Episodes
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So, youâre wondering whatâs neat this week?? Thatâs easy just check out what Ken Patterson and his gang are doing over there on YouTube with the show thatâs got its finger on the pulse of the hobby. We wanted to find out more about âthe Dude,â Joshua Barton, Mike Budde and James Reiger, so we sat them down in front of a microphone and let the magic happen!!
This is a fun podcast that goes in all sorts of directions, and we find out all about the guys just before theyâre about to record another show. Ken is an accomplished, professional photographer, featured in numerous model railroad publications and marketing material over the years and is happy to share some of his secrets. Enjoy!!
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John Doehring might be the most enthusiastic man in the National Model Railroad Association, as the Eastern Director he is obviously putting his heart and soul into figuring out how to make the organization and the hobby of model railroading grow. This is part two of a response and discussion about his email pointing out his view of what direction to take the NMRA.
In these changing times of social media, video games and a myriad of distractions in todayâs world, John along with his fellow directors want to keep up with changing times. The podcast is a mix of ideas and discussion with plans to double the size of the membership over the coming years. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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Missing episodes?
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Itâs time once again for another exciting episode of âUncleâ Daveâs Fireside Chat. On this edition of the âchatâ Dave tells the history of the latest New Jersey Transit Heritage unit, a replica of Conrailâs 4208 and the behind-the-scenes story of how it came to be, all the folks involved, and the excitement felt around the railroad as it was rolled out during a very special ceremony.
Plus we talk about Daveâs excitement with the release of his newest book âDesigning and Operating Yards,â which is an update on Andy Sperandeoâs original yard book published some years ago. We find out if thereâs plans for another book and what the topic or topics might be. As always, itâs a busy time in the Abeles household and fun to be along for the ride. Enjoy!!
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Itâs the wonder from down under, visiting from the land of Oz, throwing another shrimp on the barbie, Australia where everything happens tomorrow and home to the one and only NMRA Worldwide Director at Large, Martyn Jenkins. Fresh from his time in the lower forty-eight having a walk-a-bout and here to give us a full report on what was accomplished at the latest Board of Directors meeting at the NMRAâs national convention in Long Beach, California. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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The NMRA has long been the flag ship organization of model railroading, originally being organized in the mid 1930âs serving a critical role through the years in the growth of the hobby. But with everything times change, people change and in todayâs world organizations like the NMRA struggle to maintain their membership.
Our next guest Derrick Magnotta who belongs to a generation thatâs never known life without the internet, wrote a very insightful email about how people his age and younger struggled to see what value there is in belonging to the NMRA. So we here at the old AML Network decided to gather together in the studio some of our most knowledgeable old guys to understand the problem and perhaps offer some solutions. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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The NMRA Achievement Program also known as the âAPâ is a guide to help you master the many crafts and skills necessary in the hobby of model railroading. As you get more proficient in of each of the skills, you can through various means have your work judged by others and if certain standards are met, will be issued a certificate acknowledging your achievement and work towards becoming a Master Model Railroader.
Getting involved in the AP program is incredibly easy and recently a good friend of the AML Nation was announced as the new chairman of the Achievement Program. Ray Persing, a lifelong model railroader and all-round good guy stepped up to the plate to take over this important role from his predecessor Frank Koch whoâd held the position for many years. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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Just like that old bean casserole that you found in the back of the freezer from your Aunt Mildred at Thanksgiving four years ago, or the twenty bucks you find in an old pair of jeans, this version of the âKelly Questionsâ has aged like a fine wine.
Emory Lehman III is a locomotive engineer for the BNSF and a longtime member of the AML Nation. After stopping by to remind us weâd forgotten about his attempt at the hobbyâs most hard-hitting collection of questions, he tries on the tin-foil hat. Thereâs also a brief discussion about an upcoming showcase on the Iron City N-Scalers Facebook page. Itâs a fun podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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Hey âyinz,â this is a really good podcast but unless you understand Pittsburgh slang you might not understand it all. Fortunately while our next guest is a lifelong resident of the area where three rivers converge to create the once hallowed ground known as âThree Rivers Stadium,â home to the âImmaculate Reception.â Ron Bohin is an avid O-Scale three rail modeler who graduated from school qualified to be aircraft mechanic, which of course explains how he ended up working for U.S. Steel and eventually became a locomotive engineer.
