Dave is a civil engineer and manager at a major northeastern passenger railroad. His lifelong passion and subsequent career in railroad operations has allowed an insight into prototype railroad infrastructure design, maintenance, and more importantly into operations: how people use infrastructure to move trains.
Dave models Conrail during the mid-1990s on his HO scale railroad, the Onondaga Cutoff. The “OC” is well-known having been featured numerous times in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. Videos of operations on the OC are available online and a growing series of how-to videos hosted by Dave is available at www.patreon.com/onondagacutoff.
Dave has authored several books on model railroading and enjoys travel, photography, music, cooking, history, and rail operations. More than anything Dave enjoys community and family time living with his wife and their three children in northwestern New Jersey.
On Art in Model Railroading:
Modeling railroading is a journey that seeks to capture in miniature what prototype railroads have done for hundreds of years: organize people and machines to provide transportation for the movement of goods and the traveling public. Railroading is a vocation, and those of us fascinated by trains are naturally exposed to railroading and all of its possibilities. The art is what ties this community of modelers together.
The wonder and awe surrounding railroading is indeed real, and communicating that passion to others is an artistic journey just as much as any other art can be. Working to continuously improve our modeling opens doors for us to be inspired by others, and for us to inspire fellow modelers sharing the journey. In kinship with military operations or blue-ocean shipping, railroading wholly depends on teamwork to accomplish its goals. And model railroading likewise sets a stage where teamwork can resonate – a group of people coming together to model prototype operations.
The art of model railroading takes many forms, yet it always begins where we each start. Our art accompanies us on our journeys, it waits for us when we need it to, and it will challenge us to grow. As we work to improve our own skills, we have more to share with others, and by coming together the hobby grows stronger. The best is yet to come!