Meet Michael Tylick

My first train set (or locomotive) was…?

When I was quite young, my parents bought me a secondhand Christmas train set. My best recollection is that it was probably a Marx set with strange couplers and lithographed tinplate sides. There was a small 0-4-0 steamer, a silver Gulf Oil tank car, a tan baby Ruth boxcar, and a red caboose. I loved the bright colors and the renderings on the side. Many years later my sister-in-law found a train set with the same cars at a thrift store in the Carolinas. I have had all sorts of trains in different scales, but this remains my favorite. Because it was so toy like I had to use my imagination to make it realistic.

My trains are primarily from this era?

toy train near baseball park scene — I wanted to include toy train photos from my days working on commercial layouts, from my time with now defunct What Detail!, Inc. Toy trains allow such fantasy. Much of this scene was built by me. Although the railroad does run close to Boston’s Fenway Park it is unlikely an American Flier S scale Santa Fe train ever ran past it. Filene’s Department store, Fenway Park, and the Citgo sign are well known landmarks to Bostonians. Fenway and the diner are Department 56, and the city structures are HO scale models from City Classics. The Citgo sign is an animated product from Miller Engineering. It’s programmed to follow the same lighting sequence as its prototype. The sign is quite visible from Fenway, and I am sure many baseball fans will recognize it from TV. Michael Tylick photo

Although I have many pieces of railroad equipment in scale ranging from Z to F from many eras, I have always gravitated toward the small late steamers and early diesels of the 1920s to 1930s. There was a great variety of freight cars used during that time, many of which were quite suited to model scratchbuilding. Most of my trains are recent scale models so I would consider them as being built in the modern era. I really love all trains in any scale or size. I often have trouble selecting one and would like to do it all.

My biggest modeling success has been…?

model steam locomotive crossing rocky bridge — From my current home layout, the On30 Marshfield and Old Colony with a Bachmann Shay and scratchbuilt hopper cars. The bridge is made from sheet styrene. Distant hills are part of the layout, but the distant building is an N scale photo of a local B&B. Michael Tylick photo

Having the first examples of my work published by Kalmbach almost 40 years ago. I have since enjoyed great success and recognition of my “skills” because of this. And because of my exposure to the hobby public, I have been fortunate enough to make a great number of friends, as well as travel to many places. I’ve even made a little money along the way.

My biggest modeling mistake was…?

yellow switcher engine next to enginehouse with red truck nearby — An enginehouse scene from our Fn3 Chester & Becket project railroad, built by several friends over a period of 20 years. Structures in this photo are built by me. The engine is from Bachmann Trains and the vehicle is by Ertl. There is forced perspective with the full-sized enginehouse and an HO Walthers mill kit about 18 inches distant. Mountains and sky are added digitally from prototype subjects in all the photos. Michael Tylick photo

I was experimenting with benchwork constructed from foam insulation instead of wood. Now this construction appears to be practical for portable layouts but at the time I was using a fiberglass product that was strong enough but had metal foil covering on both sides. Without thinking I hand spiked rail directly into the foil, causing numerous electrical short circuits. It was a small layout, but it took me weeks to pull all the spikes and reattach the rail with Walthers Goo. I don’t think I ever found all the spikes and the track was never really right again.

When I’m not enjoying my trains I’m usually (other hobbies or activities)…?

I love getting out of the house and photographing full size prototype trains and architectural subjects and traveling to distant places to do so, but unfortunately not exotic ones. I especially enjoy these trips when I get to visit with old friends I’ve made along the way. So more and more I am enjoying the social aspects of the hobby. When I am home, I also enjoy fooling with computer graphics and watching old movies on Netflix and Amazon and listening to music, mostly blues and soul. Like most people, I enjoy spending time with my wife, going on day trips and out to dinner with her and the children and grandchildren when they come to visit. I’ve been retired for more than 20 years so I am fortunate to have plenty of time to do these things.

Advice I would give a new hobbyist is…?

model steam locomotive with smoke crossing bridge — A more recent photo of the same scratchbuilt bridge but Bar Mills “Wicked Wanda” kit has been added at left. Smoke is added digitally from photos found from Google images. Boxcar was scratchbuilt from wood with added custom artwork. The car is based on a prototype. It was from one of the Maine 2-foot gauge railroads and was repainted for the Edaville RR, a local tourist attraction. The cars, in derelict shape, are now at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum. Michael Tylick photo

Over the years I have may have gained a lot of hobby experience, but I often envy the excitement and enthusiasm of newcomers. Everything is so new and fresh and so wonderful, and they want to do it all by tomorrow. But please take your time to try different scales, models and materials. A hobby should be something to have fun with and perhaps even to learn from; but it is not a job where competition and production are most important. Don’t stress over how little you felt you’ve accomplished. Over time you will find your path through the hobby.