June 1, 2019
Hello Friend,
My name is John L. Wilda. I am a baker and model railroader in my mid-twenties. This is my personal website dedicated to all things railroading including my outdoor garden line: ex-Leeds Hill Railroad (LHRR). I also will post about railroad-related trips I have taken or photos and videos I've been able to capture of prototype lines. In addition, I have compiled a collection of resources for others who are into model railroading and a list of historical information for those interested in the history of the railroad in the United States.
The Leeds Hill Railroad was a garden line that operated outside on 45mm brass-rail track. I am modeling assorted New England lines both past and present in scales between 1:22.5 to 1:32 . There have been two iterations of the LHRR between March, 2018 and April, 2019. This is due to my moving in that time period. Though neither of the versions made it that far, I learned a lot in the processes of building the lines. I now live in Rhode Island and have no outdoor space at my apartment. I hope to someday rebuild the LHRR.
I have been a fan of trains all my life. When I was young I had the wooden Thomas & Friends toys and my dad bought an LGB starter set for under the Christmas Tree when I was about 5 (he still has it). As I got older my family attended the ARS Hobby Show in West Springfield, MA annually. One year, after the show, my brothers and I bought a Bachmann HO starter set together. My (now ex-)step-brother ended up with everything we'd bought for it, except one Model Power tanker. That is sitting on my bookshelf on a 9" section of track. Someday I hope to give it a better home. In January 2018 I attended the ARS Hobby show again and bought my first large scale locomotive: my Forney. It was meant to sit on a shelf, but quickly I ended up buying track and cars for it and decided that I wanted it to be battery powered, and R/C controlled. Which leads us to where I am now: 2 locomotives, 15 cars, a lot of track, and a bunch of new skills.
I love model railroading, especially in large scale, because you get to learn so many new skills. Personally, I have learned electrical wiring (soldering, building circuits, controlling the power, etc.) from scratch because I wanted to rewire my Forney. Along with wiring I am able to utilize skills like: carpentry, masonry, landscaping, gardening, model building, and plumbing. There are so many little things to learn under each of these categories, I don't think I'll ever learn it all. I hope you enjoy my website. It's quite fun putting it all together and I hope that you are able to learn something, too.
Please, don't hesitate to contact me with anything you may have to say! You can either use the contact form below or send me a message directly. You can also find me on the below listed railroading forums and my YouTube channel!
Regards,
John L. Wilda
My name is John L. Wilda. I am a baker and model railroader in my mid-twenties. This is my personal website dedicated to all things railroading including my outdoor garden line: ex-Leeds Hill Railroad (LHRR). I also will post about railroad-related trips I have taken or photos and videos I've been able to capture of prototype lines. In addition, I have compiled a collection of resources for others who are into model railroading and a list of historical information for those interested in the history of the railroad in the United States.
The Leeds Hill Railroad was a garden line that operated outside on 45mm brass-rail track. I am modeling assorted New England lines both past and present in scales between 1:22.5 to 1:32 . There have been two iterations of the LHRR between March, 2018 and April, 2019. This is due to my moving in that time period. Though neither of the versions made it that far, I learned a lot in the processes of building the lines. I now live in Rhode Island and have no outdoor space at my apartment. I hope to someday rebuild the LHRR.
I have been a fan of trains all my life. When I was young I had the wooden Thomas & Friends toys and my dad bought an LGB starter set for under the Christmas Tree when I was about 5 (he still has it). As I got older my family attended the ARS Hobby Show in West Springfield, MA annually. One year, after the show, my brothers and I bought a Bachmann HO starter set together. My (now ex-)step-brother ended up with everything we'd bought for it, except one Model Power tanker. That is sitting on my bookshelf on a 9" section of track. Someday I hope to give it a better home. In January 2018 I attended the ARS Hobby show again and bought my first large scale locomotive: my Forney. It was meant to sit on a shelf, but quickly I ended up buying track and cars for it and decided that I wanted it to be battery powered, and R/C controlled. Which leads us to where I am now: 2 locomotives, 15 cars, a lot of track, and a bunch of new skills.
I love model railroading, especially in large scale, because you get to learn so many new skills. Personally, I have learned electrical wiring (soldering, building circuits, controlling the power, etc.) from scratch because I wanted to rewire my Forney. Along with wiring I am able to utilize skills like: carpentry, masonry, landscaping, gardening, model building, and plumbing. There are so many little things to learn under each of these categories, I don't think I'll ever learn it all. I hope you enjoy my website. It's quite fun putting it all together and I hope that you are able to learn something, too.
Please, don't hesitate to contact me with anything you may have to say! You can either use the contact form below or send me a message directly. You can also find me on the below listed railroading forums and my YouTube channel!
Regards,
John L. Wilda
Please note that photos, writings, videos, and all other media on this website is copyrighted to me unless otherwise stated. No part of this website may be reproduced for commercial use or personal gain without written consent. None of the businesses, organizations, persons, or other groups have paid to be listed on my website. I make no financial or physical gains from this site in any way. This website is a part of my railroading hobby and nothing more. It is a compilation of personal experiences along with the expertise I have been given from other modelers.
Header: Old rails that were paved over in San Francisco