Hours and hours invested in a model railroad often result in a few moments that make the entire effort worth every moment working. For a model railroader, the work is fun so it's not as though I don't love every minute with my layout. The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad is my third layout …
We were married on this date, forty-nine years ago. It was a Friday night, an ice and snow storm blew in during the day. The ceremony started late because my wife's brother, mother and step-father had not yet arrived, and her brother was giving her away. My mother-in-law was bringing the wedding cake. Mary and …
Continue reading Married Forty-Nine Years to the Love of My Life
Maple Valley Manufacturing is a large facility just outside of town. Three Tower Bridge stands between the small town of Maple Valley and the factory. Close-up views of the inside of the factory provide detailed scenes on the HO scale model railroad. To create the illusion of depth and detail in the facade, I built …
Continue reading Exploring Maple Valley Manufacturing Details
Maple Valley Manufacturing is a large facility just outside of town. Three Tower Bridge stands between the small town of Maple Valley and the factory. Close-up views of the inside of the factory provide detailed scenes on the HO scale model railroad. To create the illusion of depth and detail in the facade, I built …
Continue reading Detail Scenes of the Maple Valley Short Line HO Scale Model Railroad
Someone, no one knows who, or where, or when, said, "If something bad is going to happen, it will happen first in Maple Valley." I take exception to that notion. There are lots of things that happen in other places first. What generally follows is that the good folks in Maple Valley claim they were …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 34: The Christmas Disaster
I understand that experience is a great teacher. With model railroading, however, small mistakes can have a cascading effect that will make operating your railroad a frustrating experience. If you are going to use extruded foam as the base of your layout, be sure to notice the edges of the foam. Undoubtedly, there will be …
I understand that experience is a great teacher. With model railroading, however, small mistakes can have a cascading effect that will make operating your railroad a frustrating experience. If you are going to use extruded foam as the base of your layout, be sure to notice the edges of the foam. Undoubtedly, there will be …
Continue reading Two Mistakes to Avoid as You Build Your HO Scale Model Railroad
As construction of a model railroad progresses, it's easy to forget the former struggles and triumphs. I'm happy I took lots of photos as I was building The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad. I'm not finished with the layout. I am not sure a model railroad is ever completed because it's so fun to …
Continue reading Under Construction: The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad
It’s significant to me, as a lifelong fan of model railroading, that on the first Christmas morning I remember, there was an American Flyer train set on the living room floor. It was a present for my brother, but that didn’t matter. It was still the neatest thing I had ever seen, and my love …
Continue reading The Undeniable Magic of Christmas Train Sets
It began as many stories do, with nothing. I wasn't planning to write an endless saga with characters no one has ever heard of. It just happened. Sheriff Pete Terkinberry, and all the other good folks from Maple Valley politely introduced themselves and took over. I was helping to clean out a small barn that …
A Coffee State of Mind 