James McDonald
@jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social
Musician, historian, and fabricator. I play drums (ska, reggae, cumbia, punk), write history (lots about trains, but also food and convenience), and build all sorts of things from models to theater sets. Mostly model train posts these days.
Anyone want to start a new band? Specifically a duo named after this old soap?
November 1, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Anyone want to start a new band? Specifically a duo named after this old soap?
Reposted by James McDonald
My #1 goal for all of what I do is to make OUR lives hopefully a bit more joyful.
Are there "serious" topics about the model railroading hobby?
Sure. Mostly centered around inclusiveness of gender/race/economic status.
The key is inspiring people to enjoy the hobby at a level they wanna enjoy it!
Are there "serious" topics about the model railroading hobby?
Sure. Mostly centered around inclusiveness of gender/race/economic status.
The key is inspiring people to enjoy the hobby at a level they wanna enjoy it!
October 20, 2025 at 11:14 PM
My #1 goal for all of what I do is to make OUR lives hopefully a bit more joyful.
Are there "serious" topics about the model railroading hobby?
Sure. Mostly centered around inclusiveness of gender/race/economic status.
The key is inspiring people to enjoy the hobby at a level they wanna enjoy it!
Are there "serious" topics about the model railroading hobby?
Sure. Mostly centered around inclusiveness of gender/race/economic status.
The key is inspiring people to enjoy the hobby at a level they wanna enjoy it!
Timonium train show this coming weekend. Hoping to pick up some new tools and maybe a freight car kit or two. #ModelRailroading
October 20, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Timonium train show this coming weekend. Hoping to pick up some new tools and maybe a freight car kit or two. #ModelRailroading
Check out this super weathering technique for modelers.
Using salt for weathering. This and other REALLY USEFUL videos (🤭) can be found on my YouTube channel.
#ModelRailway #Latchmere
#ModelRailway #Latchmere
October 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Check out this super weathering technique for modelers.
Reposted by James McDonald
A bittersweet farewell to our 2000-series! 🚇
Today, we removed the final one from Greenbelt Rail Yard. These trains were first introduced in the early 1980s, operated nearly 200M miles, and carried more than 775M passengers.
Now, we’re making way for our 8000-series! 👋
Today, we removed the final one from Greenbelt Rail Yard. These trains were first introduced in the early 1980s, operated nearly 200M miles, and carried more than 775M passengers.
Now, we’re making way for our 8000-series! 👋
October 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A bittersweet farewell to our 2000-series! 🚇
Today, we removed the final one from Greenbelt Rail Yard. These trains were first introduced in the early 1980s, operated nearly 200M miles, and carried more than 775M passengers.
Now, we’re making way for our 8000-series! 👋
Today, we removed the final one from Greenbelt Rail Yard. These trains were first introduced in the early 1980s, operated nearly 200M miles, and carried more than 775M passengers.
Now, we’re making way for our 8000-series! 👋
Reposted by James McDonald
Our next show is this Saturday in Newport News. One Love Reggae Music Festival!! Come forward!
October 1, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Our next show is this Saturday in Newport News. One Love Reggae Music Festival!! Come forward!
Reposted by James McDonald
Our next shows…
September 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Our next shows…
Back from @supernovaska.bsky.social . What a great weekend!
September 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Back from @supernovaska.bsky.social . What a great weekend!
Reposted by James McDonald
Reminder, that if you want an HO scale model of the first 4-2-0 built, the Experiment of the Mohawk & Hudson, you can get a 3D printed kit on my shop here: 3dptrain.com/products/183...
September 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reminder, that if you want an HO scale model of the first 4-2-0 built, the Experiment of the Mohawk & Hudson, you can get a 3D printed kit on my shop here: 3dptrain.com/products/183...
Reposted by James McDonald
Next at Supernova, Eastern Standard Time
September 12, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Next at Supernova, Eastern Standard Time
Reposted by James McDonald
As an icebreaker, I asked my college students, "If you could time travel to any decade in the past, where would you go?"
