This is a joint feed for the Beginner’s Guide to Model Railroading (BGT) and the Proto-Future Podcast (PFP), a fresh take on model railroading which covers modern transit, intercity passenger rail, and walkable, climate-just, and racially equitable urban environments.
Reading the feed…
In part two of this three-part series, I explain the ways in which modern transit are relevant to model railroad operations, highlighting the available models and strategies for depicting walking, bicycling, busses, streetcars, trams/straßenbahnen, light rail, stadtbahnen, tram-trains, DMUs, heavy rail subways, schnellbahnen/RERs, intercity rail, long distance/night trains, High-eR Speed Rail (HRSR), and HSR, High Speed Rail.
In part one of this three-part series, I explain the recent history and political implications of modern transit, being: walking, bicycling, busses, streetcars, trams/straßenbahnen, light rail, stadtbahnen, tram-trains, DMUs, heavy rail subways, schnellbahnen/RERs, intercity rail, long distance/night trains, High-eR Speed Rail (HRSR), and HSR, High Speed Rail.
Everything you need to know to begin operating on your, or any model railroad. CTC, ABS, Timetables, Train Orders, Car Cards, and Waybills are all exhaustively, thoroughly, and clearly explained.
Part 2 of an interview with modeler savant, Tyler Trahan, talking about passenger trains, modeling, politics, news, and urbanism.
A bonus narration of my sole-author peer-reviewed scientific literature review.
A bonus discussion on urbanism, advocacy, and completely banning cars.
This episode covers the history of the Class III shortline and narrow-gauge railroads in the Mid-Atlantic Region, including the Camden and Amboy, Ma&Pa, and Surry, Sussex, and Southhampton..
A discussion on Low, Higher, and High Speed Rail, infrastructure politics, and Lucid Stew's history and growth as a creator.
Part 2 of how to ride Amtrak, finding a train, understanding service classes, booking a ticket, waiting at the station, and the onboard experience, recorded from the Coast Starlight.
Part 1 of an interview with modeler savant, Tyler Trahan, covering his history in model railroading, museum, and steam railroading, and his thoughts on virtual modeling, club inclusivity, and public outreach.
Part 1 of how to ride Amtrak, giving a brief history and describing the destinations and operations of every single route on the timetable, recorded onboard the Sunset Limited.
The second part of a pilot episode I recorded in 2023, exploring Pittsburgh and biking on the GAP trail back to Connellsville.
This episode is a layout construction progress update amid some pretty major life changes: writing my and defending my Ph.D. dissertation, and looking to move overseas for safety. What will happen next to the layout and podcast? Listen on...
In this episode, I describe a project I've been working on with some friends to end car-dependency all across America, not just in cities.
The first part of a pilot episode I recorded, testing out the concept of PFP before I released the Manifesto, where I Amtraked from Connellsville to Pittsburgh, explored Pittsburgh, and biked back.
This episode finally gets us around to the "model" part of model railroading, teaching you how to prepare, paint, glue, brace, and detail either plastic or laser-cut wood kits. The different types of kits and glues are discussed, as well as scratch-building and kit-bashing, painting with an airbrush, and how to affix structures on the layout in a realistic manner.
This episode covers the history of the Class II railroads in the Mid-Atlantic Region, primarily the Reading, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Penn-Reading Seashore Lines, and Northern Central.
G4's take on NYC's Congestion Pricing, just in the nick of too late. Plus stories of bicycling around Philly, DC, and Baltimore.
This episode brings up some listener feedback about scenery techniques, answers some questions about what sort of layout beginners should build, and addresses some comments about the tone and ideas of Proto-Future.
A one(-ish) year checkup with Tom Barbalet, talking about his incredibly enduring perspective of model railroading, how the hobby has changed over the years, the direction of modeling, transit, urbanism, geopolitics, artificial life simulations, and exobiology.
This episode addresses the elephant in the room: that America is a now a fascist, dying country. What do we do now, and how do we fight back against the racist conservative idiots that are stealing our freedoms?
The Scathing Atheist, Episode #195, as interpreted by G4
This episode covers the history of the Class I railroads in the Mid-Atlantic Region, primarily the New York Central and Erie-Lackawanna.
This episode caps off the Borealis series with a tour of Loyola, Northwestern, Ogilvie Transport Center, and O'Hare Terminal 5
In this brief episode, I explain why I'm delaying Borealis 4 and offer a bonus essay on a trip to Madison, Wisconsin.
