My layout was started 31 years ago today.

Happy Layout Birthday Marty! I have been honored in the short time I have known you. Whenever anyone needs help including me you are there. I just celebrated my fourth year as a cancer survivor. I know that you will be around a long time too. Paul

 

Congrats Marty! And Paul, Im very sorry to hear that you have cancer. I hope the best of health and luck to you!

Great going Marty. Hope someday to meet you. Most people don't know they made a movie about you, even a song. Congrats, Don

Congratulations on a big milestone, Marty! I have always enjoyed your magazine articles and comments on the Forum.

 

Chris

LVHR

Congrats Marty! That's a great accomplishment. I appreciate all the help with my questions. I have learned a lot from and hope to learn more.

 

Great job!

 

Ralph

I think he won the the Academy Award, also. Stay thirsty my friends.

I'm happy I got to see it in person. Congrats on 31 years. 

Congrats, Marty, from all your friends at OGR!  You, Dotty, and of course, Ralph, represent the best of what this hobby is all about.  One day, the Good Lord willing, I will have the opportunity to visit your splendid layout and spend more time chatting and visiting with you fine folks.  Meantime, I hope to see you here in our neck of the woods in August at the Lionel Open House.

 

Wishing you many more years of fun with your layout, and many more years of sharing and spreading the joy of this great hobby.

 

Thank you for your kind words Allan.   I would not miss that Lionel time  for any reason.  I had the time of my life last year and only went for lack of something to do.  What a surprise I had.  Not only did Mike Reagan at Lionel show us a great time, we got to spend time with Bill Parisi and Larry Brown visiting train layouts.  Another big treat that weekend was to visit the Mercer Junction train store and Dave Minarik.  His store is what a modern train store should be.   We will miss Bill a lot.

 

This past year has been tough for me but I am back and ready to visit with great train people and I have been known on occasion to buy a train.

 

 

Congrat's from sunny FL, YOU are the best of the group that makes this hobby so much fun. Hope to get up your way again, soon. Regards to Dotty

Congratulations on your 31 years and a big thank you for your help with our questions, not only mine but for everyone's on the Forum.  Keep up the great work, it's a pleasure to know you.

 

Jack  

Congratulations on your layout anniversary and on its proud and pioneering history of moving this hobby forward - extending the circle of enjoyment and inspiring generations of electric train disciples!

Congratulations Marty on this milestone! As you so clearly pointed out it's the people we meet along the way that makes this journey so much more enjoyable.

 

Steve Tapper

Marty,

 

Congratulations on the layout and you are truly a great friend. I am also glad that you are doing well health wise. Dotty and Ralph ae great too.

 

I must say that the pictures of the guys signing the wall of fame that you posted in your initial post is like a who's who, or at least an all-star team of train guys. By the way, who is that smart and good looking guy directly under the photo of Mike Wolf?

 

Wishing you another 31 years with the layout in the hobby. Enjoy the 4th of July my friend.

 

Erol  

Shucks, I've bought trains from half those guys in the pictures including a couple of Premier Q2s Mr. Caponi was moving out a few years back, some Rail King heavyweights (eBay)from Ben (bluelinec4) and not to mention all the product from Messrs Wolf's and Regan's companies.

Happy Birthday to a great lay-out and the one who made it. Marty it has been good to see your posts here and a pleasure to meet you at the NJHR Forum open house this year.

Hope I get up your way to see the lay-out in person. Maybe I will see you at Alex's in Aug.

 

Redball

Redball, thank you.  I just got off the phone with Alex and we were talking about his bash.  What a great time that should be.

Congratulations, Marty.  I always enjoy the pics of your layout.

Marty,

 

Although we never met (Hope to change that someday!), I appreciate your sharing of lessons learned from your layout, and I thank you for giving me advice on the OGR Forum. It has been said many times, but it bears repeating, "Your layout is a great accomplishment." 

 

I thank you because you and others made DCS a reality. I thank you for working with Mike Wolf because I suspect that my Rail King engines run so well because of your contributions to MTH.

 

My daughter lives in Stow, Massachusetts and if Stow is a reasonable driving distance from you, I would love to visit your layout.

 

Thanks again for making our mutual hobby much better. God bless you and your wife Dotty.

 

Congratulations Marty for all you have accomplished and most of all for your contributions to the Hobby. Very best wishes for good health and happy railroading in the future.

Bobby, you are welcome any time you are in the area.  Every forum member who comes close to being in my area can always stop by.

Congratulations Marty!  Thanks to you and Dotty for hosting the LCCA Special event at your home.  Our members really appreciate your fantastic layout and generous hospitality.  You exemplify what this hobby is all about.  Thank you!

 

Al Kolis

Immediate Past President & Special Events Manager

Lionel Cillectors Club of America

Way to go Marty, you have been a gold mine of information on these pages over the years.

I just hope that you will enjoy at lest another thirty-one years of model railroading fun.

Awesome achievement Marty!! I would love to see your layout sometime. I've been following you and your work going on almost 20 years!

 

Cesar

Congratulations Marty!  I hope to see your layout in person one of these days and look forward to showing you and Dotty the NWTL in September.  I hope we can learn from your experience building that awesome catenary system.

Congratulations on your contributions to this great hobby!

 

Your layout is outstanding, but better than that.....look at all the friends you and Dotty have made while 'playing with trains".

 

I wish you all the best as far as your health issues are concerned. I DO know that a  positive attitude, prayer, and loving support will get you through this difficult time. I am a cancer survivor with 5 plus years cancer free. Remember...."tough times don't last....tough people do!"    Tom in PGH

Thanks everyone.  Your comments mean a lot to me.

 

Tom, thanks for the words of encouragement.  I got operated on November 29 and just got my fourth big check up.  PSA on all 4 has been 0.1.  So far I have fingers crossed.

Congrats, Marty!

These are shots I took 5 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you again and congrats, 

Peter

Marty, CONGRATS!!!! I am sure have had some GREAT "Train run sessions" on your layout over the years. Enjoy many many more of those run days!!!

Well it sure looks like those 31 years were mostly full of good fun and camaraderie! 

 

Andy

Marty

Congrats on a super layout.  It truly is awesome and has stood the test or time.  I thought you were 29 though?  What were you -2 when you started?   And BTW why did you photoshop the Jets paint out of the picture.

 

 

 

This is definitely my favorite feature in your train room

 

Hello Marty,

 

A very happy birthday of your layout !

 

Also a Thank you;

 

As just reading this posting, I feel that I am on the "Right Track" so to speak.

 

Only because I see parallels with my layout and yours,

 Type of track operating system and so on.

 

Well many more years to you and yours.

 

rudy  

Wow, 31 years.  Now I don't feel so bad. I started a layout in 1994 when my youngest son was 6 years old. Now he is a computer engineer working in California and our layout is still a "plywood central". Maybe by 2150 I will get started on the scenery.

 

Jack

I too have had the great honor and pleasure of being close friends with Marty for over 10 years.  What we should also remember is the great service he gave our country during Viet Nam as well as many years as a top notch detective with the Dedham PD (and Boston too I believe).  Marty has always given well above and beyond the call and for which he deserves as much honor and praise as he does for the great layout. And he is always the first to give credit to others, especially Dotty, his most loving and faithful companion.  He is one of those very rare persons that should be honored as the top 100 Americans this country has produced!!!  Always, Jim.