Around The Layout - A Model Railroad Podcast

Latest Episodes:

2024 Colorado Rail Proto Meet with Michelle Kempema Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

How can you not smile in the presence of Michelle Kempema? Her enthusiasm is infectious and her motivation nears limitless as she joins me to talk about the brand new Colorado Rail Proto Meet in Greeley, CO this September. Michelle shares with us how this idea came to be and how she's planning what will likely become another amazing destination RPM.
Thank you to our show sponsor, Oak Hill Model Railroad Track Supply:
https://ohrtracksupply.com/
Learn more about today's episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/113
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

Car Routing: The Road To Realism with Matthew Freix Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Matthew Freix has a passion for car routing, and that might be an understatement! Matt shares the lengths he has gone to research the Gateway Western and how it helped him build a highly accurate simulation of the railroad in 1995. Matt shares how going way down the rabbit hole has made his model railroad more enjoyable and appear like he remembers it.
Thank you to our episode sponsor, Spring Creek Model Trains:
https://www.springcreekmodeltrains.com/
Learn more about today's episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/112
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

Survey Results and Changes to ATLP - Live Special from July 29, 2024 Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Here's the audio from last night's live event where Ray talks about the results of the ATLP Listener Survey and how that has helped shape upcoming format changes to the podcast.
For more about Around The Layout Podcast, visit our website:
aroundthelayout.com
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

ATLP Rewind - Andy Dorsch & The Mascoutin Valley - May 9, 2023 Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

ATLP Rewind - Originally Released May 9. 2023
We all know Andy Dorsch as the co-host of the wildly popular Second Section Podcast, but how much do you know about Andy the modeler? We find out in this episode of Around The Layout as Andy takes us back to his childhood railfanning the Chicago and North Western that planted the railroad seed, then on to adulthood as he developed his freelance Mascoutin Valley Railroad. Andy then shares how he met his co-host Michael Ostertag, leading to the development of the Second Section Podcast that facilitates the sharing of model railroading knowledge from some of the leading talent in the hobby.
Thank you to our show sponsor, Oak Hill Model Railroad Track Supply:
https://ohrtracksupply.com/
Learn more about today's episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/rewind
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

Don Irace & The Providence & Worcester III Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

Don Irace is back in the Around The Layout studio to tell us more about how he developed his operating scheme for his Providence & Worcester layout. Don shares how he took the large operations held at the original layout in Scituate, Rhode Island for a multitude of operators and compressed it for a smaller crew while still providing fun and challenging trains to run on a layout that still gives a solid representation of the prototype.
Thank you to our show sponsor, Spring Creek Model Trains:
https://www.springcreekmodeltrains.com/
Learn more about this episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/111
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

ATLP Rewind - Joe Atkinson & The IAIS 4th Sub - June 27, 2023 Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

ATLP Rewind - Originally Released June 27, 2023
After all of the past interrogations and information from informants, we've finally captured the Iowa Interstate Godfather; none other than Joe Atkinson himself. Now that we've beat the dead horse with this mafia thing, we can get down to the business of learning how Joe became such an authority on the Iowa Interstate, leading him to create two versions of the 4th Sub that has inspired fellow IAIS modelers and was featured in the January 2018 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman.
Learn more about this episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/rewind
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

What's Happening In Model Railroading - July 2024 - Tony Cook Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

With so much news to catch up on, it's just Tony and Ray on this episode of What's Happening In Model Railroading as they get you caught up on recent events and talk plans for the St. Louis RPM. They recap the recent Firecrown Media special and Ray shares his experience at the N Scale Show in Bethlehem PA. Later, Tony brings us news from ScaleTrains, Athearn, Bachmann and more.
Thank you to our show sponsor, Spring Creek Model Trains:
https://www.springcreekmodeltrains.com/
Learn more about today's episode and get links to all the products discussed:
aroundthelayout.com/110
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

ATLP Rewind - James McNab & The Hills Line - June 20, 2023 Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

ATLP Rewind - Originally Released June 20, 2023
It's time to interrogate another member of the Iowa Interstate Mafia as we bring James McNab downtown for a whole line of questioning. Luckliy, James is willing to talk and we learn about his start in the hobby and how a fellow churchgoer's layout inspired him. We also hear how a change of employment led him to the Iowa Interstate and opened up a new world of railroading and friendships.
Learn more about this episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/rewind
Thank you to our show sponsor, Southern Tier Grain Modelers Supply:
tullymodels.com
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

Dustin Whitten & The N&W South Branch Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

You've probably have heard of model railroaders that go on to become railroaders, but how about a railroader who starts their model railroading journey after hiring on to the railroad? That's the story of Dustin Whitten, a long time employee of Norfolk Southern who despite growing up near Southern Railway, has fallen for the Norfolk & Western. Dustin shares the lessons learned through 4 different layout builds and a run at freelance that led him to the N&W.
Thank you to our episode sponsor, Spring Creek Model Trains:
https://www.springcreekmodeltrains.com/
Learn more about this episode and see photos of the N&W South Branch on our website:
https://www.aroundthelayout.com/episodes/109
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

What's Happening In Model Railroading Special - Tony Cook & Craig Fuller Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Model Railroader - the "Rolling Stone" of our hobby - the magazine many of us grew up with, inspired us, and the one we dreamed of being on the cover someday. For those reasons and more, we're passionate about the publication and when the news hit that Kalmbach Media was purchased by a new owner, there was concern about the future. On this special episode of What's Happening In Model Railroading, Tony Cook and I talk to Firecrown Media CEO Craig Fuller and learn more about the new home for Model Railroader, Trains and the additional Kalmbach titles. Craig gives us an inside look at Firecrown and their plans to keep these legendary titles going for many years to come.
Thank you to our episode sponsor, Oak Hill Model Railroad Track Supply:
https://ohrtracksupply.com/
Learn more about today's episode on our website:
aroundthelayout.com/108
Visit our website at aroundthelayout.com
Become a member of our Operating Crew for chances to win and much more!
aroundthelayout.com/crew
Around The Layout Podcast is a production of Thirty Five Productions LLC
©2026 Thirty Five Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Thirty Five Productions LLC or our sponsors.
Use of any trademarks or trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.
No portion of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Thirty Five Productions LLC, except for brief quotations used for purposes of review, commentary, or promotion.

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