Tracks from Texas to Tokyo
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“Tracks from Texas to Tokyo” (Ballpark Impressions, 2006) is the story of model railroad industry icon Bobbye Hall.
Mrs. Hall rose to prominence in the hobby industry and NMRA during a 55-year career with Hall’s Hobby House and Hallmark Models, Inc. “Tracks from Texas to Tokyo” chronicles her rise from the early days of Hall’s Hobby House in Dallas, Texas, to a popular line of imported brass model trains. Mrs. Hall, who was inducted into the Model Railroad Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in 1996, retired from the business in 2001 at age 92.
A native of Whitney, Texas, she began writing the book along with co-author Tim Blackwell shortly after closing her shop on Bryan Street in Dallas on Dec. 31, 2001. In the book, Mrs. Hall relates stories about how she and her husband, Buddy, took a former ice cream parlor just north of downtown Dallas in 1946 and converted it into her first hobby shop.
“Numerous stains from the malts and milkshakes were noticeable on the walls and terrazzo floor,” she writes. “After twenty-five gallons of muriatic acid and hand scrubbing, I was assured that I was the only living thing there.”
Because hobbies such as model trains and airplanes were scarcely available during World War II, Mrs. Hall relied on an inventory of antique furniture to sustain the business in its early days. She ultimately established Hall’s Hobby House as one of the premier model railroad stores in the country. She was an industry leader and traveled the world, meeting royalty and celebrities, and forging relationships that lasted a lifetime.
The book also details the rise of Hallmark Models, Inc., which offered an exclusive line of brass imported locomotives and cars of southwestern U.S. railroads, and how Mrs. Hall became the first woman to successfully work with Japanese manufacturers.
Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.
Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.
The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.” This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.
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