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These pages replicate the layout designer Scott
Perry's questionnaire for his clients. The contents are used here
with is permission. I have formatted it to be an series of
pages with his questions and my answers.
Personal
Interview Survey Page 2
How long have you been a
model railroader?
I’ve been playing with trains since I was a small
child. I’ve been a subscriber to Model Railroader magazine continuously
since 1975.
Give a brief history of
your model railroad hobby experience?
I mostly had trains around the Christmas tree during my
childhood, however the platform was 4x6’ and we had two sidings as well as
scenery (including a log pond for the LifeLike working lumber mill). We even
created a snow scene layout using baking soda (I can still taste that
Christmas J
). I also used to visit a neighbor
who had a large basement layout and would help him.
I joined a modular club in
Champaign
,
Illinois
in 1989 during grad school and also operated the University’s club layout.
Mostly, I built models to run on the modular layout.
I built my first true layout (based on the 5x9
Memphis
Jefferson
and Southern by Andy Sperandeo in Track
Planning Ideas by Kalmbach) in the basement of my duplex around 1995. This
layout was created using 1x4 butt joint bench work in 3 3x5 bolted together
sections and with insulating foam for the scenery and subroadbed to keep it
portable and light. I used cork
for the road bed. This was DC and
was wired with NINE blocks (each passing track and spur) so I could have a
switcher, and two mainline trains for operation.
I used ShipIt!, to generate switchlists for operation. I
joined a NH club in 1996 or so. This club had a modular HO layout and a
sectional N scale layout. I built my own 4’ module using a pre-existing
frame. I also helped build at least 4 other modules and re-built about 6 more.
I team taught a scenery clinic at our club’s annual show.
I also was the club DCC “expert” since I had a System One system,
helped the club buy and operate a NCE PowerHouse pro, and was the main person
installing and programming decoders. I’m
also a prototype historian. I have a current membership in the Southern
Railway HA (and the SRHS before that), the ACL-SAL HS and the TAG HS.
I’m also subscribed to the N&W HS modelers list.
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