Modeling US DMUs Part 1: Introduction

I then decided to round this out with a third presentation, which confusingly is part two of the presentation series I'm describing.

where I zoom in specifically onto diesel multiple unit hybrid light rail, or DMU transit for short.

This is a very interesting infrastructure light form of transit that can be put onto existing freight rail lines.

And so I use this presentation to kind of explore the concept and then investigate a little bit more how it's directly operationally relevant to model railroading, not just relevant to scenery and realism.

And for those interested, I've previously recorded this presentation series, and they are all available conveniently linked on the website at www.bgtmrring.org. That's Bravo Golf Tango, Michael Romeo Romeo, Indigo November Golf, dot Oscar Romeo Golf.

presented these three clinics in person, specifically at NMRA conventions in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Texas.

And notably, the one in Texas was in Grapevine, Texas, which is actually a station on the Texrail DMU, so naturally, while I was there, I stopped by, rode the system, and took a few pictures.

But then after I finished making this presentation series on and off for two years, the idea still kind of stuck with me.

So I decided to take my existing podcast, The Beginner's Guide to Model Railroading, and then turn it around into what I'm calling Proto Future, the world's only eco-Marxist model railroading podcast.

And I landed with quite a splash, too, with my original episode, The Manifesto, getting quite a bit of notoriety in the hobby.

I had one listener later say of it, quote, I have immense respect for anyone who produces a manifesto who is not a domestic terrorist.

So I guess I'll take that as a compliment.

Thank you, Tyler.

Anyway, this ended up turning me into a bit of a, quote, celebrity in the hobby.

Not my words, those are Tom Barblay's.

And I've since been able to meet a ton of really incredible and famous people and do a bunch of interesting things.

I've even given interviews on my podcast and the project that I'm working on.

And my work on the podcast even landed me in the Amtrak dignitary's car, where you can see in the bottom left Steven Gardner, former CEO of Amtrak himself, and then top right Jim Matthews, CEO of the Rail Passengers Association.

along with a bunch of other people who are involved in Amtrak and the RPA as well.

And then, most amusingly, after I did this, I then rode with a regular conductor of mine on the Keystone service, Missy, in the top left, and she said, well, you have a selfie with the CEO of Amtrak, but you don't have a selfie with me.

And so she demanded a selfie, and it was just absolutely amazing.

Just incredible conductors on the service and incredible organization all around.