From an old chicken house, with a Lionel "tinplate" toy train set using the chicken roost as a table, to an open carport and various spare bedrooms and “out” buildings I have built train layouts. For over 50 years I have been an avid model railroader and a trip down the narrow gauge railroad between Durango and Silverton in 1959 led me down a path to modeling a unique part of American railroading history - The Gold Belt Line between Florence and Cripple Creek, CO. My HO-scale layout is loosely based on this turn-of-the-century railroad. My first true "trainhouse" was in 1969 but due to various jobs and the inevitable moving that comes with them, I was never able to build the kind of layout I truly wanted. I started learning to build scenery in the early 70's in Indiana and after moving back to Texas had the first opportunity to have "a trainhouse." I have spent countless hours, crafting trees, buildings (both kit and “scratch-built”), rocks, rivers, bridges, mini-scenes, hand-made turnouts, (and many other details that probably I will be the only one to ever see) similar to many other model railroaders around the world. The current Florence & Cripple Creek model railroad is an HO-scale standard gauge model railroad housed in a separate 16' x 24' building, and I have been building the railroad in its present location since 1978. The scenery is about 90% complete, and more details are being added on a regular basis. Check back regularly as additional photos will be added as more is done to the layout. I hope you enjoy the site as much as I have enjoyed model railroading throughout most of my life. If you have any questions about anything you see on this site, drop me an e-mail at
