RPO Newsbag
This is the Lowell Smith Signature Series and RailSmith blog, (or perhaps it's better called, ‘stories around the caboose stove’). Either way, bookmark this page for updates as they happen and check back regularly!
Announcing the Ferdinand Magellan: Releasing Feb. 2016!
U.S. No. 1 This is one of those announcements that I have been looking forward to for quite awhile! Micro-Trains has created a brand-new car for my Executive Line Series.  This project has been in the works for a very long time, and the time has come for it’s unveiling. New car sides were created…
Christmas 2015 at the Walt Disney Family Museum
This weekend I will be down in San Francisco at the Walt Disney Family Museum for the release of this year’s Christmas car. The 2015 car came out great and I can not wait for you all to see it! You can get more information about the event on the Walt Disney Family Museum website…
Save the Date!
I am so excited to announce the release date of this year’s Christmas car! Â Please join us at The Walt Disney Family Museum on Saturday, December 5th, for a great time and the 2015 unveiling. Â Barb and I will be there between 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm. If you have never visited The Walt Disney Family Museum,…
Time Table Train Order Operations Made Easy, For Guests – NMRA 2015
I have had a great time this week at the National Model Railroad Associations’ 2015 annual convention here in Portland! It’s been great to see friends from all over the US, and world for that matter. On a special note, I was honored that they asked me to present a clinic, which I gladly did! The topic…
The Next Big Thing
As I am now preparing to go to the NMRA National Convention here in Portland, I am excited and amazed at what has happened since this great convention was here in 1994. Our club, Columbia River N Scale, was celebrating its 10th anniversary. My shop, The Hobby Smith, was in the basement and I was…
Off to D23
Off to D23! Â This is The Walt Disney Company’s event for their fans. We share a booth, as last time, with Michael Broggie, author of Walt Disney’s Railroad Story. This event has happened every two years for the past several. Although Disney does not say how many attend, it’s a gazillion! I will have TWO…
Father’s Day on the Feather River!
Hey There! Wow, I thought I had blogged about the convention, but it seems that I posted it on my Facebook page instead. Sorry about that!  Let me tell you about my Father’s Day Special up the Feather River Canyon. It was a ‘trip of a lifetime’ for me and now, in looking back, was…
Concept Cars & Convention Season!
The National N Scale Convention is only five weeks away! Last year we were in Roanoke, Virginia. This year, it is the west coast, and we will be in Sacramento, California, June 21-28th. The show and swap meet on Friday and Saturday, the 26th and 27th is open to the public Friday noon to 4pm…
Executive Line Expansion
I thought I would do something different and share with you some future plans in this line. I appreciate that many of you have sent me suggestions for this great series, and I thought that maybe it would be okay if I shared what the next few years looks like. Â I have them mapped out…
It’s all about the story…
I have been asked, “Have you always loved trains?”  The response is, “Yes ever since I can remember.”  I have memories of being small and having Grandma come to visit us in Chico, CA by way of the Shasta Daylight.  There are also photos of me in Gerber, CA standing on the platform of a bay-window…