~ About Me ~
I have been intrigued by trains since I was two years old. My interest started out like most, a simple loop of track under the family Christmas tree. Little did I know this holiday tradition would stimulate my life long passion. I am fortunate that my father is also “hooked” by trains. Each year that simple loop under the tree expanded until Mom kicked us out of the living room. My father and I started to build our first layout when I was five years old. From that point on, the holiday train became a year round hobby. As I grew older, I never lost the desire to work with model trains.
After Dad and I completed our first 4' X 8' HO layout, we wanted to expand. I started to design the plan for the next layout which was to be a 5' x 12' set up. Together, we learned how to make realistic scenery, reliable track work, kit building and kit bashing skills, and how to wire a layout among other things. Pictures of this set up can be seen under the MannM Railroad (HO) tab of this site.
This was still not enough. Dad wanted to run garden scale (G scale) trains in the backyard. It is quite a jump from the living room to the backyard! After learning some invaluable lessons from our friends at the R&F Railroad, I designed the plans for this new 55' x 75' G scale empire. After seven years and countless hours, the MANNM Railroad is nearly complete. It has been an incredible learning experience to see a project of this magnitude from design concepts to final product. Over 1,500 feet of track run through numerous bridges and tunnels. Three waterfalls, two ponds, and 130' of creek beds really capture the viewers attention. Pictures can be seen in the MannM Railroad (G) tab.
While the G scale layout has been a great project, I really enjoy working on the trains themselves. In both HO and G scale, I love fine tuning and super detailing locomotives and cars. As can be seen throughout this website, I take great pride in the trains I have worked on. In fact, building and weathering Maintenance of Way cars really got me hooked to the model building side of the hobby. In addition to the trains, I design parts to make “toy” trains look like the real thing and also build dioramas of actual locations such as the Panama Canal, Panama; Grand Canyon, AZ; and even my hometown Riverside, CA.
After Dad and I completed our first 4' X 8' HO layout, we wanted to expand. I started to design the plan for the next layout which was to be a 5' x 12' set up. Together, we learned how to make realistic scenery, reliable track work, kit building and kit bashing skills, and how to wire a layout among other things. Pictures of this set up can be seen under the MannM Railroad (HO) tab of this site.
This was still not enough. Dad wanted to run garden scale (G scale) trains in the backyard. It is quite a jump from the living room to the backyard! After learning some invaluable lessons from our friends at the R&F Railroad, I designed the plans for this new 55' x 75' G scale empire. After seven years and countless hours, the MANNM Railroad is nearly complete. It has been an incredible learning experience to see a project of this magnitude from design concepts to final product. Over 1,500 feet of track run through numerous bridges and tunnels. Three waterfalls, two ponds, and 130' of creek beds really capture the viewers attention. Pictures can be seen in the MannM Railroad (G) tab.
While the G scale layout has been a great project, I really enjoy working on the trains themselves. In both HO and G scale, I love fine tuning and super detailing locomotives and cars. As can be seen throughout this website, I take great pride in the trains I have worked on. In fact, building and weathering Maintenance of Way cars really got me hooked to the model building side of the hobby. In addition to the trains, I design parts to make “toy” trains look like the real thing and also build dioramas of actual locations such as the Panama Canal, Panama; Grand Canyon, AZ; and even my hometown Riverside, CA.
I graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Masters degree in Engineering specializing in Integrated Technology Management and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. I currently work for a leading energy producer in Southern California. I continue to work on model trains and have
