Meet Gerry Leone
How did you get started in the hobby?
Although my dad had a Lionel layout in our basement, I was not involved with it. I just played with the loop around the Christmas tree. At one point, he traded his Lionel stuff for a Tyco HO starter set and bought an older gentleman’s layout. Included with the layout stuff was a book, Scale Model Railroading by Leslie T. White. I really didn’t get started in the hobby until I was in my mid-20s. After grad school, while visiting my parents, I discovered that book, looked through it, and was hooked. I dropped out several years later and spent 19 years playing guitar in a bar band. When my wife, Renay, and I built a house in 2000, I dropped the guitar and picked up the trains again.
Do you still have your first engine/train set?
I still have some of the Tyco freight cars my dad got with that starter set so many years ago. They are still running to this day (with new wheels and couplers) on my new layout.
What’s your favorite part of the hobby?
I really enjoy doing scenery, although scratchbuilding structures is a close second. There’s something magical about starting with an empty space and transforming it into a real looking place. Unlike most model railroaders, I also enjoy wiring.
How about your least favorite?
It’s a toss-up between painting figures and building trees. I find both of those activities monotonous and tedious. You can spend hours doing a dozen of either project, and they sort of “vanish” when you put them on the layout.
Describe your model railroad philosophy in six words.
“Be objective about your own work.” We wear what I call our “loving creator glasses” when we look at something we’ve made. As an ad agency creative director, I had to look at ideas for ads and commercials as objectively as possible. “It’s clever, but does it really convey the message?” If not, start over. That carried over to model railroading. If I look at what I’ve created and hear a voice inside saying “something’s not quite right” or “that should really be changed,” I fix it, change it, remove it, or add to it. Listen to that voice and make it right.
What projects have you been working on recently?
I’m still working on my “Spaces To Places” monthly series for Trains.com Video as I continue building my new Bona Vista layout. I just finished the last episode in a series about building the town of Westcott. And for the last 18 months I’ve been writing a book for Kalmbach Media titled The Model Railroader’s Handbook. It’s a book filled with all the model railroading facts and figures you need at your fingertips–the info you know you read somewhere but can’t remember where. That will be coming out later this year. [This book will be available for sale in the Kalmbach Hobby Store: https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/]
What advice do you have for newcomers to the hobby?
Jump in and get started. I know modelers who are afraid to begin because they think they’ll do it wrong. After a 19-year hiatus, it took me three months to begin scenery on the BV 3. Then I realized, it’s $3 worth of plaster and foam. If it’s bad, rip it out and try again. And I did. Several times.
Thanks for the kind words, Larry! I surely do appreciate it!
hey Gerry , nice to “meet” you! Your vids are informative, creative and entertaining, and I always learn something, even if it’s just that you’re funny ;o). Keep up the great job, and HAPPY RAILROADING!
Lair