Like many, I grew up along one of the MP lines – in this case, the T&P line between Ft. Worth and El Paso in Midland, Texas. I was a train fan, but at the time the T&P was not a “fashionable” railroad to follow in the small circle of railfans I knew. I later found out that my maternal Great-Grandfather had been a brakeman on the MP in Missouri, and my wife’s father was a fireman out of North Little Rock – he was killed in a wreck in the late ’60’s.

I’m been a member of the MPHS for a number of years, and began modeling (HO) the MP in the mid ’90s when I got back into model railroading in a serious way. Currently have an operations oriented layout in my “California basement” – point to point, between Gurdon and Texarkana, 1960. Choice of location was mainly due to desire to be able to have both MP and T&P equipment, choice of year was lack of desire to see any Jenks blue, but wanted as modern as I could get to that point. Lot’s of fun. Currently run 2 ops sessions a month – crew is usually 4 to 6 (2 yards plus road crews).

On the non-MP side, I’m very active in the NMRA (currently IT manager for National, and active in both Region and Division), and a member of ops crews on 4 other layouts.

I’m glad to see the very positive changes in the MPHS the past few years.