Introductions

[sparky]

Ugh, my trees... I need to get back to work on those.

Ya think?  What ever happened to "Trees Every Night"?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I fell apart

[up1950s]

Real nice flat Erik .

[bsoplinger]

I fell apart

Sheesh, and after we'all were good and kept asking "did you do any trees tonight?" for you all the time.  :

[RockGp40]

Geez, I hate to stray away from this stimulating tree conversation, but I want to introduce myself in this forum. I am Brian, and I have a Rock Island problem. I started years ago when my oldest brother was rummaging through his rolling stock and came across two bankruptcy blue covered hoppers and gave them to me. He was 9 years older then me, so it was like winning the jackpot in my mind as a 7 year old. These two cars, although not my first cars, were the first two from the same railroad. Oh, how I loved pulling them on my Bachmann Code 80 circle with my Chessie F unit, also a Bachmann product. Well, those two cars somehow became my passion. I don't know if it was the blue color or the R symbol that intoxicated me, but it was a breath of fresh air compared to the drab black rolling stock I had then.

I was hooked.

In the recent years gone by, my Rock Island collection has grown by leaps and bounds, both in N scale stuff, but also other memorabilia (sp?) too. The interesting thing here is that I am native to Maryland. I have been to Chicago twice, but never to railfan or do anything else with trains.

I am about to move into my first single family home with my wife and German Shepherd. I have been told I get the basement, so trains should soon be roaming some rails of my very own.

I also just got a part time job in the 1:1 scale, what a hoot that has been!

[Mark5]

I am about to move into my first single family home with my wife and German Shepherd. I have been told I get the basement, so trains should soon be roaming some rails of my very own.

I also just got a part time job in the 1:1 scale, what a hoot that has been!

Congrats on the new home!

Well the Rock Island Line, she's a might good road
Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line
Oh, I may be right and I may be wrong
But you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
Well the engineer said before he died
There are two more drinks that he'd like to try
The doctor said, what could they be
A hot cup of coffee and a cold glass of tea
Well the Rock Island Line, she's a might good road
Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
Rock Island Line is a mighty good road
Well if you ride it you gotta ride it like you find it
Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line
 -Ledbetter

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I also just got a part time job in the 1:1 scale, what a hoot that has been!

Really? What are you doing?

[John]

I also just got a part time job in the 1:1 scale, what a hoot that has been!

where .. MMID?

[RockGp40]

Congrats on the new home!

Thanks!

To answer Ed and John's questions, I am a conductor in training on MD's eastern shore on the MDDE. They roster 3 each CF7s and RS3s and two switchers. I too got my very fist cab ride yesterday on an ex PC/CR RS3.

[SquirrelHollow]

I've been around for 6-8 months, posting occassionally.  I try to help out when I can, or post when I have the time.  Usually you'll just see me admiring the great modelling here.  I think I introduced myself with my first post, but I can't remember....  It's been a long day.  
I got started in model trains when I was a kid.  HO was the scale, brown 4x8 plywood was the benchwork.  Even then, I hated the 4x8 style/size.  Now, I look back and wish I had burned it right there in the basement.
Now I work in N scale.  I buy plenty of RTR or kit models, but I prefer to scratch-and-bash.  The last year my 'harmless' shaking hands have had me wondering if I can continue in a small scale, though.  I have had to stop trying to model prototypes, for the most part.  Now I usually only take on a project (new or old) if it's a 'could-a-been' or some kind of joke.  This allows more artistic license (shake forgiveness) in the finished product.  I also work on 1/24 and 1/25 scale model cars at times, and the occassional model aircraft in whatever scale pleases me.  
I am currently without a layout.  In the future, I hope to model a good portion of the rails I grew up around.  (selectively compressed)  Eastern UT, central UT, northern UT, Evanston WY, etc...  Also in the planning stages; is a section of the 36" guage Uintah Railway line on the CO/UT border.  Nn3 is planned, but the shakes will determine whether or not I have to move up to HOn30. (or bigger)

