| Page Updated 06/28/2024 |
ABOUT USThose are the words of Master Model Railroader Mike Mackey. A native of Texas, Mike grew up in East Texas and quickly became a fan of the St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) Railroad and the Missouri Pacific Railroad. At the age of 22, he went to work for the Cotton Belt Railroad where he served them until a massive layoff after the purchase of the Cotton Rock. That didn’t diminish his interest in model railroading, however. At 17 years old, Mike had purchased his first Athearn locomotive and started his life as a scale railroader. Growing up in East Texas, there weren’t many clubs for him to associate with, and the nearest mecca for railroading was Dallas. As luck would have it, he ended up taking a job there years later and joined a club based in Garland, Texas, where he met several friends who he is still modeling with today, nearly 30 years later. After taking a hiatus from the hobby for a few years, Mike joined a club in Fort Worth where he was living and rekindled his love of model railroading. It was during a train show held by the club in 2012 that he joined the National Model Railroad Association. He immersed himself into the NMRA and started working on the regional membership team and regional conventions. In 2016, he served as co-chair of the regional convention held in Arlington, Texas. In 2017, he was elected division director of the Cowcatcher Division, division one, of the Lone Star Region. In 2022 Mike moved up in leadership when he was elected to the NMRA Board of Directors as the Westerm District Director. Shortly after joining the NMRA, Mike began building layouts for individuals across the country. Since that time, he has honed his skills as a professional builder, serving his clients literally from coast to coast. He has done work for several museums, commercial clients, and even built movie sets. Mike has assembled a staff of 4, soon to be 5, Master Model Railroader on his team of craftsmen. We know of no other company which offers a staff with those dynamic credentials! He and his staff have built layouts in O27 scale, HO scale, HOn3 scale, and N scale. As you can imagine, in contests where Mike has entered his models, he has won awards in many categories. He currently holds achievement program certificates from the NMRA in the categories of Cars, Structures, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Volunteering, Author, Dispatcher, and Scenery. He will soon complete Association Official, Motive Power and Prototype Modeler, which finalizes all 11 certificates of the Achievement Program. Mike will quickly tell you that becoming a member of the NMRA made him a much better modeler. He has been able to use those improved skills building his own railroad, the Texas & St. Louis Railroad. This railroad, a HOn3/HO railroad, fills a 23’ x 19’ room in his house. Started in 2015, the layout was featured in an open house during the National Sn3 Symposium in April 2018 in Dallas, as well as other open houses and layout tours in the area. The layout is fully operational with scenery approximately 95-percent complete. It is set in northeast Texas during the steam to diesel transition era. When talking to Mike, it’s hard to be immune to his energy, excitement, and enthusiasm about model railroading. “I have made so many new friends in this hobby, met so many nice people, and had the chance to visit and operate on layouts that I only used to dream of seeing, after seeing them in the model magazines. Now I get to teach clinics with some of those same amazing modelers I read about.” His one regret is that he didn’t join the NMRA sooner. “I would have met so many more great modelers and been afforded so many more opportunities in this hobby if I had of joined when I was younger. I would urge everyone, if you’re not a member of the NMRA, join now! If you are a member, become more active! You only get out of something the exact amount as you put in. You’ll be glad you did.” |