I've been in model railroading for as long as I can remember dating back to early childhood at the age of 5 and was introduced to the hobby by my father, who had an interest in trains.

Coming from a railroad family  of Pennsylvania RR lineage, I've also experienced first hand, working as a conductor and an engineer for several class 1 roads before changing careers and moving into the business world.

Blessed with opportunities to meet and operate with such admirable modelers like David Barrow(CM&SF), Brian Wolfe(Western Maryland), Dean Freytag(Southridge Lines) and many others, I've had a unique look into how these infamous layouts were designed and operate, giving me the kind of inspiration needed to build the Black Butte Sub on the UP

I have modeled extensively in both HO and N scale and am currently constructing my new home layout in TX.

The layout will occupy the second floor of my home, designed specifically for this purpose ,and will incorporate two integrated levels of mainline operation, based on modern era mainline service closely emulating Union Pacific's mainline operations in the upper mid-west. Two principle features for the existance of the line will be a petroleum processing plant and a coal-fired generation station, the latter being a centerpiece of the operation.

Construction has begun but is a slow process due to the economic pressures on the budget- but it will get done.

I look forward to sharing photos of the progress in the future and it is my hope that I can share my knowledge and experiences with those here who are wanting ideas - as well as learning as much is I can, from many of you.

If I can ever be of any help please feel free to contact me and I'll offer what I can to steer you in the right direction.

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the hobby as much is I have the past 40+ years.

Rick Simpson

It is based on my lifelong favorite Union Pacific