Modeling Civil War Railroads - The book

My latest book, Modeling Civil War Railroads is now available for pre-order  from Artisan Rail Media's Web site here.   

The book isn't out yet, it is in final production. However, I had ChaptGTP review the final draft. Here is what it "said."

Review of Modeling Civil War Railroads

Modeling Civil War Railroads is an unusually ambitious book that combines Civil War history, railroad history, and practical model-building into a single work. Bernard Kempinski does more than explain how to build accurate models; he shows why the railroads mattered and places the modeling in its historical context. The book covers everything from locomotives, rolling stock, track and structures to railroad operations, military logistics, destruction and repair, and the men who made the system work. Extensive historical research gives the modeling projects a purpose, allowing readers to understand not simply what they are building, but what the real railroad looked like and how it functioned during the Civil War.

One of the book's strengths is that it is not solely a showcase of Kempinski's own work. Approximately one-third of the book features projects and modeling techniques from other accomplished modelers, demonstrating a range of approaches, skills, and interpretations. Their contributions broaden the book and reinforce its central idea: there is no single way to bring Civil War railroad history to life in miniature. The result is both a practical modeling reference and an engaging introduction to an often-overlooked aspect of the Civil War. Whether the reader is an experienced modeler, a Civil War enthusiast, or someone simply fascinated by how railroads transformed warfare and logistics, Modeling Civil War Railroads offers something valuable—and provides plenty of inspiration for creating historically informed models of their own.

Here are sample pages. Click for full size. 

Ten pounds in a five pound sack

Wow, this may be the longest I have gone between posts on this blog. Rest assured, lots of stuff is going on even if the USMRR is in a bit of a hiatus.

First, an observation. I have now been retired from my full time job for about 4 months. It is a great to have finally the freedom to pursue what I like, but real life does get in the way. Taking care of an elderly parent, catching up on deferred maintenance on the house, trying to maintain a semblance of physical fitness, and accommodating my wife's obsession to play golf,  all take up time. Also, I have observed a tendency to just goof off more. When I had a full time job, I had to be more organized and devoted to my hobby tasks, or nothing would  have gotten done. You know the old saying, if you want something done ask a busy person to do it.


With more free time, I have been taking it a bit easy. And it feels good.  I've been playing some video games (well mostly one game, Diablo 3),  enjoying my sports car (and by enjoying I mean washing and waxing), traveling, and even, gasp, watching TV (I am a sucker for those hot rod shows on Velocity channel - somehow we got Direct TV bundled when I upgraded my iPhone on AT&T. We hadn't had cable TV for 20 years!)


Work on the new book is progressing, though it is probably going to be late. The module project is now located in my basement crew lounge, surrounded by the Port of Los Angeles layout.  That puts a crimp on operating PoLA. Work is progressing slowly, and I need to accelerate that, but... see the blog post title. If all goes well, I'll be displaying the module at MARPM (see below).

In addition to the book, I have finally restarted writing articles for the model railroad magazines again. Hopefully, they will get in the magazine publishing pipeline soon.

The 2018 Middle Atlantic Railroad Prototype Meet (MARPM) is less than 60 days away. I have been involved in running the event, as my business, Alkem Scale Models, is the primary sponsor. We have a great event lined up.

Have you looked at the clinics that the MARPM is planning this year? If not, then I suggest you do so, because you will find it is a top notch line up of accomplished modelers, professional railroaders, well known authors, and editors from the model railroad press. See this link for more information. https://www.marpm.org/clinics

We will also be offering op sessions and open house layout tours to some outstanding model railroads. See this link for a list. https://www.marpm.org/open-houses

There will be door prizes, social hours and lots of models on display.   The MARPM discounted room rate at the BWI Double Tree offer expires on August 21st, 2018. We recommend you act now if you want to take advantage of our highly discounted room rate of $104 per night plus tax, which includes a full breakfast for 2 per room per day, free parking, and many other amenities that a first class hotel offers. There is a link to reserve a room at the hotel on our web site.

