I am trying to go back and fill in my website with the projects I have been working on for the last five years or more. There is a lot I have done that I have not posted about. Blogs and/or websites like this have evolved a bit and getting […]
Trains
I’ve added some placeholder pages for what I’ve been working on over the last 5 years! I have lots and lots of photos and text to describe them. I would like to have a better system to keep the site up-to-date. We will see how it goes but for now […]
Jim’s Trains Menu Updated
In the summer of 2024 I had 4 different YouTube videos come out from 3 different sources covering the 3 different scales I model in – HO, N and Live Steam You can watch them on my Videos page.
Videos showing some of the trains I model
I was recently reminded that my website hasn’t been updated in forever so here is a quick update with more to follow, hopefully. I have been so so so so busy! The saying goes “Time flies when you are having fun” so I say I must being having so much […]
A Quick Update
UPDATE – December 2019 In addition to the National N Scale Convention, the NMRA National Convention that our division, the Northern Utah Division of the NMRA, hosted in 2019 has also come and gone. Many years of planning we did have fun and many, many people expressed the same enthusiastic […]
Custom Turnout Orders Update
Newsletter Column Index September 2017 37th National Narrow Gauge Convention in Denver 2017 – Recap Let me first explain I have been to one NMRA National Convention and two National Narrow Gauge Conventions in the past – over 11 years ago since the last one. I am still amazed that […]
Newsletter 9/17
Below is a “guest post” by my son. His last step to earn his Eagle Scout rank is doing his Eagle Scout Service Project. For my eagle project I am making track for a park in Saratoga Springs called Shay Park. Utah Live Steamers, a train group in Utah, currently […]
Eagle Service Project
Newsletter Column Index August 2017 What draws you to model railroading? What makes you want to be a part of the NMRA? I have always liked building things. I remember as a kid building things with cardboard from cereal boxes while watching Saturday morning cartoons. As I have gotten older […]
Newsletter 8/17
Even though I was told it was official, received the number #585, saw my bio about it in the NMRA Magazine, saw my name listed in the NMRA emailed newsletter I was still uncertain about actually having it completed. Well, I finally received my Master Model Railroader Certificate! Here is […]
I Have My MMR Certificate!
Newsletter Column Index July 2017 When you go on vacation do you seek out opportunities to find trains? I don’t usually “seek them out” but when an opportunity presents itself I am happy! Recently I was at Disneyland with my family. On one day, most had gone back to the […]
Newsletter 7/17
Newsletter Column Index April 2017 What is on your workbench? If you are like me, you might have more projects started than you care to admit. Working on AP requirements helped me to focus and with setting some goals and personal deadlines I have now completed more projects than ever! Not […]
Newsletter 4/17
Here’s a copy of my bio that ran in the April 2017 NMRA Magazine.
Bio MMR #585
I am pleased to announce that as of February 1, 2017 I am now Master Model Railroader #585. What does that mean? Well, for me, I have set some personal goals to have certain criteria finished by certain dates. Does it make me a better modeler? I hope so, only […]
Master Model Railroader
Newsletter Column Index February 2017 I’ve got some great news this month: It’s official that I am Master Model Railroader #585 and the third currently living in Utah! What does that mean? Well, for me it means I’ve accomplished a goal I’ve had for awhile. I first heard about the AP […]
Newsletter 2/17
Newsletter Column Index January 2017 It’s that time of year again where people make New Years Resolutions. How about looking at it with a different spin? Is there a particular model you have been putting off getting done? I know I have a few that have been “nearly done for […]
Newsletter 1/17
Newsletter Column Index December 2016 Many people are reflective this time of the year. We just had Thanksgiving where sharing what you are thankful for is a big part of the holiday. Christmas is coming up fast and that’s also a time for sharing. One thing I have found with […]
Newsletter 12/16
Newsletter Column Index November 2016 We had a good turnout of entries for the Popular Vote Model Contest at the 2016 Intermountain Train Expo! We had about 100 ballots cast for favorite models in four categories plus a “Best of Show” where people voted for their overall favorite from all of […]
Newsletter 11/16
Newsletter Column Index November 2015 We all enjoy this hobby called Model Railroading. Some of us have been blessed with time and space to have a large layout and others not so much but we still have fun when we can. I’ve talked about how to share the hobby with our […]
Newsletter 11/15
Newsletter Column Index June 2015 Most of us have a preferred scale and gauge we like working in but how many of us actually have multiple scales and/or gauges that we like? Most know I have 1.5” ride-on in the backyard but my main scale is HO with HOn3 mixed […]
Newsletter 6/15
Newsletter Column Index March 2015 What have you done lately in your model railroad world? If you have been following my column you might have noticed that I jump around a bit on the actual topic but always bring it back around to the Achievement Program. That is a bit […]
Newsletter 3/15
This is my second layout video using the iCar. Gary Petersen’s Salt Lake Southern layout is awesome! This time I ran the iCar at the end of the train looking backwards as though standing on the back platform of the caboose. You can watch it in FULL HD but takes […]
iCar Caboose Ride
I’ve always loved photography and it is a great way to be able to combine two hobbies: model railroading and photography! My daughter is taking a photography class in jr. high and when she said, “Can I take a picture of your trains?” I jumped off the couch ready to […]
Photography and Trains
Take a ride on the rails as though you were in the driver’s seat. Follow along on the inaugural run of my new iCar as we go along the route of Rob Spangler’s Western Pacific 8th Subdivision. It was run as an extra following right behind another train. This was […]
iCar Cab Ride
I’ve added a new, long overdue, Tips and Techniques section to the website. The first sub-page within the section is Adding Styrene Spacers which explains how I add styrene to the gaps I cut in the rails. Look for more sub-pages in the near future. I look forward to comments too.
New Tips and Techniques Section
I uploaded photos and a video from Operations Bootcamp #3 at Lee’s UCW. It was lots of fun. Lee introduced something new he implemented but since most of us don’t know that much about operations it wasn’t a key factor to how we did. Among other things in the morning, […]
Ops Bootcamp #3 and Video
My Timesaver: I’ve uploaded a new page showing my efforts so far at constructing my own Timesaver based on the original by John Allen. After 12 and a half years I’m finally building my own. A few more weeks and I should have it done. Everything from constructing the base […]
Sneak Peak of My Timesaver
While I still have to update my blog about the 4×8 layout (it’s seen some updates but not much), I have updated the Layout Tours section. Including two Operations Boot Camps I attended. Rob Spangler and Lee Nicholas both hosted the Ops Boot Camps and after Rob’s I went to Ted York’s […]
Layout Tours updated & Operations Boot Camps
We had a fun time last night with the kids coming to trick-or-treat. As is the tradition for the last nine years except one (because of foul weather) we have opened up our backyard to the neighborhood kids to ride our train in the backyard. It is a fun […]
Daily Herald Write-Up and new Video
Almost every year we open up our backyard ride-on railroad to the neighborhood kids who come trick-or-treating on Halloween. Because of the weather there has been a few times we haven’t, but almost every year for the last 8 we have. I made a small video when it was first […]
