Welcome to the 1st edition of the Las Vegas Train World Volunteer Spotlight.
Jamie “Mie” T. and his loyal companion, Dubh (pronounced Dove), are invaluable members of the Las Vegas Train World (LVTW) volunteer family, driven by a lifelong passion for all things trains.
For the past three months, Jamie has dedicated his time, visiting LVTW one to two times a week to meticulously repair and diagnose trains. This dedication stems from a fascination ignited at a very young age and solidified at the age of twelve when he earned his first train set, an old Tyco model, through hard work for a neighbor.
Influenced by his maternal grandfather, a model train enthusiast with a post-war Alco A-A unit freight train, and his father who has always had a love for trains as well, Jamie’s love for trains never truly faded.
A Christmas gift five years ago reignited this passion, leading him on a journey toward mastering the art of train tear-down and reassembly across N, HO, O, and G scales.
Jamie thrives on hands-on work, a skill honed during his first job constructing high-end, carved-detail area rugs, from scratch, out of cuts of carpet. He also loves sewing, woodworking, crafting and general making of all kinds. Being mechanically minded he has even restored a couple old record players.
Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at just 6 months old, Jamie has faced significant medical challenges, yet his unwavering enthusiasm for trains remains a constant source of joy and inspiration.
A testament to his creativity, Jamie custom-painted a Lionel O Gauge train in Vegas Golden Knights colors. His ideal engine is the 4-6-4 Hudson O Scale, and he holds a special fondness for train museums, particularly the Nevada Southern in Boulder City.
In his dreams, Jamie envisions a fleet of custom trains branded to the Desertect Basin Railways, his ultimate fantasy rail line, complete with full multi-scale layout. Something he currently has no room for, but dreams keep the vision alive.
Las Vegas Train World is deeply grateful for Jamie and Dubh’s contributions and considers them cherished members of the LVTW family.
Picture 1: Custom, O – Gauge Lionel 2-4-0 Switcher with Slope-back coal tender pulling a Diner, Combine, Coach and extended platform Observation Car consist. Painted in Vegas Golden Knights jersey colors. Engine and train cars are numbered 2017, 1718, 1719, 1720, 1721. The train was completed in 2021 and contains player names and numbers on the inner vestibule doors of players on the team at the time of completion.
The engine and tender were rewired for directional lighting.
Each train car was also rewired with a bridge rectifier and a capacitor to upgrade the lighting to flicker-free, screw-base, LED bulbs.
Picture 2: Picture of the real train I hold as a desired goal O Gauge train set. 4-6-4 “Hudson” steam engine and passenger car consist. I love both the Steampunk and Art Deco design movements.
Picture 3: Art Deco inspired, “travel poster” style logo for my fantasy rail line.
Picture 4: Steampunk-style Buffalo head logo for my fantasy rail line. The white buffalo is my favorite animal.
Picture 5: Original logo for my fantasy rail line. The shape is an outline of the desert tectonic basin around the Metropolitan Las Vegas area including Indian Springs, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, and county townships.
Desertect Basin Railways is a portmanteau of desert and tectonic. The name is a nod to the fact I am a born and raised Vegas native and have lived here all my life.