New Book on Waterfront Terminals and Operations

My newest book is now available for sale. You can order it from Kalmbach Hobby book store, Amazon, or your local hobby shop. If you want to get a signed copy please go to alkemscalemodels.com

Book 5 is done, so what have you done for me lately?

Book 5 is done and on the way to the publisher. They said it was due to the printer in October. We'll see how that works out. This book was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I learned a lot about marine terminals and how to model in HO Scale. I am pleased with how it came out. The book includes 11 new track plans as well as a project layout with some how-to information.

Now to take a breather and then decide on what is next.

I have a few projects on the back burner for Alkem Scale Models that I want to get moving on.  The PoLA layout still needs to have the Borax factory completed.

The BNSF slab cars are on the do list. I am trying to decide the best approach to modeling it. A mostly  photo etched kit would probably be too light. I am thinking about spin casting some of the parts.  But which ones. It will be an interesting task to design and produce.

A new kit of this car is on the next project list

Sneak Peek at Next Book

I am just about done with my part for the next book. Then the editors and publisher get to work their magic  to make me look good. Here is my mock-up for the cover. The final book cover is likely to be different, even the title might change, but this gives you the general idea of what to expect inside.

It will be nice to wrap up this book and return to the human race.

Interview on Model Railcast Podcast 216

Switch district in North Las Vegas

We just got back from a great family vacation in southwest Utah. While we did a bunch of activities like hiking in lava tubes, climbing on petrified sand dunes, zig zagging up cliffs at Zion National park, and lots of golf, we hardly saw any trains. Except for about 30 minutes of railfanning North Las Vegas on the day we arrived, and two intermodals we saw on the way back to the airport, we didn't see a train for the whole week.

Just before we left, Tim Harrison interviewed me for the ModelRailcast podcast. We talked about my various projects, layouts and books. The audio track is available on itunes and at this link for non-itune users.

Night Photo - Battle of Cambrai

This shot is one of my all time favorites model railroad photos. I shot it for my book, "Model Railroads Go to War." Alas, the printed version really does not do it justice since a CMYK print doesn't have the dynamic range to render the dark clouds and shadows properly. But on screen, the image pops.

The loco is a ROD Robinson 2-8-0 that Chris Williams let me borrow for the shoot. The flat cars are Macaw bogey wagons that I scratch built.

To learn more about the story behind the scene, please see my book, "Model Railroads Go to War," available on Amazon  Model Railroads Go to War (Layout Design and Planning) or

 at www.AlkemScaleModels.com for a signed copy.

Discussing my Books on This Blog

Several people have suggested that I start a blog to discuss my books, especially the track plan book that just came out.  While I have tried maintaining multiple blogs in the past, I now prefer to just have one. So if you will bear with me, I am opening this blog to discussions about my books.

To begin, Trevor Marshall has written a nice review of my latest book, "45 Original Track Plans."  See here. In my view, Trevor clearly "gets it." The purpose of this book is to inspire and entertain all model railroaders, from folks in the armchair to those that have already built  their layouts.  I hope this book does that.

My intent was not to provide detailed blueprints on how to build an exact layout. Very few people will have the exact space that I show in the plans.

I intended these plans as design studies to indicate the possible. As such I use CAD tools to draw the track and structures to make sure that what I draw could be built. I also use artistic software to present the plans in a pleasing way.  Hopefully the reader will enjoy looking at the plans, learning about the prototypes (that is why I included some off-beat subjects) and perhaps find ideas that they can use.  I suspect that most modelers will want to adapt any particular plan to the era and railroad to match their space and interests.

Trevor's comment about building a plan in the next smaller scale is right on the money. I like the example he used. In my next book I need to explicitly discuss this point, as I agree whole heartedly with the concept.

In my first track planning book,  "Mid-Size Track Plans for Realistic Layouts" I had a examples that showed how one could model a given subject in different scales. Thus each chapter took an in depth look at one subject. I used a different approach in the latest book, where I covered more subjects, but with only one plan and not in as much depth. Both approaches have their merits. I think I prefer this latest approach, as I can cover more ground.


Don't forget you can order signed copies of my books from my website at Alkem Scale Models
The books are also available at Amazon,  and the Kalmbach On-line Bookstore.