Around The Layout - A Model Railroad Podcast

On this special episode of Around The Layout, we talk to Art Dutra and Mike Wheeler of the Nutmeg Division of the NMRA and learn what's new and exciting from the division covering Connecticut and portions of Massachusetts. We often hear about the big changes happening at the national level; now hear how those changes are making positive impacts locally, and how Art, Mike and the rest of the Nutmeg Division leadership are putting in the work to attract new members and add to the value proposition of being a member of the NMRA.
Check out the Nutmeg Division's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/nutmegnmra
Follow the Nutmeg Division on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nutmegnmra/
Subscribe to the Nutmeg Division on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nutmegdivisionnmra8046
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]
Thank you to our show sponsor, Weather My Trains:
https://weathermytrains.com/

We first met Matt Stern on the May 2023 What's Happening In Model Railroading episode where he represented Bachmann as their Communications Manager. During the recording of that show, we spotted a layout behind him, and we knew we had to get Matt back to tell his model railroading story. Well, that time has come, and Matt has an incredible story to share. He tells us about living in the United Kingdom at a young age, an influential uncle back in the United States, and how his passion for model railroading and an ability to chart his own course led to his profession within the hobby. We also learn that his current layout, used to stage some of the Bachmann promotional photos, doesn't have a name, hence the title of this episode!
Check out the work of Matt and his colleagues at Bachmann Trains:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]
Thank you to our show sponsor, Weather My Trains:
https://weathermytrains.com/

Freelance model railroader and YouTuber Matt Forcum pays a virtual visit to the Around The Layout studio. Matt shares with us his model railroading journey that has includes stops in Lego and N scale on his way to HO scale and the Metaline Falls Railroad. He also tells us how he's using his MFRailroad YouTube channel to create a video journal of his layout build and share what he's learning along the way. In addition, his channel includes product reviews and his Rail Ramblin' segments, and Ray and Matt discuss the difficulties of sharing these thoughts in what can be a very opininated hobby. Closing out the show, Matt shares a tool he has created to help build switch lists for smaller railroads.
Check out MFRailroad on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MFRailroad
Read Matt's blog on his website:
http://www.mfrailroad.com
Download OpsBuddy here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y8jbRy0lxMmmrtj_qnKQb1stEQMqq_BGPU02VjTeQmQ/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you to our show sponsor, Weather My Trains:
https://weathermytrains.com/
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]

Coming to us from northern Colorado - seemingly a hotbed of model railroading, is the creator of the BNSF Fall River Division, John Parker. John shares his model railroading story with us, from humble 4x8 beginnings to the beautiful empire he has today. We learn that he's had a lot of help along the way, and he shares how that dedicated group of friends helped him achieve the goal of a railroad empire in his basement that hosts 18 to 22 operators per session.
Learn more about John's BNSF Fall River Division on the web:
https://www.bnsfrr.net/
Follow the BNSF Fall River Division on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Fallriverdiv/
Watch TSG Multimedia's Layout Tour Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJg4PJRa3DQ
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]
Thank you to our show sponsor, Weather My Trains:
https://weathermytrains.com/

On this edition of What's Happening In Model Railroading, we step into the 1:220 world as Ztrack Magazine's Rob Kluz tells us all about Z scale. Rob shares how military modeling started his near 40 year journey in the hobby as a publisher and distributor, and how, in that time, Z scale has made amazing advancements in detail, capabilities, and availability. Ray and Tony also talk about exciting announcements from Tangent, Athearn, Bluford Shops, Rivarossi, Rapido, Viessmann, and Ray's recent purchase from HomeShops LLC.
Check out Ztrack Magazine for more on the exciting world of Z scale railroading:
https://www.ztrack.com/
Subscribe to Model Railroad News and keep up with all that's happening in model railroading:
https://modelrailroadnews.com/
Take a trip through model railroad history on Tony's Model Train Resource:
https://modeltrainresource.com/
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]

Dave Owens from the Amherst Railway Society joined me to record a special on the upcoming Vernon Train Show happening on October 29, 2023 in Vernon, CT. It's good to see a smaller format train show back on the schedule as we kick off model railroad season, and putting the guy who's made the Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet a 20 year success in charge leaves no doubt that this event will be a good one.
For more information on the Model Train Show in Vernon:
https://amherstrail.org/vernon/
Exhibitors and vendors wanted! Email [email protected].
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]

Anyone who has listened long enough to the show knows my affinity for cottage industry, so it was a thrill to talk to Ron Klaiss about his model railroading journey that led to the launch of Mine Mount Models. Ron talks about his early days of model railroading, then talks about how his business was born from a love of structures and a desire to recreate. Later, Ron and I discuss a common side effect of hobbies within the hobby and how the layout can suffer for them.
Check out Mine Mount Models and their fine craftsman kit offerings:
https://minemountmodels.com/
Follow Mine Mount Models on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/minemountmodels
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]

Comedy and model railroading - the two definitely can go together, especially when you start talking to the very funny William Sampson! William makes his return to ATLP to tell his model railroading story, recapping the Father's Day episode he did with his dad and continuing his story. Willam shares how laughs with his dad while running trains set the tone for his outlook on the hobby and how he's carried that over to his ever popular SOO The Milwaukee Road YouTube channel. He also provides us with two "Around The Layout exclusives" on his future plans both in print and for the YouTube channel.
Check out William's SOO The Milwaukee Road YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@SootheMilwaukeeRoad
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]

One of the big announcements following the NMRA National Convention in Texas was the hiring of Lucy Dormont as the new Social Media Director for the National Model Railroad Association. With this breaking news, it was time for a special What's Happening In Model Railroading episode with Tony Cook, Editor of Model Railroad News, to get to know Lucy and find out what she has planned to help grow the NMRA. What we quickly learned is that the national organization has found itself a go-getter who isn't afraid to stick their neck out, ask the questions, and put in the work to achieve goals.
Find out more about the benefits of being a member of the NMRA:
https://www.nmra.org/
Take a trip through model railroad history on Tony's Model Train Resource:
https://modeltrainresource.com/
Subscribe to Model Railorad News and keep up with all that's happening in model railroading:
https://modelrailroadnews.com/
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]
Thank you to our show sponsor, Weather My Trains:
https://weathermytrains.com/

As the author of Show Me Katy, Mike Landis has taken his childhood experience with the MKT Sedalia Subdivision and turned it into a passion that has led not only to writing the book Show Me Katy, but also an HO scale layout paying tribute to the railroad in the 1980's. Mike tells us about choosing the portion of the line that he relates to most and how video creation for his YouTube channel The Main Track provides motivation to continue learning and sharing his journey with others.
Check out The Main Track YouTube channel!
https://www.youtube.com/@MainTrack
Support the podcast and get yourself signed up for free giveaways by becoming a member of the ATLP Operating Crew!
patreon.com/AroundTheLayoutPodcast
Check out our website: www.aroundthelayout.com
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aroundthelayout
Send us an email: [email protected]