Dustin Whitten is a full time 1:1 railroader that’s also an HO scale model railroader known for his coal-hauling Appalachian-themed layouts. His current layout was featured in the “Built by Others” series on Trains.com inspired by the Virginian project layout that  first appeared in the pages of Model Railroader in January of 2012. Dustin’s Norfolk & Western South Branch layout took inspiration from this project and adjusted it to fit his space. His freelance layout, the Norfolk & Western South Branch, models Southwestern Virginia in 1987 during the early Norfolk Southern era.  

On this podcast he explains how he expanded and customized the original Virginian project plan with broader curves, a redesigned coal marshaling yard, realistic operations based on prototype railroad practices using a mix of Norfolk and Western, Southern Railway, and early Norfolk Southern power. It’s a great podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!

Andy Zimmerman is well known in the model railroading community through his work with the National Model Railroad Association, as the Standards & Conformance Director. Andy’s just one of those guys that makes the hobby go, being heavily involved with modular groups such as N-TRAK and T-TRAK. Recently he took on the role of “N-Rail” president because he has so much spare time.

Before his railroad hobby leadership, he served twenty-three years in the U.S. Navy, he's been president of the NMRA Sunshine Region, is active with the Big Bend Model Railroad Association in Florida. But for this interview he’s here to tell us all about the T-Trak world record attempt at this year’s national convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded NMRA standards, a tall cool glass of warm salt water and enjoy!!

Long time friend of the AML Nation, Dave Owens stops by to bring us up to date about this year’s Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet or NERPM (excuse me) as the regulars call it.  For the past three years NERPM has run in partnership with The Amherst Railway Society and provides an opportunity for modelers to participate in a show where modelers of all skill levels are able to exhibit their work, learn about new products, and enjoy the company of other talented modelers. 

Dave is always quick to point out NERPM (excuse me) is a “MEET” and not a “SHOW.” This is where folks come together to show what they are working on and see what others are doing, enjoy some great clinics, chat with others and just generally have a great time. So, the bottom line is to go and see for yourself and if you happen to bump into Dave… Tell him Lionel sent you!!

This week, we hear from G4, aka Doctor G4, Notch 11, aka John Gardiner IV. G4 is a long-time friend of the podcast and a valued member of the AML Nation. In this sprawling conversation, we hear about G4's travel across nearly the entire Amtrak system from coast to coast to explore and photograph Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). We discuss G4 biking across commuter rail systems, capturing thousands of photographs to support a future article for Railroad Model Craftsman.

There’s also discussion about European and American DMU prototype equipment, currently available as scale models from Europe, and all the while, G4 does his best to absolutely annoy the Evil Overlord. So sit back, with a big bowl of shredded light rail schedules, slow down your podcast player's speed to 0.75x, and buckle up for a fun conversation.  

To learn more about G4, DMUs, or their podcast, "Proto-Future", visit their website: https://www.bgtmrring.org/ 

When speaking with a third-generation railroader, that usually means he or she comes from a family where railroading has been passed down through the generations, and in the case of our next guest, his grandfather started as a track worker in the very early years of the 1900s and took such pride in his job that his son followed in his footsteps. So it’s no wonder that when Tom Holly came along with a wealth of knowledge from his father and grandfather, the next step seemed only natural. 

Don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to assume that Tom didn’t choose trains, trains chose Tom. In model railroading this kind of lineage is actually a big deal because by the time the third generation gets around the building a layout, they’re able to call on a wealth of knowledge that not many modelers have access to. This is a great podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy.

Gordy Robinson is a well-known figure in the hobby of model railroading, particularly through his involvement with the National Model Railroad Association. He has served in leadership roles for the organization for several years and as president has led the NMRA out of the dark ages.

As a strong advocate for growing membership, encouraging younger hobbyists, and promoting innovation in the hobby and he’s frequently seen at many NMRA conventions, regional meets, and some industry events held by leading manufacturers.

But more importantly, unlike some presidents in our past, Gordy is known for being very approachable and engaging with members of all ages, whether they’re beginners or master modelers. Gordy is devoted to the hobby, and on this podcast, he talks about plans for the future and possibly a lower membership rate. This is a great podcast with lots of good info and interaction. Enjoy!!

When you’ve got a whole bunch of stuff and you need someplace to put it, where else would be more suitable than a Monday morning podcast. We get the gang together to introduce two segments that have not yet been heard on the free channel.

