Latest Update November 17th

Finishing up the first mountain.  Still a lot of work to do but it is coming together!

Another shot of the mountain.

Hiker on the top of the mountain.

A closer view!

Wish I could go hiking!

Hiker!

Tunnel entrance.

Catch up on Current Construction

The controls for my trains!

I run Union Pacific trains which is what Pops used to run.

An engine given to me by Pops.

I also run Aberdeen and Rockfish which is a local North Carolina Line that Dad and I found.

Engine given to me by my Dad.

The beginning of the SanLin railroad.  I started out by putting all the track down with thumbtacks first.

After figuring out where I wanted the track to run I needed to add a little height to it and I put roadbed down on the lower track.

The positioning and beginning of my mountains.

View of the other side of the table.

One of the mountains.  Almost finished it's shell.

The foam placed where the Apple Orchard and lake are going to be!

The other mountain takes shape!

First layer of plaster has been laid.

First coat of gray paint!

The Origin of the SanLin Railroad

I have decided to call my railroad the SanLin Railroad.  This is an homage to my Pops.  This is the name he gave his railroad.  The SanLin Railroad stands for Sandra and Linda.  Sandra is my mom and Linda is her sister or my aunt.  He named the railroad after them so that they would always be with him even when he was working on his railroad.  He even had business cards printed up to share with people.

I love my mom and my aunt so I have decided to call my railroad the same thing but don't be surprised if you have to travel through the Kai mountains or stop by the station to go to Coleen's country kitchen!  Those names my show up somewhere along your journey on the SanLin railroad!

Travel fast, travel safe, travel around the bend, but when you need to travel by train make sure to take the SanLin!

In the Beginning...

When I was little I went to visit my Grandpa at his home in Richmond, Virginia.  I remember walking into the house and it would smell like pipe smoke because Grandpa or Pops as we called him smoked a pipe back then.  You would go into the house and there was a door to a room to the right.  Going through that door was like entering into another world.  He had a wonderful HO train layout that took up a majority of the room.  I was very young then and I don't remember much about the layout except for the locomotive that was zooming around the track.  It was a yellow Union Pacific locomotive.  I don't remember why Pops liked Union Pacific but it has been a part of me ever since. 


Pops later moved to Florida and even then I can remember his layout on the back porch.  I can see him leaned over the layout working on a building or straightening out some of the scenery. 


I was hooked and Dad and I built two large tables that we painted green in the basement of our house in Delaware that we later moved to our home in Clemmons.  I spent a lot of time down in the basement working on the layouts.  Whenever I hear the song "Crazy about her" by Rod Stewart I am taken back to the basement in Clemmons. 


When I was a senior in High School my Grandfather died.  I didn't know then just how much of an impact the time I had had with him would make on the rest of my life.


I didn't do much with my trains through out my college years.  Once I bought a house in Winston Salem, I was able to put up a couple tables again. 


When I moved to Fuquay I again built and set up a massive train setup.  It took up our entire bonus room.  It was massive!  I loved running the trains in that room.


After that I had to live in an apartment for quite awhile and I probably could of set up another table but it just wasn't a priority and honestly I didn't have the money to invest in the hobby.  I actually ended up selling quite a bit of my train stuff just to stay afloat. 


This past September for my birthday, my beautiful loving wife give me train tables for our hobby room at the house.  They are probably bigger than she thought and messier than she thought but I hope she realizes just how much joy and happiness she has brought me by giving me those tables.  


I am just an amateur and my scenes will not look professional but I love every minute of it.  I look forward to sharing some of the experience with you!