Dear readers, I'm sorry to say that the overwhelming majority said the 80s. The 1980s.
When I asked them why, they said, "seems cool!"
Dear readers, I'm sorry to say that the overwhelming majority said the 80s. The 1980s.
When I asked them why, they said, "seems cool!"
September 7, 2025 at 8:11 PM
As an icebreaker, I asked my college students, "If you could time travel to any decade in the past, where would you go?"
Dear readers, I'm sorry to say that the overwhelming majority said the 80s. The 1980s.
When I asked them why, they said, "seems cool!"
Dear readers, I'm sorry to say that the overwhelming majority said the 80s. The 1980s.
When I asked them why, they said, "seems cool!"
16 years ago today, CSX 8201, CSX 8509, and CSX 8803 were heading west through St. Denis, MD on their way to Jessup, MD to pick up a transfer run to Baltimore. 8201 was L&N 3573 built in 1974, 8509 was ex Seaboard built in 1983, and 8804 was originally Conrail 6373, built in 1977. My photo.
September 5, 2025 at 9:11 PM
16 years ago today, CSX 8201, CSX 8509, and CSX 8803 were heading west through St. Denis, MD on their way to Jessup, MD to pick up a transfer run to Baltimore. 8201 was L&N 3573 built in 1974, 8509 was ex Seaboard built in 1983, and 8804 was originally Conrail 6373, built in 1977. My photo.
Reposted by James McDonald
Oh, hi there. It’s your friendly neighborhood EST here to say a) it’s Bandcamp Friday so we’d love your support there (easternstandardtime.bandcamp.com naturally) and b) we’re playing Froggy Daze festival in Narrowsburg, NY tomorrow and Supernova in Virginia next weekend. Very excite.
Eastern Standard Time
Put together top musicians from Washington, DC’s Jazz and Reggae scenes, give them the recipe for the original Jamaican Ska, throw a heavy dose of vintage Soul in the mix, shake well, and the result i...
easternstandardtime.bandcamp.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Oh, hi there. It’s your friendly neighborhood EST here to say a) it’s Bandcamp Friday so we’d love your support there (easternstandardtime.bandcamp.com naturally) and b) we’re playing Froggy Daze festival in Narrowsburg, NY tomorrow and Supernova in Virginia next weekend. Very excite.
Reposted by James McDonald
For over 25 years I drew train pictures for the screensaver program Traffic but I stopped drawing about a year ago to finish school. Suddenly, today, I started up again. Here are some CM&StP 28’ boxcars in 1880s-1900s versions. Scale is 10px=1 meter.
September 2, 2025 at 12:22 AM
For over 25 years I drew train pictures for the screensaver program Traffic but I stopped drawing about a year ago to finish school. Suddenly, today, I started up again. Here are some CM&StP 28’ boxcars in 1880s-1900s versions. Scale is 10px=1 meter.
Reposted by James McDonald
This is my plea: stop using colourised photos in the news and in books. Don’t encourage ‘fun’ distortions of historical images that could produce confusion, for the sake of clicks/likes. Accept historical images with all their flaws and gaps: they don’t need ‘correction’, they need interpretation.
August 29, 2025 at 9:33 AM
This is my plea: stop using colourised photos in the news and in books. Don’t encourage ‘fun’ distortions of historical images that could produce confusion, for the sake of clicks/likes. Accept historical images with all their flaws and gaps: they don’t need ‘correction’, they need interpretation.
Reposted by James McDonald
No film gets historians right, but that's only because no audience wants to watch someone quietly work their way through a cardboard box of old papers, in total silence, for eight straight hours.
an interesting subtopic! which shows/movies are beloved by the profession for Getting It Right! Lawyers famously love MY COUSIN VINNIE, doctors I believe love SCRUBS, apparently Aussie barristers are surprisingly fond of RAKE's depiction of some aspects of the law.
