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I spent 40 years building houses in the St. Croix Valley before I picked up model railroading in 2018. My wife told me I needed a hobby that didn't leave sawdust in the kitchen, and trains seemed like a natural fit. Four layouts later, I've learned that building a reliable model railroad isn't all t …

I've been watching trains run since I was a kid in Cicero, watching my dad set up Lionel around the Christmas tree. After 28 years turning wrenches at the CTA's Skokie Shops, I've learned something about building things that actually work: you measure twice, you follow the specs, and you don't skip …

I get this question at least once a week in my DMs: "How much space do I need for a model train layout?" And honestly, the old answer of "just get a 4x8 sheet of plywood" is one of the biggest lies the hobby ever told itself.After spending years wiring layouts (professionally and for fun), I've watc …

I've watched it happen a dozen times. A new modeler walks into our operating sessions with that familiar look of regret, explaining how they just sold off their entire HO collection because it "didn't fit" their apartment. Or worse, they're sitting on three half-finished layouts in storage because t …

I got into model railroading because I thought running miniature trains would be relaxing. Then I discovered operations, and now I spend Friday nights yelling about train orders while my teenagers pretend not to know me. But here's the thing: those first twelve months building a layout? They don't h …

I spent 35 years working for Burlington Northern Santa Fe before I retired in 2019, and I've been building model railroads almost as long as I worked on the real ones. After watching countless friends and acquaintances try to get into this hobby only to give up in frustration, I wanted to put togeth …