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Proto-Future 5, Part 2: Inaugural Borealis, Day 2 – Minneapolis Speedrun and the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum

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This episode follows as I walk through the Minneapolis Skyway, discuss the NorthStar Commuter Rail, ride all the Minneapolis Metro Light Rail, visit the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum and interview Ken Zieska and Matt Malwitz, have a disappointingly short visit to St. Paul, walk the entire Mall of America, visit St. Anthony Falls, and leave flowers at George Floyd Memorial Square.

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Proto-Future 5, Part 1: Inaugural Borealis, Day 1 – Keystone, SEPTA, Airport Philosophy, and the Metric System for Sounds

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This episode is the first in a four-part series detailing my trip to ride the inaugural Borealis between the Twin Cities and Chicago. In it, I motorcycle to Harrisburg, ride the Keystone to Philadelphia, struggle with SEPTA to the Airport, speedrun both the PHL and MSP airports, and give a preliminary exploration of Minneapolis, philosophizing extensively along the way.

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Proto-Future 4: G4 Buffet: Lewistown, Layout Diary 1, and the Grocery Store

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This nontraditional episode gives you three vignettes on Amtrak and the podcast, my layout and its construction, and bicycling infrastructure and car-dependency, as well as helping me catch up on scripts and test out field recording.

Proto-Future Prologue 3: Rochester, MN

An alt-history of the Las Vegas Talgo as if it was purchased by MNDOT and used to start the Northern Lights Express 25 years ahead of schedule.

This episode recounts impressionable articles, near-future Amtrak routes, and how I went from modeling the 1890s On30 and choosing a diesel locomotive just for fun to completely abandoning the On30 layout and starting over to make a new layout based on a concept for regional transportation in a state which I've never lived in and barely visited.

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BGT Episode 21: Scenery Part 2: Pedosphere Part 1: Dirt and Foliage

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Thank you all for sticking around this long! After over two thousand days of intermittently podcasting, we now finally get to make some scenery! Herein, I discuss ground staining, dirt, grass, and bushes.

Proto-Future Bonus 1: G4 Imitates Noah Lugeons

Proto-Future Bonus 1: G4 Imitates Noah Lugeons

That is the America I come from. In having traveled to all 50 states, that is, more often than not, the America I see out the window. There are parts of it that are worthy of attention, but dreadfully far too few to justify the empty birthright I was promised by air-headed elders.

Proto-Future Prologue 2: G4's Story

Proto-Future Prologue 2: G4's Story

That is the America I come from. In having traveled to all 50 states, that is, more often than not, the America I see out the window. There are parts of it that are worthy of attention, but dreadfully far too few to justify the empty birthright I was promised by air-headed elders.

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BGT Episode 20: Q&A 3

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This episode addresses some much-delayed listener questions about beginnery topics, as well as some of the feedback about the most recent episode, the Proto-Future Manifesto.

The subsequent interview with Tom Barbalet on Model Rail Radio is linked here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/model-rail-radio/id335536272?i=1000634820061

Listen to the show on Apple, Spotify, iheart Radio, Youtube, or Pandora:

Have a Thought? 

Proto-Future is attempting to do something which has never been done in model railroading before. I am here to ruffle feathers, seed ideas, get rusty gears turning, and help the hobby escape the transition-era worshiping rut we’ve been in for 30+ years, thereby better appealing to younger generations and improving the world around us along the way. If you have any thoughts at all – good or bad – pause for a second, think them through, make sure they’re logical, then email me, and we’ll see where it goes.

While the podcast is transitioning to Proto-Future, I still happily accept beginner questions and will address them on-air every now and then. Feel free to email me via the contact form, and I’ll do my best to help you in your quest.

Please consider Donating

This is an expensive endeavor, not just in money, but in emotional expenditures. Any amount you could donate, even a dollar a month, is reason enough for me to keep going. Your generosity would be very appreciated.