2024-09-14 -Because this has been my same old Home Page since 2011, I suppose it is time to introduce myself and explain what this website is intended to accomplish. And I certainly will – eventually. Any comments or questions?
2025-11-29
The time has come – here is the scoop:
This website documents lifelong passions for automotive history, model vehicles, radio controlled cars, Corvette racing, railroading, family heritage, and the joy of building things. What started as a simple hobby site has grown into an extensive research archive spanning decades of collecting, building, documenting, and preserving stories behind the machines and people encountered along the way.
Radio Controlled Model Car History
The most extensive research project documents the early history of radio controlled cars worldwide, from experimental prototypes to first commercial products. This comprehensive archive includes early experimental RC cars from the 1950s-1960s (Ford Motor Company concept, Japanese Radicon bus, Bill Johnson experimental car, Dr. Hans Feldmann prototype, Charles Eckles and Norb Meyers prototypes), early commercial vehicles (1966 Italian El-Gi Ferrari, NAMCO car kits, Japanese proportional steering Toyota), and personal RC history including my first 1963 – a Corvette and the founding of Midwest Series – the first wide area RC car racing series. This research has been cited on Wikipedia and serves as a definitive reference for early RC car history, correcting numerous internet myths with documented facts.
Corvette Racing History
Exhaustive documentation of Corvette racing from 1953 through the C8.R era, with particular emphasis on the C5-R program (1999-2004) followed from day one. Coverage includes C1 Racing (1953-1962) with the Purple People Eater and 1960 Le Mans entries, C2 Racing (1963-1967) Grand Sport program with all five cars documented, and the most complete C5-R Racing documentation (1999-2004) with individual chassis histories for all twelve cars (C5R-001 through C5R-012), including the test mule, homologation car, European privateer teams, and cars that never raced.
Model Railroads
The Frankfort Terminal Railroad (FTRR) documents a G Scale garden railroad journey from 2008 to 2020 and its transformation into an indoor basement layout, featuring 28+ detailed construction pages, custom buildings, scratch-built structures, and advanced electrical systems. The Santa Train (2007-2012) was a beloved motion-activated Christmas display on the front porch featuring a 1:24 scale Kalamazoo Christmas locomotive, “Ed the Polar Bear,” and FRED (Flashing Rear Elf Device).
Model Cars, Slot Racing & Magnetic Steering
The California Kid section documents converting both 1:43 and 1:24 scale models to match the 1974 TV movie version. Slot car racing covers the return to 1:32 scale after 36 years, sparked by Fly C5-R Corvettes, including a home basement track and vintage Monogram F1 cars ansd setting a World Record. Magnetic steering technology enables autonomous model vehicle operation in 1:24 scale integrated with model railroads.
International Harvester Model Trucks & Personal Automotive
Having worked at IH engineering in Fort Wayne, Indiana, documentation includes a 1:25 scale model truck collection, never-before-shown prototype engineering models, John Lingenfelter’s turbocharged drag Scout, and display of 50+ model trucks at Harvester Homecoming. Personal automotive history spans from a 1950 Chevrolet Coupe to a dream 1963 Corvette Convertible (Silver Blue, 340 hp, 4-speed) and 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE V-12 owned for 14 years (1981-1995).
3D Printing, Family History & Travel
3D printing projects use modern technology to create custom G Scale signs, structures, replacement parts, and prototype development for model railroads. Family history documents Palmeter genealogy with an incredible 1913 family photograph and multi-generational charts, plus Berdine/Keffer maternal family ancestry. Travel adventures include extensively documented trips: Alaska 2014 (10-day overland tour), Great Smoky Mountains 2020 (family cabin retreat), and racing events at Petit Le Mans, Sebring, Road America, and Road Atlanta.
About This Site
Thirteen Point Seven Billion is the estimated age of the universe in years – should be enough time to finish all these projects (or at least to evolve humankind)! This ad-free hobby website has been online since the early 2000s, containing hundreds of pages of original content, thousands of photographs, and countless hours of research. It serves as both a personal archive and a resource for fellow enthusiasts interested in the items listed above.
WELCOME!
2011-07-21 – Above is a picture from the early days of my G Scale Frankfort Terminal garden railroad.
More pix to follow……