Based on this our latest cover photo, you may think were concentrating on the lovely little town of Ellicottville, New York, a village in Cattaraugus County about fifty miles south of Buffalo in the Allegheny mountains region. It’s a pretty little town, right out of a Norman Rockwell painting and well known for its festivals, skiing and fall foliage.

But as we close the year of 2025, we’ve also discovered that the owner of one of our favorite model railroad manufacturers, JL Innovative, a popular brand with creative concepts, is owned by one of Ellicottville’s most vocal distracters. Known to the kindhearted people of this little piece of paradise as, “that Costello guy.” It’s an interesting tale of one man’s dislike of giraffes and a sleepy little town not far from the Pennsylvania state line. Enjoy!!

Once again, it’s time for our first annual “Christmas Quiz,” which, based on the response from the listeners could also be called our last annual “Christmas Quiz.” We gathered together a crack staff, the best of the best, from the AML Nation’s, vast and sometimes suspect, talent pool.

We even brought in a special mystery guest who lives just twenty miles from the picturesque town of Ellicottville, New York. Chris Costello and his brother operate JL Innovative in a sprawling manufacturing facility just a few feet north of the Pennsylvania state line. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded wrapping paper, a tall cool glass last year’s egg nog and enjoy!!

It’s part two of a vision for the new world with John Doehring and Riley Triggs. In its continuing quest to continue the NMRA’s standing as the largest and best organization in model railroading, we invited two of it loveliest, handsomest and finest volunteers to help us understand what’s in store for the future of the NMRA.

Rebranding is at the forefront and some of the goals include, appealing to younger audiences by actively working to engage younger hobbyists. Also as with many organizations today, promoting diversity within the hobby is seen as a key element for further growth and success. But wait, there’s more… Part of the rebranding includes a stronger online presence, with updated websites, social media, and digital platforms to connect with hobbyists. The future looks bright and this a great episode to understand the future of this great organization!!

The Sipping & Switching Society is a modular-railroading group associated with HO-scale railroading and our next guest has a lot of knowledge about the society and we decided he was the one to talk with. The Society is originally based in North Carolina but there also versions in the Ohio Valley and Cincinnati areas.

With a well-defined “module standard,” distinguishing it from other modular approaches the are modules typically 30″ wide and often built in 2-foot length increments but this can vary. Construction uses a “waffle-style” framework to make modules lightweight but stiff enough for transport and repeated assembly. 

There’s alignment pins/holes to ensure that the track ends match up exactly, typical track arrangement is two mainline tracks close to the “public” side plus an inside track for switching/yard operations. The result: very fast setup and teardown compared to less standardized modular systems. It’s a very informative podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!

The National Model Railroad Association has been working on a new branding strategy and long-term vision for the future of model railroading, particularly through their Vision 2035 initiative and we here at the ole’ ModelersLife world headquarters thought this topic required a more intense investigation and flew in the NMRA’s Publications Manager Riley Triggs and Eastern Director John Doehring.

The NMRA has been updating its image to reflect a more current era of the hobby, making model railroading more appealing to a broader audience. The new branding is part of a broader effort to rejuvenate the organization, to stay relevant in an increasingly digital and interactive world. This is great discussion and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!