On this episode of a ModelersLife, our friend, the always popular Dave Owens returns to the AML studios to bring us up to date on the latest happenings in NERPM. (Excuse me) As can be expected since last year, the gang of the Northeast/New England Railroad Prototype Modeler‘s Meet, have a closed down another hotel, and have moved on to better digs with the help of the Amherst Railway Society. Dave of course is once again his fun-loving self, with lots of information about this months this...

Here’s a question for everyone in the AML Nation, how many times is too many times to chat with our illustrious NMRA President, Gordy Robinson?? Not sure of the answer?? None of us here at the old AML headquarters know the answer either, but we’re thinking it’s probably something like, to infinity and beyond!!   The crew was lucky enough to catch up with Gordy Robinson at his parents’ home just before heading to the local infirmary for some surgery and finding out how many of the doctors...

It’s time for “Great Layouts Part Two” and in this episode, we cover everything from how important snacks are and if snacks are important at all. Obviously, we must all agree that abundant and plentiful snacks make for great model railroad operations, but even more importantly, when visiting one of the fabulous layouts that populate the North American landscape layout, you must approach with the attitude that you are there to bring the layout owners model railroad to life and make him feel...

Chris Wehman is becoming an increasingly popular guest on ModelersLife with a fabulous N-Scale layout, tons of enthusiasm for the hobby, unparalleled railfanning videographer skills, devoted to replicating model railroad operations and a burning desire to make this hobby of model railroading, as much fun for every around him as it is for himself. Well, it turns out he’s now a bona fide, YouTube influencer in the hobby of model railroading featuring Scale Trains N-Scale, SD 40–2 on his layout...

It’s time for another star studded, All-Star Variety Hour with some of the biggest names in the hobby, and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. John Sacerdote the Director of the big Springfield Model Train Show held each year at the end of January and YouTube sensation Ron Marsh, who’s channel Ron’s Trains N’ Things continues to grow each week, are both interesting enough to for their own one-on one interview. We had meant to include John‘s interview in one of our previous...

It’s always fun to revisit old friends from the AML Nation and we’ve travelled all the way to Missoula, Montana for a catch-up with Cam Nealy. There’s been big changes since our last visit, a new job is just underway, and the railroad has a new emphasis on Marias Pass in the western portion of Montana. Staging yards have been removed. Track arrangements changed, and the whole layout has a new meaning with helper districts being the emphasis of operations. Cam has built a beautiful layout and...

It’s Springfield Report number four where the action is exciting, and the interviews leave you hanging on every word. Once again, we sent out our intrepid reporter, the “Queso Cowboy” to find all the latest gossip in model railroading. In this episode, we talk with the Four County Society of Model Engineers, there’s another visit with Matt Stern from Bachman, Jim Wiggin with all the latest news from Athearn, and a visit with one of our favorite freight car manufacturers, David Leilbach of...

It’s part three of the “Springfield Interviews” and this time our very own Queso Cowboy takes to floor to get the latest scoop on what’s happening around the hobby. In this report Queso stops by Mine Mount Models to find out about their first limited edition kit, there’s a visit with Rudy from Garbely Publishing and a great chat with the folks at Valley HO Trak. Plus he checks in on all the latest news from Walthers before stopping by the White Rose Hobbies booth to discuss they’re recent...

It’s Part Two of the Springfield Reports with more exciting interviews, more headline grabbing quotes, and an opportunity to hear about some of the exciting action in and around the ModelersLife booth in the Better Living Center. In this episode, we hear from all sorts of different folks in the hobby, including Gordy Robinson the president of the NMRA, Bill Ford an avid AML listener, Matt Stern from Bachman, Kent Carrier from the R.I.T. club in Rochester, Brandon Bolwerk the travelling...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to operate on some of the most famous and greatest model railroads ever built or to be a regular crew member on Tony Koester‘s Allegheny Midland/Nickel Plate railroads or to visit Harold Werthwein’s fantastic Erie Railroad layout. On this podcast we talk with some folks who’ve done just that. Tom, Doug and Ralph have known each for decades operating layouts regularly, operating on layouts throughout the northeast. In part one we lay the...

Another year has come and gone at the great Amherst Railway Society’s Railroad Hobby Show. With over twenty-six thousand people in attendance it was a roaring success with lots of folks to talk to, bargains to be had, layouts to seen, friends to reconnect with and new friends to be made. In our first series of interviews we talk with folks who stopped by the booth to answer some hard-hitting questions. Ray Persing talks about his son Steve, Cale Leiphart about what’s new in the world of Lego...

What happens when two guys from Pennsylvania who claim to be lone wolfs in the hobby, take over a Facebook page from a third modeler and then realize what they’ve done?? This is the heartwarming tale of Patrick Moore (the other guy) and Bradd Williamson from Crater, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Oval, Pennsylvania nestled in the sleepy valley of Nippenose. From the first time they met until present day, the relationship between Patrick and Bradd reads like the finest “Harlequin” romance...

