I’m a lifelong model railway enthusiast
Currently, I’m between layouts. My most recent project was an S scale model railway based on the Canadian National Railway’s lightly-trafficked line to Port Rowan, Ontario. I started planning this layout in mid-2011 and construction commenced in October of that year. I tore down that layout in August of 2020 in preparation for a move across country.
While Port Rowan in 1:64 was my main interest for many years it’s not my only one. I’ve built a lot of layouts – and railway models – over the decades. I have worked in HO, S, O and large scales. I have modelled in standard gauge and in various narrow gauges. I have followed a prototype quite closely – and pursued flights of fancy.
Some of these journeys have been more successful than others, but I’ve always learned from the process. And I’ve often shared what I’ve learned through various media. I’ve been a regular contributor to various hobby publications – most notably, Railroad Model Craftsman magazine – and I’ve written various blogs. I created, produced and co-hosted The Model Railway Show, a podcast about the hobby. And I was a host on TrainMasters TV.
I live in Saskatoon, Canada with my wife – and two border collies.
I spent eight years training our first border collie, Mocean, to work sheep – the job for which they are bred. I really enjoyed that.
Mocean was getting a bit old to be running a large field and managing livestock, and Jack – our second dog – never really showed the instinct. So in early 2016 we adopted a puppy with a strong herding background.
It turned out that he was a disaster on sheep – he wanted to run them into fences, and I just couldn’t trust him around livestock. So now I’m the ringmaster of an underemployed circus. At least I don’t have to give them as many baths…
Around the time I hung up my stock stick and whistle and washed my farm boots for the last time, a friend reintroduced me to roleplaying games and tabletop skirmish games. I haven’t played these in 30 years, and it was great to return to them. I’ve found they have evolved in many positive ways over the past three decades…
How to reach me:
If you have a question about something specific on the blog, I recommend that you comment on the relevant post. I check the blog at least once per day and I read every comment – I promise!
A couple of notes on this. First, your comment may end up being moderated – especially if you’re new to my blog. That’s not me – that’s an automatic thing. Second, your comment will become public under the relevant post. I tend to not edit these – although I will correct spelling and capitalization mistakes and I will often replace raw URLs with a linked piece of text, if appropriate.
You’ll also find a handy contact form on the page called “How to reach me”.
The Model Railway Show 