arrell Maples asked if I’d contribute to the group. Since it’s what I do best – writing for free – how could I turn him down? It’s what I was born to do. So I’ll be contributing these On Sheet postings, short pieces about model train operations, why they are fun and how you can get involved in them (by yourself or with two dozen or more people).

I’ll start my first bit with a sorta-quote (I might not be exact) from Atlas Shrugged (the book, of course). In it, a woman who runs a railroad mentions that trains are “motion and purpose”. I’ve always liked that thought since it explains why we do operations at all. Yes, trains can zip around a Christmas Tree but for most of us, that gets old quick. It’s the idea of running a train like a train, either in the most simplistic fashion – timing yourself around a loop of track, or the most complex – touching the throttle down just a tiny bit to simulate a brake check as you start to move, it’s all ops. And in the next few weeks, months, or until I run out of words, I’ll chat about various aspects and interests in ops.

While this site doesn’t allow feedback (I had enough experience with Bolshevik Black Hats using me for DOS attacks in the past, mainly through weak feedback add-ons), I’ll be more than happy to answer questions and chat about all-things-operational in Facebook. So until next week, Run Eight!

>>>AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT I WRITE AND WANT TO READ MORE, CHECK THIS LINK FOR MY BOOKS FOR SALE!<<<