Author Archives: Alex Bogaski

No model railroad is every truly finished. But to me, there’s a difference between adding small details and refinements and building entire sections of scenery and major structures. I think Frederick, OK is done, for all intents and purposes. There are several important details I’d like to add: A car puller at one of theContinue reading “Is it Done?”

We’ve got a couple of new hires out here on Farmrail in Frederick, OK! On Valentines Day, my wife joined me for a quick informal operating session on the layout. We had fun filming it and running some trains. She makes a great engineer, I think my friend Tom H. (a veteran engineer and GP10Continue reading “Additions to the Crew”

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”