Author Archives: Alex Bogaski

I’ve lived in Aberdeen, NC for nearly two years. I enjoy railfanning around town; its usually as easy as jumping in my truck when I hear a horn (especially when it comes to the two short lines). We live near downtown, and the community is small enough to easily get around. I have been meaningContinue reading “A Break From Our Regularly Scheduled Programming…”

Its a hot, windy day in southwest Oklahoma. Farmrail isn’t running into town today. The folks at Cassidy grain loaded the UP hopper this morning, and are probably sitting in the shade somewhere enjoying a sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. I don’t think I’ll win any awards for this scene, and sure, it could beContinue reading “Quiet Day”

I’m a dreamer. I enjoy designing model railroads, exploring new potential prototypes, and even creating freelance or proto-freelance model railroad concepts. I’d like to start slowly sharing some of those ideas here, over time. It would take multiple lifetimes to build all the model railroads that I’d like to build, but perhaps someone else canContinue reading “Hollis & Eastern”

I’m a Soldier. But unlike many who join the Army to get away, I never really wanted to leave my hometown. Sure, I wanted to see the world, and see it I have, from South Korea to Germany, but I have never really had much desire to live permanently anywhere other than Oklahoma. I knewContinue reading “There’s No Place Like Home”

I’ve been working on adding to my fleet for the layout, and thought I’d share some of that here. First off… they’re finally here! I’ve been eagerly awaiting these Farmrail “shuttle hoppers” from Intermountain Ry. Co. for years. They finally shipped! The models are excellent, and I was able to get all 9 road numbers.Continue reading “New Additions to the Roster”

There were once a couple cotton compresses that shipped by rail on the south side of Frederick, OK. That rail traffic seems to have dried up for Farmrail in the early 2000’s, hence my chosen modeling era. I constructed Dunavant Cotton out of a couple Pikestuff kits, but I for the Chickasha Compress, I onlyContinue reading “Chickasha Compress”

I have finally finished one of the two grain elevator complexes in Frederick, OK. Cassidy Grain, a local grain and farm supply company, is a fixture in the town. Although my model isn’t a perfect replica, I pushed myself to take on more challenging kit-bashing techniques and I’m pleased with the result. It reflects theContinue reading “Cassidy Grain”

I did some operating on the layout last weekend, and it was all kinds of fun! Its amazing how much operating potential a small layout can have. Its important to slow down, and try emulating prototype practices. First the train arrived in town with “light engines” and picked up outbound cars from the Farmers Co-op.Continue reading “Switching”

I’ve finally finished equipment acquisition to model Farmrail’s former excursion train! Farmrail used to own two VIA coaches (they’ve since been sold to the Oklahoma Railway Museum) that they once used to provide excursion rides for the local community. The caboose was sometimes used on the train, and was usually powered by a GP10 onContinue reading “The Varnish”

I’ve neglected to write updates lately because I was having some technical difficulties with the WordPress site, but all seems well again! Here’s some of what has been going on on the layout: The gas station from Summit Custom Cuts is mostly finished! Although this is definitely a proto-freelance scene, I was really excited toContinue reading “And We’re Back!”