Rapid City, South Dakota

A Minnesota native, I grew up with HO scale trains and exhibited my 4×8 layout along with 9-volt LEGO trains for many years at “Trainfest” in Milbank, South Dakota. Around 2008, I decided to model the Norfolk and Western as my first serious prototype. I chose to challenge myself and improve my modeling skills by pursuing N scale since there was not much N&W available at that time. I continued to model the N&W for about 5 years.

In 2011, I became a member of the Black Hills Railway Society shortly after relocating to Rapid City, South Dakota.

I took a break from the N&W to start modeling in HO again, this time choosing the BNSF merger early years. In 2021, I made the decision to go back into N scale and continue modeling the BNSF, now early summer 1999 to early fall 2001. At the moment I am building a 10×10 around-the-walls style shelf layout that mostly features BNSF and Twin Cities and Western Railroad traffic called “The Lakeville Sub.”

One of my favorite parts of the hobby is weathering in HO scale. I find it relaxing and feel that HO looks the most realistic when weathered versus other scales. I have shared my weathering knowledge before by hosting clinics at the Black Hills Railway Society on weathering and decaling. I continue to operate some of my HO trains at the club and have narrowed my focus to some specific prototypes that are mostly Minnesota based. One thing many people don’t know is that I am also an avid G scale modeler who now focuses on American prototypes after nearly 10 years of collecting European LGB trains.