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MEET THE MODEL RAILROAD HOBBYIST STAFF

Joe Fugate is the founder, publisher, and editor of Model Railroad Hobbyist (MRH) magazine. Joe’s been a model railroader since the late 1960s and is a published model railroad author. Joe has a rich background in web software development, publishing, and video production – Model Railroad Hobbyist is just the latest of his hobby media projects.

Joe's HO Siskiyou Line layout, a pioneering mushroom benchwork configuration, was first discussed in depth by Joe in the January and February 1997 issues of Model Railroader magazine. Joe's also helped popularize the use of auto tail light bulbs for short management on DCC layouts.

Eric Hansmann is Editor-at-Large of MRH. Eric has been model railroading since the mid-1970s. He built his first HO scale layout following a John Armstrong plan in an Atlas track plan book. Eric has had articles published in the Layout Design Journal, Model Railroad Hobbyist, Model Railroad Planning, and Railroad Model Craftsman. He has worked in radio, printing, college recruitment, marketing and has owned a retail record store. 

Eric was consumed by the narrow gauge bug for several years but settled into HO scale prototype modeling, focusing on the mid-1920s. He built a 10x16 HO scale B&O Wheeling Freight Terminal that offered a different pace of operations. He is now focused on designing, building, and operating a new layout inspired by a forgotten B&O branch in Pittsburgh. He posts regular hobby activity updates to his blog, http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/

Marty McGuirk is a contributing editor to MRH. Marty got into model railroading in the late 1970s when he saw his first issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Marty has worked in the hobby industry off and on, and is a well-published model railroad author. Marty has been an editor for Kalmbach on Classic Toy Trains and Model Railroader, and was the VP of Product Development for Intermountain Railway Company from 2001-2005.

Marty's an avid Central Vermont fan, modeling the "Southern New England" – an HO scale proto-freelanced railroad set in the 1950s and based in part on the real Central Vermont Ry.
 

Richard Bale is our News and Events editor and columnist. Richard writes our news column under the byline of The Old Yardmaster. He has been writing about the model railroad trade for various hobby publications since the 1960s.

Richard is currently introducing 3 of his grandsons to the hobby by involving them in the construction of his fifth layout. He enjoys building models, particularly structures, some of which appeared in the June 2006 issue of Model Railroader magazine.
 

Jeff Shultz is our Internet correspondent and Model-Railroader-at-Large. Jeff has been modeling off and on since age 8. Jeff's background is Internet support and system admininistration, so he spends a fair amount of time on model railroading forums. Jeff also is the "face" of MRH, and often the "guy behind the mike" for MRH's National Train Show videos.

Jeff models the Willamette & Western RR in HO Scale in what used to be his garage, a proto-lanced take on the Portland & Western RR.  His MRH blog can be found at http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/52 .

  Les Halmos is our Advertising Account Manager and Modular Columnist. Les has been a model railroader since 1979. He rewrote and published the Modular Standards for the Northeastern Region of the NMRA in 1981(Modu-Rail Standards). In 2001, he founded the Free-Modu-Rail Group and has been active in building modules, documenting  and promoting the Free-mo standards. Les likes computer layout design, electronic gadgets, DCC, and building models - and he's very pro-NMRA.

Les has a solid background in drafting, computers and High Tech Industrial Controls Sales & Marketing, he's now focusing on doing advertising marketing for MRH.

Patty Fugate is our Office Manager and Magazine Layout production specialist. Patty keeps the MRH Store (formerly Model-Trains-Video.com) and Model Railroad Hobbyist office running smoothly, and supervises the other office workers. She's also an experienced professional typsetter, having done complex projects like corporate annual reports. Patty does the layout of MRH.

Patty's a meticulous model railroad scenery maker, and knows the hobby well, although she's not a modeler, per se. Patty is also our founder Joe Fugate's wife, and she tells him "I think you need to go work on your trains for a while" any time she sees he's looking stressed!