a ModelersLife

Answering ViewerMail is one of our favorites here at the ole' AML studios, whether it's pro or con, it's a chance to connect with your audience, hear their thoughts, and engage in meaningful dialogue, even when the feedback is critical. Recently John Doehring the Eastern of representative the NMRA's board of directors took exception to some our views about the way the organization is being run and sent us a very thoughtful and insightful email stating his concerns. This is a special edition of ViewerMail with John and some of the regular AML crew to discuss some of those concerns. It's a great podcast with plenty of back and forth, in fact the discussion was so interesting we only managed to get halfway through and invited John back for a second episode. It's a great podcast and one I'm sure you'll enjoy!!

What happens when you take two guys who are excited about the hobby of model railroading, add some raw talent with electronics and over the top details?? You get John McGuire of Garden State Modelworks LLC and Scott Lupia of KV Models with his specialty, etched detail parts. Aside from yelling at people across the aisle from their booth at the Springfield Train Show it's been a very successful union between these two friends. Scotts foray into the world of 3-D printing, has also created some new possibilities for his friend John, and we discover some new ways of doing business in the model railroad industry. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

Go west young man, these were the words that our next guest followed, leaving behind a beautiful model railroad that had been started in his parent's mid-western basement. After spending several years refining his weathering techniques our next guest is thinking about the next great layout. With law school successfully behind him, we decided here at the ole' AML Network it was time to catch up with John Cafarelli and find out what he's been up to. It's a great podcast with some weathering techniques. Suggestions of other, YouTube channels to watch and plenty of interesting conversation.

It's time for another healthy chat with your favorite "Uncle Dave." Whether it's discussing Scandinavian model railroaders, or the future of journalism in this great hobby of ours, you can be sure, that "Uncle Dave" has some well thought out opinions. This chat features a great story about visiting the home Tony Koester one of the most iconic names in the hobby. "Uncle" Dave took his sons Teddy and Pete to see Tony's wonderful Nickel Plate layout and by all accounts everyone had a great time. Dave also discusses his excitement of purchasing a couple TOFC cars from Rapido Trains. Plus somebody pushed the wrong button and there's Rapido commercials where you'd never expect them. Enjoy!!

What happens when you take a dream, start small and end up with one of the most comprehensive hobby stores east of the Mississippi?? This was the vision of our next guest Ryan Thoman the owner of White Rose Hobbies a full line hobby shop located in York, Pennsylvania right there on the Lincoln Highway. Originally in a bedroom of his parent's home it wasn't long until the store occupied a seven hundred square foot space. During this time Ryan started to work for Norfolk Southern and then a few years later his friend told him of a great location owned by his family and today's version of the store was born. Plus, we find out what the future of Bethlehem Car Works is and why you should never purchase some else's layout.

It's time for another thrilling episode of what's happening at Rapido Trains?? This time our intrepid hero Jason Shron is all hot and sweaty having just arrived from a family outing with his restored fishbowl TTC bus. (Toronto Transit Commission) On this addition of what's "Jason Doing Now??" The only man to have a licensing agreement with Conrail, ("Uncle" Dave) his on knees with hands clasped asking for a C30-7a, while Jason is trying to find enough customers that are desperate for a MLW S13 switcher. It's another exciting podcast, so grab yourself a big bowl of shredded handrails, a tall cool glass of left-over soda found on the Rapido bus and enjoy!!

It's part two of the Todd Treaster, twenty-seven-part trilogy, and in this episode, aside from learning that our guest is single-handedly keeping the N-Scale industry alive, we also learn how to build big city backdrops. Todd details how he re-created downtown Pittsburgh in a very realistic manner, and we try to talk him into writing up an article for Railroad Model Craftsman. This is a great podcast and one that we're sure you'll enjoy.