There are hundreds and hundreds, probably over a thousand volunteers in the National Model Railroad Association. (NMRA) Each one working tirelessly to make this great hobby even better and one of our favorite department heads of the NMRA is Andy Zimmerman. Andy oversees the Standards and Conformance committee guiding an enthusiastic volunteer force of almost a hundred dedicated folks each of whom spend several hours a week making sure manufacturers produce products that will perform well...

Building a model railroad layout is a rewarding hobby and documenting the process on YouTube can be both educational and entertaining for fellow hobbyists. From researching prototype railroads to designing and constructing the layout, there's a lot to cover and share with your audience. Peter Borcherds has an entertaining YouTube channel detailing his build of the BNSF Chicago Sub. As well as being a lifelong model railroader, devoted AML listener, Peter is also the newest president of the...

It’s that time of year again, the Amherst Railway Society’s Railroad Hobby Show is about to open and once again we got John Sacerdote the show director for over two decades stops by the studio to tell us all about. We’re also joined by our very own “Uncle” Dave and Northeast RPM coordinator Dave Owens to get all the scoop. From the Lego layout, 1:87 Scale Vehicle club, hundreds of vendors, Rapido Trains, who’s buried in the levy, chalking out the tables and getting the coveted parking pass,...

With the Amherst Railway Society’s Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, Massachusetts just around the corner, we here at the ole’ AML World Headquarters decided it was time to gather the crew together to coordinate all the weekends activities. Of course, the AML offices are a buzz with the with news that the Saturday Night Pizza has been replaced by the AML Dance Party in the same location and the same cast of characters. Also there’s the typical back-and-forth between the Mailboy and the...

It’s time to check in once again with our old pal "Uncle” Dave and see what he’s up to. On this episode of the “Fireside Chat,” we talk about instant gratification, and how it pertains to Model Railroading. There’s more discussion about the “Chicago Line” book, plus our in ability to coincide our calendars with each other and how the Buffalo Sabres got involved. There’s nothing more the Evel Overlord enjoys than a chance to chat with Dave about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness....

Another year is in the books, and a new one is about to begin. Across the AML Nation there’s hope and optimism, with another chance for all of us to inspire and help each other reach even greater heights. This hobby provides an opportunity for so many folks from diverse backgrounds to come together and enjoy what each of us has to offer. Scott wants to raise his layout up to even greater heights of completion, Peter has taken on the role of the president for the NMRA’s British Region and...

     You’ve had too much egg nog, your dog ate most of the bacon and you keep refreshing the water bowl for your artificial tree but it doesn’t seem to get any greener. Christmas is a time to spend holidays with family and friends, the Queso Cowboy has had major dental work done but stills speaks with the velvet tomes of Mel Torme. After a lively discussion about artificial trees we discover that the TableMaster has a seventeen-foot tree set in the main foyer of his estate.      Next was a...

The model railroad industry lives and dies on the ability to appeal to the buying public, it seems easy to us consumers that merely have to check out what’s in stock and part with our hard-earned dollars. We take a peek behind the curtain to find out what’s it actually like to own a store dedicated to this great hobby, what to offer, dealing with wholesalers, consumers who just can’t seem to be satisfied no matter the problem and everything in between. Stephen Atwell owns Midwest Model...

Sports announcers are a breed of their own and few stand out from the rest, such as John Madden in football, Vin Scully known as “Mr. Baseball, Foster Hewitt the long-time announcer of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dick Vitale who began broadcasting college basketball games in 1979. Each one of these men had a quality you can’t teach, their unbridled passion for what they loved was infectious and so it is with our very own “Uncle” Dave. Dave brings a special kind of enthusiasm that can’t be...

Brass locomotives are dead. There’s no point in buying them. They’re a bad investment. In fact, we couldn’t understand why anybody would even want to buy and sell them until we met Matt Dowd at Resourced Rail’s. Not only is Matt an avid Model Railroader but he’s been an avid collector and trader of brass locomotives in all scales for decades, and now he’s turned it into a full-time business. We decided to have a return visit to find out how this fledgling company turned into a full-time job...

It’s the OVR Pop-Up event #2 with several great guests, a mediocre introduction, and a Marginally Adequate wrap-up show. We’ll hear interviews from Nick Masney of ITLA Models, with lots of great products and is as excited about the future of the hobby as anybody, next up is Andrew Duns, who’s partners with Lorne James in the OVR Trains manufacturing business, then we hear from our old buddy George Bogatiuk from SoundTraxx who can dispense more information in 10 minutes than most people can in...

It’s the end of the Ken McCorry forty-seven-part trilogy of one of the best layouts in all of North America, from its humble beginnings in a townhouse to a dedicated thirty-three hundred square foot barn this story about a man and his dream is completed for now. There so much to learn about the Buffalo Line and in this series of podcasts we only managed to scratch the surface. With an actual quarter mile of mainline and eleven different branches, this one of the most extensive and exciting...