Meet The
Crew
Hi, I
am Debbie Ames. I come to model railroading after teaching Art, raising a family, and
directing a church school. During the past fifteen years I have participated in a variety
of model railroad activities.
- In Omaha I belonged to G.O.S.M.E., Greater Omaha Society of Model Engineers, which had a
large layout in the basement of a museum. Belonging to a club introduced me to numerous
scenery techniques and made me realize the amount of labor that goes into a layout.
- After returning to New England, my husband and I began our HO layout, which is based on
the Buffalo, Rochester, & Pittsburgh Railway. With this layout our interest in
historical accuracy and prototype is satisfied. The B.R.&P. has gone through several
reconstructions and we hope to dedicate more time to it this winter. My focus is scenery,
backdrop, supply shopping, structure building, etc.
- Our family was active in the HUB module group for five years. We built an ever evolving
module based on the B.R.&P. Railway at Brockwayville, Pa., circa 1950. After visiting
and researching the site we tried our best to replicate the buildings, scenery, and flavor
of the town's station area. Over several years this module has been modified, added to ,
torn apart, rewired, etc. It was featured in the 1993 Walther's catalogue. Some of the
more unusual features include working signals, scratch built pole lamps, live wire using
HO gauge poles, and operating crossing lights with bells. This module received first
places at Valley Forge National Convention in the group category, since the whole family
contributed time and skill.
- About eight years ago our family began our garden railroad, named the S.J.R.&P., some "justifiable recreation and
Procrastination". This is the railway, where we have fun. We allow ourselves some
whimsical areas and leeway with equipment. But it has been hard work, with a great deal of
wheel barreling of fill, loam, gravel, ballast, and yards of concrete mixing. It is
located on a hillside in our back yard and consists of two ponds, four tunnels, eight or
nine bridges, and about eight hundred feet of track. The whole railways is DCC powered.
The S.J.R.&P. has been a marriage of my two hobbies, gardening and trains. The garden
railway absorbs our time, money, and muscle, but I love it!
- Being married to Stan, (one of the creators of DCC), I have seen and
used more DCC stuff than I care to admit. I have observed that many modelers have
difficulty getting useful and accurate information about DCC. Tried and True Trains will
not only provide useful tips and techniques concerning this evolving aspect of the hobby,
but will also provide you with a source of equipment at fair and reasonable costs.
- Along with the modeling activities, I am currently a life member of the NMRA and a member of the Board of Directors for the Hub
Division of NMRA. This experience is teaching me how to help organize large shows, give
clinics, and to cope with organizational joys and woes.
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Copyright 1995-2007 by Tried & True Trains,
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For more information contact Debbie Ames,
President tttrains