First, it’s an interview about the “Flying Yankee” being produced in HO scale by Bethlehem Car Works also known as White Rose Hobbies and secondly, we have a segment that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat with Steven Atwell, the owner of Midwest Model Railroad located right there in downtown Independence, Missouri. But that’s not all, we manage to kill an hour with useless chatter on either end of those segments. Sit back and relax with a big bowl of shredded assembly instructions, a tall cool glass of super glue and enjoy!!

It’s part three of the Blair Koostra epic 37 day journey across the northeast with camera and hand. One can only hope to achieve the mastery with a camera that Blair has done for decades and decades.

What makes railroad photography so important is that you’re freezing that moment of a freight train grinding upgrade a sleep passenger train flying by creating a sense of drama you don’t get with many other subjects you’re not just photographing equipment you’re capturing a place and time whether it’s in the Appalachian mountains of the eastern United States small towns in the Midwest bridges, massive steel Mills in Indiana, or just a rural crossing railroad photography turns landscapes in the storytelling backdrops. This is a great podcast and one year show and enjoy.

The name Stephen Attwell probably doesn’t really resonate very much with most model railroader, but it’s a name in the hobby that folks should take note of because Stephen is the owner of Midwest Model Railroad one of the finest model railroad stores in the lower forty-eight. Located in Independence, Missouri it’s a 15,000 square-foot store that’s similar to walking into the Home Depot of model railroad stores.

Stephen started this business with his father in the basement of their home, not so many years ago and now are producing a highly detailed line of N-scale cars starting with a center beam car that is destined to be a winner. If you have any interest in what it’s like to be in the model railroad retail business, this is the podcast for you. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded wheelsets, a tall cool glass of axle lubricant and enjoy!!

Jon Stackpole is everywhere these days promoting designing, overseeing construction of multiple products for Athearn while appearing in webcasts, manning show booths discussing upcoming projects with customers like the HO-Scale locomotive newest versions of the GE AC4400CW, EMD SW1500, and other Genesis-series models.

He’s very excited about the  Athearn Genesis Series a high-end model train line produced by Athearn. It’s designed for modelers who want very accurate, highly detailed locomotives and rolling stock compared with the company’s standard Ready-to-Roll models.

The Genesis line began in the late 1990s, when Athearn wanted to compete with other high-detail brands in the hobby. Before that, Athearn was best known for the classic Athearn Blue Box kits that many model railroaders grew up building, but they’ve come a long way and as you’ll find Jon is excited to talk about it. Enjoy!!

You’d think when the gang at “a ModelersLife” got the chance to talk with the lead product manager with Athearn we’d have all sorts of questions to ask. Well, you’d be wrong, Jon has travelled such an interesting road to where he is today, Athearn barely came up. Once we discovered his Dad owned “The Hobby Depot,” a small, well-known model train shop in Monroe, Wisconsin, we wanted to know more!!

Often times in life the journey is more interesting than the destination as you’re about to find out with our next guest. Besides being a life-long model railroader Jon is also an accomplished musician, a one-time kayak guide off the shores of Lake Superior and prize-winning modeler. So sit back with a bowl of shredded fine wooden paddles, a tall cool glass of warm lake water and enjoy!!

Now that was the show, another year has come and gone at the Springfield train show and this one will be remembered as the great snowstorm of 2026. It was so anxiously anticipated that several vendors never even bothered to show up but those of us who did, had a great time in spite of all the problems created by the weather.

It was truly historic, bringing widespread snow across the northern Plains and into New England, impacting travel at airports, railway stations, and of course on the highways and bywaysDespite all this, a very large crowd showed up on Saturday and enjoyed what there was to see. Unfortunately the snow was scheduled to arrive sometime early Sunday morning and the AML crew along with several others left on Saturday evening, however we did still manage to get some good interviews. So, grab yourself a big bowl of shredded snow tires, a tall cool glass of yellow snow and enjoy!!

Well, the show is over, the vendors are gone, there’s no more tickets to be sold and the planning for next year’s Springfield show is already underway!! As always there was lots to see and do, from checking out different manufacturer’s new releases, fabulous layouts, renewing friendships and looking for deals on that one particular piece of rolling stock you need!!

Our favorite magazine editor Otto Vondrak stopped by to give us his take on all there was to see and decipher how the hobby is fairing and where it might be headed. Otto has a wealth of knowledge about the hobby and when you combine that with biggest model railroad show in North America (possibly the world) you’ve got yourself a great podcast. So, grab yourself a big bowl of shredded floor maps, a tall cool glass of warm hot dog grease and enjoy!!

