Chief FUNgineer

CHIEF FUNgineer

Hi, I'm Tom Hokel

... Chief FUNgineer of the Pine Ridge Railroad and the narrow gauge The Highlands Ridge Railroad. Like many modelers, I started with a Christmas train set, an American Flyer S gauge (1:64 scale), before the age of 5. I switched to HO scale (1:87.1) model railroading seven years later and then inherited my older brother's under-construction layout.
I’ve admired the Gorre & Daphetid RR ever since I first saw photos of it in my brother’s 1953 Varney train catalog. One of my most memorable moments 17 years later in 1970, while stationed at Vandenburg Air Force Base, CA, was the pleasure of meeting John Allen and seeing John’s G.D. Line HO scale model railroad. I enjoy building GD-inspired structures, rolling stock and locos, as well as the creative process of researching, designing and developing my remaining layout scenes. My wife painted the backdrop scenery and helps out on other projects. The Pine Ridge RR is my fourth HO scale layout. The PRRR layout keeps the memory of the G.D. alive and lessens the sadness of it and its creator being physically gone.
My other interests include classic cars, basketball and all of the great things that come with living in a mountain community.
Tom’s Extra FUNgineering GandDers (TEFG 2.0)
"What the heck does that mean?"Extra: A railroading term that refers to a freight or passenger train that is not included in the normal timetable schedule. They run whenever and where ever they are needed.FUNgineering: As you have probably guessed, being creative and having fun with trains. There’s more engineering that goes into the hobby of modeling railroading than a casual observer might guess. The Chief FUNgineer of each railroad has a level of engineering they feel comfortable with and their friends are there to help out and fill any gaps in skills. So, even though it may be a team sport, the level of FUN remains high for everyone.GandDers: [I know … this takes some explaining.] A word derived from another early United States railroad term – “gandy dancers” or someone who works on the railroad, such as on a section crew. However, we are using GandDers (gee-and-dee-ers) as “model railroaders who are fans of the late John Allen (1913-1973) and his infamous Gorre & Daphetid Railroad (pronounced gory and defeated).”

My Model Railroad

Pine Ridge RR Pass
  • Scenic Line thru the Rockies
  • Pass design was based on G.D. pass
  • PR #42 crossing Dana-Shelly Bridge
  • Model railroad passes of our hobby legends are now collector items
French Gulch
  • DGLocos-built GD #34 on Summit Tier
  • PR #6 Heisler & PR #5 Shay on Upper River Tier
  • Upper Tioga Pass RR is N scale
  • French Gulch was one of the most iconic scenes on the Gorre & Daphetid Railroad
Great Divide Terminal
  • Restored Mantua 2-8-2 PR #42
  • PFM PR #5 Shay built by DGLocos
  • Ash in pit from Mount St. Helens
  • Diamond Scale Ogle Coaling Tower

Recommended Sites

Jeff has lots of photos and articles on this site.
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