What I Love About This Hobby
John Sacerdote
Many do not know that in my spare time (I actually do have some!), I hand-lay track. On my HO scale Berlin, Bangor and Maine layout, it is entirely hand laid, with 153 switches and 3 large yards.
To give you an idea of some of the track work that I have built, check out these photos:
I tell you this because I know how to hand-lay track. If you check Great Model Railroads 2018, there is an article about the Chester & Becket Railroad with an inset about how I hand laid all the track for that Fn3 layout.
Four months before the 2025 Railroad Hobby Show, a fellow Amherst member asked me to build the track for him on a module for the Amherst Belt Lines – with four diamonds (crossing tracks) in it. I just did not have the time to do it. But, I knew someone who was better than me – and better than me, by a long shot – Jeff Otto. Jeff just about dropped everything to help me. And here are the results:
When I saw the quad-diamonds, I was in awe – just beautiful. The plan was to take the module to the Train Show to show off Jeff’s work. The module was at the Train Show, for about two hours! The owner of the module was so excited, he had taken it home to work on it! As a result, no one could see the work that Jeff had done for me. So here’s Jeff’s work and the pics show just how much he came through for me – it’s that ability to help others when we ask. Thanks Jeff.
That’s what I love about this hobby!