Trains!
I have been interested in railroads as long as I can remember. I enjoy researching their history, taking pictures of them (despite my questionable photography skills), and chasing them around the countryside. My favorite railroad has always been the Union Pacific, though I am fond of many others, especially the railroads of the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.
I have become interested in the Camas Prairie (CSP) Railroad, a short line in Idaho and Washington which as jointly owned and operated by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern. While researching a CSP layout, I set out to document all the industries along the line. Here is the first subdivision (work in progress). Thanks to everyone on the Camas Prairie mailing list for helping with this.
In 2001 we took a family trip over to eastern Oregon and had the opportunity to visit the Sumpter Valley Railway. We got a cab ride in the steam engine— our whole family! I'll see if I can get some pictures put up.
Model Railroads
I am also a model railroader. I started with HO trains as a boy, but in college switched to N scale mostly due to lack of space. I built a small 2x4 N scale layout, but never scenicked it because I was unsatisfied with the track performance. I used Atlas track and snap switches, and had problems with electrical contact and derailments. Of course, that may have been due to paint and clumsy soldering. :-)
I am currently building a larger layout (80" by 36") on a hollow-core
door. It is designed for operations, based on a paper mill theme. The
design has three staging tracks, a small yard, and an industrial area
featuring a paper mill. Trains will pass through (to/from the staging
tracks) and drop or pick up cars from the yard. A local switch job will
handle the industries. Here is a link to the working trackplan; the specific arrangement of industrial sidings will
be determined after the mainline is complete.