A group of five young men, who had been on Facebook O gauge groups and other online groups, decided to form their own group called the “Train Dads.” As you can guess from the name, the group is made up of hobbyists of a younger generation, and who are proud fathers to amazing kids. This group includes the following individuals:
- Patrick Downing
- Michael McNamee
- Chris Raines
- Matt Rotchford
- Nicholas Tate
The five men chat through social media and have YouTube channels to showcase their layouts (Chris was on the cover of CTT in 2022). They also post on Facebook, sharing videos and photos of their layouts, and connecting with hobbyists from across the county–and the world.
The group has taken a few opportunities to connect on Zoom in the past year. Along with discussing their layouts and love for the hobby, they also talk about families, careers, and anything else on their minds. While the five of them have not all met in person, connecting over Zoom has been an incredible experience, and their friendships have strengthened.
CTT recently interviewed the members via email to learn more about their experiences and preferences in the hobby.
If you’re a younger person involved in the hobby, we’d like to hear from you. Email editor@classictoytrains.com and tell us what you’re doing or how you’re connecting with other hobbyists.
Patrick Downing
How did you get started in the hobby?
I’ve had a fascination with trains my entire life, as four generations of my family worked for the AT&SF (later BNSF) railroad out of Marceline, Mo. and Fort Madison, Iowa. My father and uncle both retired from BNSF. My father and I had an HO scale model railroad in our basement with Santa Fe diesel engines, Amtrak, and a few steam locomotives. I wasn’t very active in the hobby for several years (around early high school), but I admired layouts at railroad museums and hoped I could one day get back into it.
After I became a father, I noticed my oldest son had an interest in trains, specifically Thomas the Tank Engine and the Polar Express. When he was two years old, Santa Claus brought him a Lionel Polar Express set that we immediately set up around the tree. I looked at the Lionel brochure that came with the train set and noticed a few sets and locomotives that looked intriguing. After the new year, I purchased my first O gauge train set, the Pennsylvania Flyer. My wife encouraged my son and I set up a table in the house to run our trains together, which led to me buying the Santa Fe Super Chief set. I was hooked! A year later, my best friend and I ran to Menards to purchase some lumber, insulation boards, and other supplies to build what is now my 4 x 8 O gauge layout. It pays homage to my family and my native hometown of Marceline, Mo.
What’s your favorite era of train to run and why?
I enjoy running digital engines, particularly Lionel. The sound effects, smoke, and other features are a lot of fun, and my three sons and I enjoy the ease of running them using familiar technology, such as an iPhone or an iPad. We run the layout with a combination of the LionChief app on our iPad, along with the Lionel Universal remote. We’ll eventually upgrade to the upcoming Base 3 system. I am a fan of Lionel’s locomotive details, particularly in the LionChief Plus 2.0 line and Legacy lines. Our collection includes 17 locomotives (all Lionel) and a mix of rolling stock from Lionel, MTH, Atlas, K-Line, Menards, Williams, and more.
What’s your vision of the hobby 20 years from now?
If the hobby can change with the times, it will remain strong. I’m encouraged to see many YouTube and social media channels about model railroading, spanning from kids and teenagers to elders. Twenty years from now, I believe model railroading will still be an active and exciting hobby, regardless of any advances made in technology.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmHTcSBe23WgiDCuvPGB6A
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/169508301030192
Michael McNamee
How did you get started in the hobby?
My dad (Santa) got my first Lionel train set, the Redwood Valley Express, for Christmas when I was 9 years old. Both my brothers got trains for Christmas around the same ages, but they never had any interest. For me, it stuck. My dad has always been creative, he was an oil painter years ago and watched a lot of Bob Ross (and I loved watching with him, and I watch the re-runs with my son). He’s a long time HO modeler He got started with an American Flyer set at Christmas around 9 years old, around 1955. The hobby of model railroading is a unique experience that I share with my dad to this day.
My layout is the Kisco Falls Railroad, an homage to my hometown and Bedford Falls from It’s a Wonderful Life. While the track, rolling stock and engines are newcomers, most of the buildings and structures, including my centerpieces, the Rico Station and the “famed” Kisco Falls (the mountain-tunnel spanning much of my layout along the rear straightaway) were built with my dad when I was between the ages of 10 and about 13. I’m glad those pieces are on my layout today. They bridge the gap from childhood to adulthood and are a reminder of how it all started, the time I spent with my dad making them and a continuation of the joy that model trains bring to my life.
While it’s fun to run trains, it’s much more fun to share with others. During the pandemic, I created a YouTube Channel and an Instagram page. I want others to experience and appreciate the work that I’ve done. That’s what led me to the Train Dads. In March 2021 I started a group chat on Facebook Messenger with these great dads, and as they say, the rest is history. We’ve shared trains, new finds, tips, layout expansions and updates, scenery changes and the latest trains to join the collection. We’ve also shared a common bond as dads, talking about kids and families, work and new jobs, tough times, and celebrated moments. We all shared in the joy of Patrick welcoming a third child! It’s the first place I go (after my immediate family) when I want to share something important, trains or otherwise.
What’s your favorite era of train to run and why?
Digital by far. I love the history of prewar, postwar, and modern. I appreciate the nostalgia that trains from those eras evoke, especially around Christmas time. But for me, it’s modern digital command. It’s the sounds and advance fan driven smoke that do it for me.
