scale tower" December 1999, page 106
• "Let's try this again!" Great Model Railroads 2000, page 66
• "Route control for slow-motion turnout motors" November 2000, page 106
• "Stronger uncoupling magnets" June 2004, page 72
• I also edited the book Weathering by Tom Mann

I would have published a great deal more, but getting things into print can be rather frustrating. Now, through the internet, I can publish anything I want at any time, with no pesky magazine editors to mangle my work—for better or for worse. Granted, I don't make any money this way, but I'm not in it for the money.

For web geeks: this site is all hand-coded—the web authoring equivalent to scratch-building. I develop business web applications for a living, so it comes naturally. And, I take the same pride and care in building websites as I do in modeling.

Want to get in touch? Just click my name at the bottom of any page to find my contact information, as well as a more in-depth bio of Yours Truly.

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