Adventures in Model Railroading

I'll start off by saying I've been interested in trains for as long as I can remember. I've always been fascinated with all aspects of railroading. I've never had my own model railroad, something I hope to rectify in the next year or so, and while I'm at it, document here.

I had some HO toy trains growing up, but for most of my childhood they were in boxes, or at best running short circles on the floor. When I was in High School I joined the Detroit Model Railroad club, an O Scale (2 rail) club in Holly MI. I loved O Scale, the detail and the extra size. Of course DMRRC owned it's own building so they had the space, and the resources of the club to pay for the larger and more expensive power and rolling stock. I was a member there for several years. and did quite a bit of work on the railroad, mostly electrical. I really enjoyed operating there, but for the most part we operated as a demonstration railroad and did little prototypical operation. Still it was fun.

Around the same time I was a member of the Blue Water Michigan Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. They ran charter trips a few times a year and owned a fleet of rolling stock. I worked trips usually in the snack car, and spent some weekends at the leased car shop the group had to store their passenger cars. This was my first dabble in 1:1 Scale Model Railroads. I did various maintenance on the rolling stock around the shops, and just generally enjoyed being around and up close with real trains.

Once I moved to Missouri I found the Belton Grandview, and Kansas City Railroad. A small excursion railroad near to where I live. This was a two footed jump into 1:1 Scale railroading. I've been with the group for 10 years now and I've done about everything including driving the trains, track work, and currently acting as president of the parent organization. I have a blast being involved with that group. The chance to work with real trains is just awesome.

The real world of railroading does have it's drawbacks though. Unless your BNSF, you don't really have the $$ to do what ever you want. So as much as I'd like to be switching freight all the time, we just don't have the resources to do it. Running back and forth over a couple of miles of track is still fun, but having more freedom in railroading is becoming more an more of an interest to me.

Which brings me back to having a model railroad. I've thought about it several times over the past few years. Every time I get the bug, I end up buying some books, and subscribing to Model Railroader but each time it fades. This time I'm trying to make it different. I would actually like to end up with something at the end of my mania.

And part of that is this blog. I want to make the extra effort of putting my thoughts in this format, both to organize them, and also to make sure that I continue to keep this in my active queue as it were.

So... Model Railroading. We'll see what comes, if nothing else it will be fun to think about.