Arizona Division Leadership

My current model railroading project is building an HO scale layout of the Southern Pacific Railroad, set in the agricultural areas around Bakersfield, CA circa 1952.  The layout is in a spare bedroom, measuring approximately 14’ X 16’.  I chose to model the SP based on my childhood years growing up in a rural (at that time) town in Orange County, CA.  The town was served by an SP branch line with a local that ran several days a week, working a feed mill and several small manufacturing industries.  Large orange groves surrounded the town, with numerous packing houses served by the SP or AT&SF.

I have been working on the new layout for about 2 years.  The trackwork, wiring and backdrops are complete, and scenery is about 75% complete.  My current projects are building structures, primarily packing houses and related industries.

My model railroading journey is a little different than many model railroaders.  I received the usual Lionel trainset as a child but lost interest as I got older.  My father started building WWII era ships and planes from Revell kits and I got hooked on that.  In later years, I found that model railroading offered the opportunity to build structures, rolling stock and locomotives from kits and a complete model railroad.  Building structures is still my favorite aspect of the hobby.

I grew up in Colorado and have lived from coast to coast in the United States during my career as an electronic engineer in aerospace and computers. My wife, Linda, and I have lived in the Phoenix area since 1992.

I had toy trains as a youngster. Then, for 34 years, I had zero involvement with trains, prototype or toy. I discovered model railroading when I helped start the PebbleCreek Model Railroad Club in 1998. That club absorbed my time for 22 years, until we lost our room and disbanded the club. PCMRC introduced me to DCC and to the NMRA, which I joined in 1999, as a result of the Flastaff PSR convention.

Some of you may know me as Mr. DCC, the founder of Litchfield Station. I started it as a part-time decoder installation business in 2000. In a decade, Linda helped build it into the second largest DCC retailer in the world.

Linda and I have done clinics on the local, regional and national level since 2004.

I earned my MMR in 2016 and was elected to the position of Superintendent in November, 2021.

Other interests include: scuba diving, photography, video editing, genealogy, ham radio and flying.

Currently, I’m working on On30 indoor and Fn3 (#1 or G-gauge) outdoor layouts. Both are operations oriented and based on depression-era Colorado narrow gauge. They operate under the NMRA registered pike name of Rocky Mountain Pacific. The reporting marks (RMP) could just as well stand for Real Money Pit.

I began my AP journey with my Chief Dispatcher certificate at the suggestion of Gary Gelzer in 2010. Gary made it seem so simple - just complete 50 hours of operations and the proper categories. And then I realized that there was some design work and PAPERWORK involved. Well, I slugged through it by myself.

Because of my business, Litchfield Station, I also earned my Author certificate in 2010. Points came from clinics at the national, regional and divisional level and the website.

At the 2011 PSR convention in Flagstaff, I committed to my MMR and began a plan to get there. It took me until 2016 to earn all the certificates I planned for: Cars, Structures,Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer and Volunteer. MMR #574 was issued on April 1, 2016.

I was appointed to the AP Manager position in 2018 and have dedicated my time since in helping aspiring AP participants achieve their goals.

Along the way, I learned two lessons: “good enough” isn’t and organization makes any job easier.

Other interests include: scuba diving, photography, video editing, genealogy, ham radio and flying.

Currently, I’m working on On30 indoor and Fn3 (G-gauge) outdoor layouts. Both are operations oriented and based on depression-era Colorado narrow gauge. They operate under the NMRA registered pike name of Rocky Mountain Pacific. The reporting marks (RMP) could just as well stand for Real Money Pit.

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My start in Model railroading was early, very early. So early I was teething on my crib watching the DL&W electrics pass by the apartment in New Jersey. My Dad built a 027 layout in Illinois and I have a picture of me operating it 1958. Two moves later another was built and then about 1962 I switched to HO, sorry Dad. Over the ensuing years I have modelled in HOn3, HO, Sn3, On2 and now back to HOn3.

My current layout depicts the D&RGW Third Division circa 1929 from Gunnison (Sapinero) through Montrose to Ouray, all in Colorado.

The real thrill was in 1980 though. I was hired by Seaboard Coast line as a Trainman/Conductor in North Carolina. In 1989 I was called up by AMTRAK. During the next 24 years, I worked in the Carolinas, New York state and California. After 33 years, I retired and moved to Tucson. Yes indeed, I did get paid to play trains for a very long time.

While I did manage to play with trains for a living, I am not the final expert. I try to keep this thought in mind at all times. “While I worked for the Railroads, this is what I did. It is neither right nor wrong, just how I did it”. How you do it is your preference; if it works for you, perfect.

As Member Aid Chairperson, I will hopefully be able to help our new NMRA members navigate their way around Model Railroading. I would also like to serve our “seasoned” members if there is something that can be done for them. I am still learning and enjoy doing that as I progress with my layout, so why cannot we share with those whom are just beginning? I am thinking as in the old “Shell answer man” here. (Hopefully you remember him?) I would also be available for other issues that crop up as they all do; just “whistle”, please!

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Like so many others, my first train set was a Lionel Steamer with a couple cars and a circle of track. A few years later it was a Tyco HO scale set that ran in a figure eight. In high school I built a layout on a sheet of plywood following Linn Westcott’s “HO Railroad That Grows” book, but due to lack of funds it only had a couple Atlas buildings and no scenery.

After high school I did a stint in the military and then was tying to build a career and raise a family, so not much model railroading was accomplished until about 2004. I started building a small layout in the loft of our house and got to the point where I could run some trains and do a little scenery. A move in 2007 spelled the demise of that layout.

In 2009 I started building a sectional layout so it could be moved out of the guest bedroom when needed. In 2010 grandchildren arrived, so that restricted the time available for trains quite a bit.

I joined the NMRA in 2019 during the PSR Convention in Mesa, and of course a few months later COVID shut everything down. With the Help of Bruce Petrarca, I was able to get my Golden Spike evaluated remotely in 2020.

I successfully negotiated land rights to a spare bedroom to be dedicated for a railroad, so 2023 will see the start of a new railroad for my Monon Route.

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