The Rip Track - podcast

I need your questions for a new project

Slambo — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:19:01 +0000

Hi everyone! I'm working on a new project to create more content for the site, but I need your help. I want to make educational videos on railroad history and model railroading. The videos that I see out there are all pretty dry or all put some lousy music over the top of whatever they're trying to show. I think railroad history video can be a lot more interesting than what I've seen so far, and I think I can make it. I've created a YouTube channel where these videos will be uploaded, so please go subscribe there so you don't miss any of them.

When I start researching any content for the site, I always start with a question, and build the content from the answer to that question. The trouble is that the questions I come up with already require a certain amount of knowledge about the industry or about the hobby, so here's where you come in. I'm looking for the questions that you want answered about railroad history, technology, operations or model railroading, that will then serve as the basis for future content additions. Just to get you started thinking about it, some of the questions that I've come up with so far include:

Podcast: Episode 15 - Barstow, Waupaca and Railsplitter 2012

Slambo — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:19:53 +0000

Listen to episode 15

In this episode, we visit the Barstow Harvey House, the preserved Waupaca Depot, and do a quick recap of the 2012 MWR NMRA convention.

Podcast: Episode 14 - Announcements from Trainfest 2011

Slambo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:29:41 +0000

Listen to episode 14

Yes, it has been a while, but it's time to get this podcast back on the mainline. So here it is, the next podcast episode full of model railroad announcements from Trainfest 2011!

Podcast: Episode 13 - 2010 National Train Show announcements

Slambo — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:55:50 +0000

Listen to episode 13

The National Train Show was held in July 2010 in conjunction with the National Model Railroad Association's 75th annual convention. This year I was able to talk to many of the manufacturers at the show and got some audio for everyone to hear with their new announcements. Unlike the Trainfest episode last year, this episode has all of the audio in one long chunk. This episode is about 5 times longer than usual, but here it is.

Podcast: Episode 12 - Snow Train, Chicago Railroad Fair and building a freight car fleet

Slambo — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:04:14 +0000

Listen to Episode 12

We start this episode with a look at the preparations for the Snow Train at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. Then, we review the legacy of the "last great railroad fair" which occurred in 1948 and 1949. Finally, in the Modeler's Moment, we discuss tips and strategies for building a prototypical freight car fleet on a model railroad.

Podcast: Episode 11.3 - Finishing off the announcements from Trainfest

Slambo — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:42:39 +0000

Listen to Episode 11 Part 3

This took a little longer than expected to get online (previous posts on The Rip Track home page have all the details), but here it is. In this part, we'll finish hearing from the manufacturers that were showing their products at Trainfest 2009. So, without further ado, let's get back to the show floor.

Podcast: Episode 11.2 - More announcements from Trainfest

Slambo — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:15:24 +0000

Listen to Episode 11 Part 2

In part 1 of this episode we heard from a few manufacturers who were showing new products at Trainfest 2009. It's time to pick up where we left off, so let's jump right in and hear from some more manufacturers.

Podcast: Episode 11.1 - Announcements from Trainfest, part 1

Slambo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:35:26 +0000

Listen to Episode 11 Part 1

There are three major model railroad shows in North America that have become known in the hobby as shows where many manufacturers announce and debut new products: the National Train Show held in conjunction with the NMRA's national convention, the International Hobby Expo held every October in Chicago, and Trainfest held every November in Milwaukee. Last weekend, I went to Trainfest and recorded quick interviews with as many manufacturers as I could to find out what we can expect from them this model railroad year. I was able to talk to so many different companies that each had so much to say that Episode 11 is the first mulitpart episode of The Rip Track Podcast. We'll hear from several manufacturers in each part of this episode, and each part will have photos and links in the show notes that relate to the announcements that were mentioned therein.

Podcast: Episode 10 - Model railroad tips from show exhibitors

Slambo — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:04:40 +0000

Listen to Episode 10

Some people installed on an HO scale module.

For this episode of the podcast, we're going to focus on model railroading and save the prototype history and data for a later show. It's October, and now that the days are getting colder and the nights longer, that means that model railroad season is well under way in North America. Model railroaders are home from summer vacations and are getting together to build, operate and just talk about their layouts with each other. Also, model railroad shows are increasing in frequency as we head toward the end of the calendar year. Last week I spent some time asking exhibitors at the Green County Model Railroad Club's annual model railroad show here in Wisconsin for their favorite model railroading tips.

Podcast: Episode 9 - A couple of railway labor unions and model railroad jobs

Slambo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:03:28 +0000

Listen to Episode 9

An engineer on the Riverside & Great Northern Railway in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

It's Labor Day weekend here in the United States, so in this episode we'll look at some railroad labor unions and discuss some of the jobs in model railroad operations.

Podcast: Episode 8 - Daylights, porters and passenger train consists

Slambo — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:47:06 +0000

Listen to episode 8

Southern Pacific 4449 running past the former Sturtevant, Wisconsin, depot on August 2, 2009.

Today on the podcast, we're going to take a look at the history of Southern Pacific 4449 and some of the trains it has pulled. We'll also hear a song about some "difficult" passengers that porters have to deal with. After that, we'll talk a little bit more about passenger trains and how you can model them. So, all aboard!

Podcast: Episode 7 - The "Father of Railways", two junctions and selective compression

Slambo — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:42:54 +0000

Listen to Episode 7

A model of the Compressed Manufacturing Company in HO scale.

Never more than a day late, here's the next episode of the Rip Track Podast. In this episode, we take a look at the life of George Stephenson, "The Father of Railways." Then we hear the final installment of Randy Garnhardt's discussion of interesting juctions with a look at Clinton, Iowa, and Nelson, Illinois. Finally, the Modeler's Moment describes the princile of selective compression as it is applied to model railroads.

Podcast: Episode 6 - speed demons

Slambo — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:37:35 +0000

Listen to Episode 6

New York Central No. 999 on display in Chicago.

For this episode, we'll take a look at the progression of speed records set by steam locomotives for various railways around the world. In the Modeler's Moment, we discuss a quick and easy way to improve the appearance of the track on our layouts. We close with a quick recap of updates to The Rip Track website.

Podcast: Episode 5 - running trains and delivering coal

Slambo — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:41:20 +0000

Listen to Episode 5

Model railroaders at an operating session.

Okay, so this is a day and a half later than the schedule that the first four episodes have followed. Well, here it is anyways. First we hear a narration from a model railroad operating session, then we hear an 1899 musical recording describing one sad passenger train ride. We continue with an excerpt from Jerry Pfeiffer's industry and freight cars clinic where he discusses coal deliveries in the Midwest. Finally, in the Modeler's Moment, we look at some model railroad uses for items that you might otherwise throw away.

Podcast: Episode 4 - locomotives and elevateds and junctions, oh my!

Slambo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:42:40 +0000

Listen to Episode 4

John Bull, train and crew in 1893. Photograph by Will P. Cook from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.

In this episode, we take a look through history for the bulk of the content. We start with a "biography" of one named steam locomotive that operated in the United States during the early days of railroading, and that you can still go see today. We follow that with a 1904 Edison recording called "Interrupted Courtship on the Elevated Railway", and then another excerpt from Randy Garnhardt's clinic "Interesting Junctions." In the Modeler's Moment, we review a few techniques to keep your model railroad locomotives operating well.