I'm a helicopter mechanic, and away from home quite often.  
Other hobbies include: hunting, fishing (freshwater cricks, creeks, and streams), hiking, backpacking, and four-wheeling.
Interesting current events include an upcoming relocation to NY state, separation from the USAF next year, retirement of one of my helicopters a week ago, and (my favorite) deer hunting this year with an Atlatl.
 -The reputed 'best Atlatl maker in the world' appears to want to custom build me a hunting atlatl after I placed an order for his 'Warrior atlatl' and told him I'd be hunting with it.  The downisde is that I'll be without a weapon when the hunt opens this Saturday.  Oh well... more time to scout and enjoy mother earth.    Wish me luck.
I know there will be questions so here are some links:  
http://www.atlatl.com/atlatlvideo.html Atlatl Bob's website - there's more than just the video I linked to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlatl

[up1950s]

Ha ha , might be fun for non aggressive game , but I would prefer an over whelming explosive initiated hot metal object to do the deed . No need to have a fair fight .

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Hey everyone!
I am one of the regulars around here. Sean, Ed and I are the resident Conrail fanatics. I model the Boston Line in June of 1998. I am on a few other forums with the same name. Although I do not own a layout, I am a member of Bay State Model Railroad Museum. If you live near Boston, drop by! We are located in the cream and maroon brick building directly across the street from Roslindale Village MBTA station. We are open Wed evenings.

Trains are my passion, and I have begun writing regularly for N-Scale Magazine. Outside of trains, I also enjoy photography when I am not working as a dispatcher for three different towns. I currently live with my wife, Panida in Natick, MA.





That is Panida "Joy" and I in Thailand this September.

[ebmonon36]

My name is Eric.  I've been lingering in the background here for about three years.  I'm also registered on the A-board along with several other forums that I probably don't realize I joined.  I lurk here a little more than Atlas fourms mostly because of the very inspirational talent and the laid back style.
I've been messing with N scale for about the last 15 years.  Juggling college (senior in mechanical engineering at Purdue University's Indianapolis campus), work (temperature controls engineer) and other interests(mentor for a high school robotics team) leaves little time for trains.  My latest project is scratch building the engine house that was at Monon, Indiana.  its a 96'x72', four stall house with a 96x20' bump out on the side.  My layout is a 4'x6'.  I hope to do a stretch of the Monon as my dream layout so until I get the layout out of the parent's basement into a house of my own, I have resorted to modeling smaller projects such as buildings and cars and learning as much as I can about different modeling techniques.  Scenery is definitely my weakness.

[ai5629]

My name is Jeff.  I have been modeling in N scale since 1984.  I have recently got back into modeling since I finished a nine year remodel of my house.  During that time, I kept up with what was being produced and purchased a few models.  I am now trying to rediscover what I was doing on projects that I last worked on in 1998.  While I love the PRR, I have chosen to model Conrail.  Conrail is a great modeling choice in N scale because it consists of 7 railroads to draw equipment models from.  I have chosen the time period of the summer of 1984.  This is a great time period because they were still running a few U23B's GP30's, GP35's, SD35's, and SD45's.  The SD50's and B36-7's had just come on the seen also.  Most of the equipment was in full CR livery, but a few ex PC units could be justified.  Boxcars were still a popular mode of shipping and truck trains consisted mostly of trailers, not containers.  I have a large layout at my father's house.  If anyone has any Conrail modeling questions, I am willing to offer advice if I have any.  Thanks.

[Zox]

Hi. I'm Rob. I live in Maryland and have met some of the more interesting (well, more interesting than me, at least) characters on this board in person. Despite that, they still let me in here.

I do model railroading, but I'm actually more interested in wonky engineering projects like articulated camera cars and tool-free folding legs than I am in running trains. I'm also the chief historian for the oft-forgotten styrofoam mining industry...