I had just finished my first good paying summer job in the early 2000s. That fall I purchased an MTH Proto-Sound 2 Pennsylvania S2 Turbine ready-to run passenger set. My mind was blown. I was hooked; I could not believe what I was hearing. A few years later everything went into storage. Then, when I got back into the hobby in early 2019, LionChief had just made its debut. I was intrigued by the simplicity and the easy to use remote. Again, I was completely captivated by the experience. LionChief led to LionChief Plus. Then I discovered Eric’s Trains on YouTube. LionChief Plus lead to Legacy. The Universal Remote lead to TMCC lead to a Legacy Cab2. There is no looking back.
Some people criticize the industry; you can’t have Legacy to Premier on a small layout. Not so. Even with a small layout such as mine, which is only 9 x 4, you can still run the highest quality engines. You’re not limited to entry level products. Lionel, MTH, Atlas and others make a great amount of highly detailed scale items that can navigate smaller radii. Just because you have a small space doesn’t mean that you must sacrifice detail, quality or your control system.
Sometimes you need to be selective about what you want on your layout when working in a smaller space. Don’t let space limit what you can do with your imagination. Really, it’s the little things; backdrops, lighting, trees, bushes, cars, animals, and figures that bring your layout to life. They tell the story of the people that live and work in your little world. They tell your story.
What’s your vision of the hobby 20 years from now?
Digital and technological innovation. No question. Lionel is already onto this with Voice Streaming and Recording, Copula-Cams, Bluetooth, etc. The immersion of yourself into the train will be where the hobby will take this. I think LionChief is one of the biggest strides to hit O gauge since TMCC. The simplicity and accessibility gives anyone the ability to operate even the most complex gines right out the box. You may not get all of the advanced features, but let’s face it, all we do is blow the horn or whistle about 90% of time anyway. Maybe we will even see integration with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assist; voice control of your entire railroad network. With the new Lionel app set to release, it will take the digital experience to the next level. I’m excited for it. I think there is something novel, and even playful, about the crispness and bright imagery of your engine on the app. I’m looking forward to the innovation that is yet to come.
Chris Raines
How did you get started in the hobby?
My father introduced me to the hobby. I have participated in this hobby all my life and really ramped up in 2021. The extra time at home [during the COVID-19 pandemic] was a great chance for me, as it was for many, to explore the hobby and get to work on my own display.
What’s your favorite era of train to run and why?
Postwar is my favorite era. The simple beauty of the models and the way some are considered far more valuable than others even though they share common traits, and the connection this era had to the “American Dream.” Of course, the reminder of my own childhood when my Dad would break out the vintage set.
What’s your vision of the hobby 20 years from now?
More standardization from the manufacturers with regards to electronics and I see this traversing scales. I also see more open source, niche products forming via crowdsourcing. The models will always be familiar, as we are working from historical footprints. The dioramas will always vary from highly artistic composition to minimalist loops. I see Generative AI making its way to the hobby. More input from customers on paint schemes and even the models themselves.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RBPTrains
Matthew Rotchford
How did you get started in the hobby?
When I was around 8 I was given my first HO model railroad set. I setup a small board, connected the track and moved the handle to give a little power. When the engine moved for the first time I knew I was hooked for life. I ended up moving away from the hobby in high school, but that was rekindled back in the late 90s. This time I ended up buying two Lionel rugged rail sets. The first one was a UP 4-4-2 steam freight set and the other was a Santa Fe FT passenger set. These purchases set a lot of things in motion that established my foothold in O scale today.
What’s your favorite era of train to run (eras are prewar, postwar, modern 1970-1995, and digital 1996-present) and why?
Digital for sure. I’m already a tech-head by trade so command control to me is the easiest and most enjoyable way to run trains.
What’s your vision of the hobby 20 years from now?
A unified control system across all scales. This would make it much easier for new folks to get into the hobby without having to implement complicated setups. Mobile devices are going to play a large part in model railroading in the future.
M&M Podcast | Podcast Link: http://www.mandmpodcast.com/
WC Model Railroad | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjSpNlduCj_M_3tHotCzvZA/videos
WC Model Railroad | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchicagorailroad
WC Model Railroad | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wc_model_railroad/
Nicholas Tate
How did I get started in this hobby?
In the early 1990s, my parents bought my brother and I an HO set. It was fun for a few years but it eventually stopped running. In 2020, a visit to the Boston Science museum to see their train exhibit during Christmastime sparked that love for all things trains. A family member surprised me with an O gauge, Lionel LionChief Pennsylvania Flyer set for Christmas. I was hooked for good. Started small with LionChief, picking up all the track and rolling stock I could find. I quickly fell in love with the more detailed scale items and Legacy engines. I particularly like the endless miniature worlds that can be created with scenery and figures.
What’s your favorite era of train to run and why?
I like the digital era, with the modern high-end details on today’s engines and rolling stock. The sounds, the tech, the realism, is what speaks to me. I am by no means a hi-railer or rivet counter (I love playing with my son with his Thomas the Tank Engine set), but I appreciate the scale detail and simplicity of running a modern engine over Bluetooth and an app.
What’s your vision of the hobby 20 years from now?
I see this hobby growing and becoming more loved by newer generations. It will be helped along with social media platforms and ease of sharing knowledge and excitement. Competition with budget friendly up-and-comers like Menards will help keep the “giants” pushing to innovate. Realism and detail will make great strides with more immersive experiences with AI and interactive features. Smaller onboard electronics will leave room for more technology and greater innovation across all gauges, especially HO and N. I’m very excited to see where this hobby will be in 20 years. (Just maybe not the prices)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/railtietate/
YouTube: Youtube.com/Railtietate
Read more
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