Why the reference to the Dark Side you ask - Follow along, and allow me to explain.

I've been involved in Model Railroading on and off since I was eleven years of age. Like many boys at the time, I was involved in the Scouting program. The Scouts had a magazine called Boy's Life. The magazine was a favorite of mine and I looked forward to the arrival of each issue. The trap was set when the December 1971 issue introduced readers to the hobby of Model Railroading. Inside the pages of that wonderful issue, I found an article that explained how one could build, and enjoy, their own HO model train layout. I was hooked! I just couldn't stop imagining myself as the proud owner of a layout like the one in the pages of Boy's Life Magazine.

I never actually built that layout in the magazine. I found another plan in a book from Kalmbach Publishing called An HO Railroad That Grows. This small 4 x 8 foot layout was built - and did it ever grow! The layout was 23 x 4 feet before I knew it. As happens to most model railroaders, I was distracted for several years by cars, girls, and college and girls. My first layout gathered dust for many years before being dismantled and sold for pennies on the dollar.

I spent most of the 80's and 90's modeling in HOn3. I never found time to build a layout. I enjoyed my time with HOn3 but found it frustrating. The small HOn3 locomotives of the time had terrible operating characteristics. The hope of finding a locomotive that would run reliably led me to purchase one of the locomotives The Division Point was importing. I was impressed! When I learned that The Division Point had used the same plans, and builder as PBL, I thought that maybe I should take a closer look at Sn3.

I had the opportunity to work with Doug Jolley while he was putting together the 2001 National Narrow Gauge Convention in SLC. Doug gave me one of the wonderful short caboose kits produced by PBL at one of our many committee meetings. Doug suggested that I give Sn3 a go. I took the caboose home with me. Unfortunately, that caboose found a spot on the same shelf that held all of my other "some day" projects.

The Sn3 bug bit hard at the 2003 NNGC in Denver. I was minding my own business, still plodding along in HOn3. As I made my way through the sea of narrow gauge products at the convention I came upon Jack Walton's table. Jack was selling a few over stock PBL locomotives. Jack had something I found impossible to resist! There on the table was a model of RGS #455, before the wreck. I plunked my money down and never looked back at HOn3. I came straight home, and auctioned off all of the HOn3 stock on Ebay. I was lucky enough to turn a nice profit as well. Don't let the fact that you might take a loss on your old stock keep you from changing scales.

I decided to document the building of my layout for several reasons. The most important reason to me is to share with others just what can be accomplished in S scale. I also ejoy sharing the many photos and historical items I've collected over the years. I hope you'll find this website of value. Please be patient as I complete the website. I will try to update the site as often as possible

Why the reference to the "Dark Side" you ask? Well, that was the first comment from my friend Jerry Clark when I proudly displayed my PBL locomotive - "You've gone over to the Dark Side now!" If you've been on the sideline like I was then enjoy the website. Who knows – the Dark Side may be in your future too!