Freelance model railroading is about creating railroads entirely from imagination. Modelers invent their own rail lines, towns, and landscapes without being tied to real-world history. It’s a creative outlet where anything goes—unique paint schemes, fictional companies, and even mixing eras or geographies. The focus is artistic expression and personal enjoyment.
Prototype modeling takes the opposite approach, aiming for historical accuracy. Modelers recreate real railroads, locations, and time periods in exact detail, often after deep research. The goal is a faithful miniature representation of history.
Proto-freelance modeling blends the two. It starts with a real-world prototype but allows creative adjustments—a “what if” approach that balances accuracy with freedom.
For example, my MDRAIL project draws from the CSX Pope’s Creek Secondary in Southern Maryland, modeled around CSX practices in the mid-2000s. While rooted in real locations, MDRAIL explores an alternate history that lets me combine authenticity with imagination.
This approach gives me the best of both worlds: the freedom to be creative while staying connected to the railroads I grew up watching. For me, proto-freelance modeling is the perfect balance between realism and artistic expression.
MDRAIL 