Then after that successful career, it was time to move on to the Port Authority of Allegheny County, now known as Pittsburgh Regional Transit. They needed signal maintainers and when Ron submitted his resume it seemed as though, no one else could be better qualified. If youâre as confused as we are, itâs time to fire up the Motorola and give a listen to this podcast, itâs actually pretty good!!
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Once again, itâs time for another great discussion with âUncleâ Dave, so warm up the Motorola, get comfortable with a warm cup of cocoa as we settle in for a âFireside Chatâ with one of the hobbyâs most interesting personalities. Thereâs lots to talk about and even some friendly fire as âUncleâ Dave takes exception with some of the Evel Overlordâs opinions about the NMRA
Plus, we pay homage to one of the great model railroaders of the modern era, Paul Dolkos whose contribution to the hobby has been extensive over the last fifty years. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure enjoy.
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Have ever wanted to see one of the best model railroads in the world, one that will take your breath away, one that seems so real it could easily be used a movie set. Well after an exhaustive search by our crack investigative reporters here at the oleâ AML Network, weâve discovered just such a model railroad not from Detroit or as we like to refer to⊠HockeyTown U.S.A.
One of the greatest assets of this hobby is the ability to express oneself artistically, while still be able to enjoy so much more and our next guest Norm Charbonneau has managed to squeeze every last ounce out of what this hobby has to offer. His YouTube channel about his 3-Rail O Gauge layout is full of beautiful scenes of glamorous Pennsy steamers running through magnificent scenery plus tons of how-toâs about all sorts of interesting projects. This is a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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T-Trak is one of the easiest ways for any individual to get started in the hobby of model railroading. Building a small one-foot square module can easily help speed up the learning process of building a layout of any size, plus thereâs numerous groups to join where you can join with others to create sizeable layouts to run your favorite equipment.
One of the most prolific T-Trak modelers is Andy Zimmerman who when heâs not busy being head of the Standards and Conformance Department for the NMRA has built dozens of modules strictly for the enjoyment of participating. Now heâs here to tell us all about the T-Trak world record attempt at the NMRAâs national convention coming up in 2026 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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Model railroading, or railway modeling, in Switzerland is alive and well, with many of the countryâs hobbyists focusing on North American prototypes. We first met our guest several years ago as he was wrapping up a career as a locomotive engineer and beginning a new career as a police officer.
Our guest Robin Felder is a big fan of Norfolk Southern Railroad and brass locomotives in general, plus weathering HO scale equipment for himself and others is what keeps him busy when heâs not in training to become one of Switzerlandâs finest. Thereâs also a philosophical discussion about the hobby and where itâs headed plus information about the local hobby scene. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy!!
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Answering ViewerMail is one of our favorites here at the oleâ AML studios, whether it's pro or con, itâs 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 NMRAâs 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. Itâs 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. Itâs a great podcast and one Iâm sure youâll enjoy!!
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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 itâs 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. Itâs a great podcast and one weâre sure youâll enjoy.
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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 parentâs 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 oleâ AML Network it was time to catch up with John Cafarelli and find out what heâs been up to. Itâs a great podcast with some weathering techniques. Suggestions of other, YouTube channels to watch and plenty of interesting conversation.
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Itâs time for another healthy chat with your favorite âUncle Dave.â Whether itâs discussing Scandinavian model railroaders, or the future of journalism in this great hobby of ours, you can be sure, that âUncle Daveâ 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. âUncleâ Dave took his sons Teddy and Pete to see Tonyâs 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 thereâs Rapido commercials where youâd never expect them. Enjoy!!
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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 parentâs home it wasnât 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 todayâs 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 elseâs layout.
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Itâs time for another thrilling episode of whatâs 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 whatâs âJason Doing Now??â The only man to have a licensing agreement with Conrail, (âUncleâ 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. Itâs 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!!
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Itâs 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 weâre sure youâll enjoy.
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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, âRetail Wars,â Shane didnât 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 thatâs what this podcast is, an honest discussion about the industry, retail sales and the future. Enjoy!!
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