Charles is a retired mechanical engineer and enjoys re-designing drives for his O scale models. He also likes scratch building and painting both structures, locomotives and rolling stock.
Charles has been modeling all his life. As a child he started as many others with a 4 X 8 Lionel layout. Not being happy with Lionel because the ties were too far apart, he changed to HO when in junior high school. This was influenced in part by a large HO layout that was sponsored by the Kansas City Southern Railway at the Louisiana State Fair. He was further inspired by the models of Louisiana industry at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport.
After a move associated with a job change Charles decided to change scales in pursuit of his love for the Colorado Narrow Gauge. He sold his HO collection and started over modeling in On3. As he was building his new layout, a friend challenged him to look at the NMRA achievement program. He started collecting achievement certificates and in five years he had his Master Model Railroader #229 plaque.
Charles models D&RGW narrow gauge and standard gauge set in the early 1950’s but his period and local are a bit flexible as he likes Southern Pacific/Cotton Belt from the period when he first started seriously modeling in the late 1960’s. During this period SSW was running locomotives from every manufacturer including Alcos, GE’s, EMD’s including the big DD-35’s and U-50’s. The big engines would come into Shreveport almost every day on the evening train from Houston.
Charles is also an avid railroad photographer and likes showing his photographs of trains to anyone that will watch. He has a passion for steam power, but diesels are game too, especially older ones. His photography has led to publishing many articles in the major model magazines.
The NMRA has contributed a lot to his modeling enjoyment. After a move to the Dallas area, it was at the Division 3 NMRA meetings where he met many of his close friends in the area. He is now the Director of Division 3. When asked to take this responsibility he was inclined to say no way but remembering all that the NMRA has given him he had to accept the position. It has been an enjoyable experience.
CLINIC #1 of 2 - Fifty Years of Railroad Photography
Charles started seriously photographing trains in the late 1960’s so he would have a record of what railroading was all about so his model railroad would accurately reflect the prototype. A trip to the Reader Railroad in South Arkansas introduced him to steam railroading which became a lifetime passion. Charles has traveled coast to coast photographing trains. Although the clinic has a heavy content of steam railroading there is a lot of diesel action too. Although many of the diesel photographs are from around Shreveport, La (his hometown) there are pictures of roads across the country.
CLINIC #2 of 2 - Precision Measurements for Model Making
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Charles will present many measuring devices needed for model railroading. In addition, he will cover how he built several tools to cut wood and metal more accurately. These tools resulted from his frustration using tools that promised a lot and delivered little. He used his mechanical engineering background to make things better. These tools and tool add-ons are manufactured by Charles’ company, Precision Measurements for Model Builders. He will show how he manufactures these tools.
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