Rusty High Rail is open!

This marks the start of my blog documenting my S gauge model railroad hobby.

Why S gauge?

Ultimately, it goes back to my father. When dad was a boy back in the late 40's and 50's he collected American Flyer toy trains. Classic, old school trains with 'hook and pin' couplers. He held on the them and handed them down to me in the 1970's. By that time, American Flyer was out of business and my toy trains could have been viewed as obsolete.

Unfortunately, Dad died in 1981, but the train collection survived. The collection was stored in the attic for much of the 80's and 90's. In the mid-90's the trains received a much needed overhaul to restore them to running condition.

In the late 90's I became aware that the American Flyer had been resurrected (thank you Lionel!). New cars were available, though the new cars had modern knuckle couplers. Even better - there were other manufacturers of S gauge model railroading supplies. My train collection moved into the modern era with the acquisition of an American Models SD-60 locomotive.

So here I am. After many years, I've finally started on a permanent model train layout populated with a mix of classic American Flyer trains and modern locomotives and rolling stock from a number of manufacturers. What follows are my musings on the hobby and the challenges and fun of building a model train layout.