It’s one of those great opportunities where we have the privilege of meeting a valued friend of a podcast regular. Believe it or not, our very own Chris Wehman, (videographer extraordinaire) does indeed have many friends and in this case, we get to meet one of his valuable operators and someone that’s become a big help operating the Norfolk Southern Heartland Division in N-Scale. 

Nick Kolankiewicz as it turns out met Chris just a few short years ago and has become a treasured member of the crew as well as helping Chris with various duties such as installing decoders and making the sound of each locomotive as accurate as possible, which is not necessarily that easy when it comes to N-Scale. This is a great podcast and a great opportunity to meet one of the younger members of this great hobby.

Blair Kooistra is a well-known railfan and railroad photographer whose work and life revolve around trains and railroading — not just as a hobby but also professionally and creatively and documenting rail operations through images. He’s shared thousands of train photos online, especially on Flickr where his photostream includes rail action from classic lines like the Fort Worth & Western.

Recently after retiring from the railroad, he set-off on a thirty-seven-day road trip to photograph railroading and visit with friends and several model railroads. Originally a photojournalist, Blair turned his lens toward trains early in life and has published many of his railroad photos in magazines. He later became a railroad dispatcher based in Texas, which kept him close to the day-to-day workings of real railroads. This a great podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!

Central Georgia RPM is an annual gathering where model railroad enthusiasts of all ability levels (from beginners to seasoned builders) come together to display their scale models, share skills, and learn from one another. For those who don’t know. RPM stands for Railroad Prototype Modelers and is organized as a friendly, community-focused event where modelers exhibit their work, talk techniques, and swap insights.

This year’s meet is in Macon, Georgia on March 27–28, 2026 at Lundy Chapel Church in Macon. The meet moved from Savannah, where a similar RPM event ran from 1999 until 2023, and now continues that tradition in the Central Georgia region. In short, this RPM is a celebration of model railroading and is a weekend event for enthusiasts to connect, display their craft, and dive deeper into the art and technique of realistic model railroads. Enjoy!!

Another year has come and gone since we last talked to hero Smokin’ Joe D’Amato. For those of you who don’t know Joe’s been a true friend of the podcast since before dinosaurs were born, along with his trusty sidekick, the modeller simply known as “Kelly,” he’s regaled with all sorts of interesting stories and never been afraid to share his knowledge of the hobby.

But’s there’s been some pretty big changes in Joe’s life with the purchase of Micro Trains by the Atlas Model Railroad Company located in Newark, New Jersey. However, the folks at Atlas obviously know talent when the see it and made sure he’d stay on to continue the great tradition and quality that Micro trains is known for. He’s been involved with design, production, and community outreach for decades and stopped by to give the inside scoop on this new chapter in his life. It’s a great podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!

Once again, it’s time to chat with John Sacerdote the long time show director of the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show featuring many of today’s most popular manufacturers, fabulous layouts, railroad history, photography, art, books, videos, vendors and a whole bunch more stuff for everyone to see and enjoy!!

John has been overseeing the show for almost twenty-five years and still enjoys meeting as many of the exhibitors and show goers as possible. Adult admission is eighteen dollars per day with children under the of fifteen enter free when accompanied by an adult. Maps and exhibitor lists are downloadable in advance from the show website which is strongly recommended. If you’re passionate about model railroads, prototype railroads, or just want to see some of the most ambitious layouts in North America, this show is a must. Enjoy!!

Springfield is just days away which means it’s time for our favorite hobby shop owners, Ryan and Tom to load up the trailer, gas up the truck and head north from York, Pennsylvania to the biggest model railroad show of the year!! This year they’ve got six tables some really cool estate stuff, a whole lot of paint to sell and very little help.

It’s gonna be a challenging year for the boys because they decided to go it alone with any help from the shop staff. Tom has decided to go with very little preparation so when you stop by their both be patient and tell them Lionel said to hurry up. Grab yourself a big bowl of shredded purchase receipts, a tall cool glass of tap water from the restroom in the Better Living Center and enjoy!!    

It’s another first-time guest and this time it’s a Norfolk Southern modeler with lots of talent and ambition, two qualities the crew here at the ole’ AML Headquarters in downtown Busted Knuckle are desperately lacking. Baxter Barnes could be referred to as the new generation of model railroader armed with plenty of knowledge and the skill required to build a model railroad anyone could be proud of.

When not working in the aerospace industry you can find our next guest working on his current layout the Cedartown District of the Norfolk Southern which is representative of the railroading he grew up around.  Baxter has great ideas and skills but isn’t afraid to admit that a lot of his expertise can be attributed to Pelle Soeborg’s books such as “Done in a Day.” This is a great podcast and one we’re sure you’ll enjoy!!