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.

After 47 years of modeling, I've finally won a prize: my James River Branch won Best of Show at the 2012 National Z Scale Convention in Denver, Colorado. And to be honest, I hadn't entered it in a contest; it was a spontaneous award—the best kind, IMO.

I've done a fair bit of writing, and I've managed to make occasional appearances in Model Railroader magazine over the years—my publishing 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 edited the book Weathering by Tom Mann
• I snapped the cover shot for the Nov-Dec 2010 issue of N Scale magazine, and rendered the track plan for Lee Weldon's "Finding the Sweet Spot"

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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