Oh god I remember watching HOUSE with some doctors, it was a the usual mix of “you would get fired instantly and never practice medicine again no matter how good u are” and “that case actually isn’t hard to solve at all”
August 28, 2025 at 11:32 PM
No film gets historians right, but that's only because no audience wants to watch someone quietly work their way through a cardboard box of old papers, in total silence, for eight straight hours.
Saturday’s #ModelRailroading. The Ma&Pa boxcar (rear) is ready for paint. The Milwaukee Road boxcar (gray, 2nd from back) needed sill steps (since added) but is now ready for paint & I finished the brake rigging on the Union Line and CRR of NJ boxcars (3rd & 4th from back, respectively). Progress.
August 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Saturday’s #ModelRailroading. The Ma&Pa boxcar (rear) is ready for paint. The Milwaukee Road boxcar (gray, 2nd from back) needed sill steps (since added) but is now ready for paint & I finished the brake rigging on the Union Line and CRR of NJ boxcars (3rd & 4th from back, respectively). Progress.
Reposted by James McDonald
It’s 1775, & Swedish-German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele has made a discovery that will go on to delight, entertain and, um, kill a lot of people.
Scheele is by any measure a remarkable scientist. A better world might celebrate Scheele’s legacy for what it was.
Instead, it gently ridicules it.
1/
Scheele is by any measure a remarkable scientist. A better world might celebrate Scheele’s legacy for what it was.
Instead, it gently ridicules it.
1/
August 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM
It’s 1775, & Swedish-German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele has made a discovery that will go on to delight, entertain and, um, kill a lot of people.
Scheele is by any measure a remarkable scientist. A better world might celebrate Scheele’s legacy for what it was.
Instead, it gently ridicules it.
1/
Scheele is by any measure a remarkable scientist. A better world might celebrate Scheele’s legacy for what it was.
Instead, it gently ridicules it.
1/
Finished rigging the brakes on the Ma&Pa boxcar. Now I just need to find some weights that fit within all the baffles I used to hold the body square and I can get this thing looking like a freight car. #ModelRailroading
August 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Finished rigging the brakes on the Ma&Pa boxcar. Now I just need to find some weights that fit within all the baffles I used to hold the body square and I can get this thing looking like a freight car. #ModelRailroading
About 2 years ago the AC in my car stopped working. It’s an old car and I’m broke so I decided to lump it. I made elaborate travel plans around no AC. Even borrowed other cars when I had long drives on hot days. Today I accidentally bumped the button and the vents start delivering cold air. Huh.
August 12, 2025 at 11:25 PM
About 2 years ago the AC in my car stopped working. It’s an old car and I’m broke so I decided to lump it. I made elaborate travel plans around no AC. Even borrowed other cars when I had long drives on hot days. Today I accidentally bumped the button and the vents start delivering cold air. Huh.
I know language changes over time but I think it’s kind of neat when you notice it changing. No one (including me) seems to pronounce robot “row-but” anymore. It’s become “row-baht.” Or how people used to place the stress on the K instead of the G in the acronym EKG. Can you think of others?
August 10, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I know language changes over time but I think it’s kind of neat when you notice it changing. No one (including me) seems to pronounce robot “row-but” anymore. It’s become “row-baht.” Or how people used to place the stress on the K instead of the G in the acronym EKG. Can you think of others?
Reposted by James McDonald
This explains a lot about some of the model railroaders I know.
August 9, 2025 at 3:12 PM
This explains a lot about some of the model railroaders I know.
Reposted by James McDonald
My scratchbuilt ballast hopper build is close to completion, and I'm very happy with the results. Aside from trucks and couplers, the brake wheel is the only commercial part. #hoscale #bsmrguk #modeltrains #modelrailway #modelrailroad #modelrailways #tmrguk #scratchbuilt #scalemodelling #scalemodel
August 6, 2025 at 11:13 AM
My scratchbuilt ballast hopper build is close to completion, and I'm very happy with the results. Aside from trucks and couplers, the brake wheel is the only commercial part. #hoscale #bsmrguk #modeltrains #modelrailway #modelrailroad #modelrailways #tmrguk #scratchbuilt #scalemodelling #scalemodel