About the author

The 7½" gage-railroading hobby is something I "fell into" late in my life. It had been my father’s hobby before me but I did not share it with him until after he passed away and my sister and I decided his rolling stock and track should not leave the family. I had the land, a "high school shop teacher" and industrial CAD background, sons and grandchildren and so it went to me. His four-foot stack of magazines I started to read, as I know nothing about his hobby. But in the spring of 1991 I received an invitation to bring my scout troop to Illinois Railway Museum for Scout Day; it was during that visit I was hit full smack in the head with railroading and everything fell into place for my understanding of my fathers hobby. I was totally immersed! I laid his 30’ x 60’ oval in my back yard using all the technology and understanding I had learned from my eight years of civil engineering technician work with the County Highway where I designed and drew plans for road and bridge replacement and upgrade.

I left the county Highway and went back into teaching what is now called Industrial Technology (which is much more than shop that I taught in the 60s and 70s) and those last two schools wanted me to upgrade the drafting classes of T-square and triangle drawing into Computer Aided Drafting (CAD). Using my industrial and civil engineering background I designed the CAD curricula from beginning courses to finishing with emphasis on a choice of Architectural, mechanical or civil engineering courses for those high school students. I retired from teaching at the age of 62 and promptly went back into industry as a CAD draftsman and maintenance man; I could weld, "turn wrenches," design and fabricate additions or replacements for the production machines in the factory but more importantly I finally had the finances for set up my home work shop with welding, machining, fabricating, woodworking machines I felt would be needed for my new railroading hobby. During those past five years I changed from full time employment to par-time employment giving me more time in my home shop for railroading. My track went from the 300’ oval to now over 1,000’ of track. I also developed a new interest in this 7½" railroading hobby, I spent my evenings researching short line railroads of the 30s and 40s and started drawing plans for rolling stock that was used here in the Midwest and Midsouth. My wife laughs at me – I have more plans drawn than I will ever live enough to build. But why not, I am now enjoying my life’s work and CAD and shop.

These CAD plans reflect my railroading interests: I make ‘em look close, I use the steel shapes I can purchase or scrounge locally, I don’t decide how to fasten things together until I start making them, most pieces of rolling stock are at or less than 5’ long so I can haul them in my pickup truck, and I am infatuated with old MoW cars. I like making things more than purchasing small parts. You must understand I am very comfortable around mills, lathes, saws, welding (stick, arc, wire, spot and gas), woodworking saws, planners, jointers and routers. I also have enough equipment to set up a small bench molding aluminum foundry (might do that this summer). Knowing all of this I realize some of you will be hard pressed to fabricate what I have designed and for some of us, this learning curve is all part of our hobby. I really do hope you have the same fun as I am having in our 7½ gage railroading hobby.

Laurence Johnson