With a commitment to quality and the customers they serve ScaleTrains has become one of the leading manufacturers in the model railroad industry. Shane Wilson has been the captain of the ship since the beginning and has faithfully led his team and the company through some stormy weather, but always with a smile and a determination to make his product one of the best. After the podcast entitled, "Retail Wars," Shane didn't necessarily agree with everything that was said and asked if he could have a chance to rebut some of the comments and give his point of view which, which we were happy to do, and that's what this podcast is, an honest discussion about the industry, retail sales and the future. Enjoy!!

So you're asking yourself what do Henry Mancini, West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Tony Dorsett, the Conway Yard and the Norfolk Southern have in common with our next guest?? Well basically nothing other than all these people and places were mentioned on this podcast as we discovered the secret of hollow core door layouts. Richard Shirey has been working for the Norfolk Southern for over a decade and has a vast knowledge of all things railroading and in particular, railroading in the Western Pennsylvania area. We were introduced to Richard by our good friend Bradd "the Professor" Williamson who claimed to have a vast knowledge of our guest. So grab a big bowl of shredded sheet music, a tall cool glass of horn spit and enjoy!!

Almost everybody has a favourite relative, whether it's cousin Eddie who borrows your favorite HO scale SD70ACE, or Aunt Sally who's always ready with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Here at the ole' AML Nation, our favorite relative is none other than "Uncle" Dave who's always ready with a story or helping hand, as we travel through the hills and valleys of our model railroad experience. This month Dave talks about his desire for Rapido Trains to finally make his beloved C30-7a and talk about all the trials and tribulations of his new yard book from Kalmbach. (or somebody) As always, it's a fun chat with our favorite relative, so sit back with a big bowl of shredded Conrail schedules, a tall cool glass of writer's ink and enjoy!!

Everybody's got a YouTube channel nowadays, whether it's Larry showing you how to change that all important sprinkler head, Jennie taking the family dog for a walk, or dinner at Aunt Martha's house. There isn't much you can find you can't find on YouTube. However in our never-ending quest to make each moment of our listeners life's better than the last, we've scoured the internet and found one of the best railfanning channels on the world wide web. Delay in Block Productions was started by Drayton Blackgrove in 2011 and along with our very own Chris Wehman, we find out what it's like to be a premier track-side railroad videographer in North America. This is a great episode and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

So what exactly is an RPM meet and where's the best place to find a comprehensive listing of all the events in the coming year? That's easy, just head over to Eric Hansmann's blog to find a listing of all the meets during the calendar year. Dave Owens is the head poo bah of a Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet, running this event with his crew for two decades. So it seemed like a good idea to bring these two gentlemen together to talk about Eric's event calendar and all things RPM. So get yourself a big bowl of shredded calendars, a tall cool glass of New England stream water and enjoy!!

The world is changing and so is the hobby of model railroading with an ever-increasing number of people whose primary interaction with the hobby has been via the world wide web. This is part two of talking with a twenty-six-year-old hobbyist who's built a fantastic layout, with a countless number of incredibly well done instructional and operational videos. Kelly stops the show with one good question and Cam Nealy, takes us through the construction of his Marias Pass railroad and why he changed from Crawford Hill. The hobby is indeed changing with a tsunami of new modelers coming and sooner or later, will all be covered in model railroad goo. Enjoy!!

It's time once again for another edition of "Uncle" Dave's Fireside chat and as usual no topic is left uncovered from improvements to the Onondaga Cutoff blog, witnessing the eclipse in full darkness to model railroad operations with his two boys Teddy and Pete on Ted Pamperin's exquisite C&O Hinton Division in HO scale. Plus, we hear about being the keynote speaker at this year's Island Ops. But wait there's more, what happens when the epicenter of a 4.8 earthquake is less three miles from your home in Lebanon, New Jersey and you're at work in at Newark's Penn Station. Aside from your family being on the local Fox News Station and being part of the earthquake protocol for the rail side of New Jersey Transit, it's just another typical day in the life of "Uncle" Dave. So, grab yourself a big bowl of shredded safety forms, a tall cool glass of Passaic River water and enjoy!!