Recently I had the opportunity to visit with someone who is not only well known in the local modelling community but has been featured in MODEL RAILROADER magazine as well. Mike Hamer is his name. I met Mike a couple of times at our annual RAILFAIR that is held at ALGONQUIN COLLEGE. Mike was displaying some of his craftsman kits and a diorama that he had built along with attempting some work on another kit. After some time in conversation with Mike, it was obvious that here was a man who not only loved the hobby but also got a great deal of enjoyment out of sharing this with people of all ages. Mike models the BOSTON & MAINE in the 1950's with an interchange with the MAINE CENTRAL on his HO scale layout. About a week after our conversation I called Mike to arrange a date to view his layout and run some trains. As my layout is still in the planning stage, this was my first opportunity to learn about operations on an established layout. Mike patiently walked me through the basics involved in running an operating session on his layout including some simple car cards which we used for switching duties in the ficticious town of North Dover which on on a map of Maine, lies somewhere north of the real town of Dover. I must say that after a couple of hours shunting cars around the yard servicing local industries and pulling cars for the local freight, I felt much more confidant in my ability to run model trains in a prototypical manner. Thanks for the experience Mike and maybe someday I'll have the pleasure of hosting an operating session with you on my own layout.