Michael Byle

I managed to ride the Tampa Trolley from end to end. The northern terminus is in Ybor City section of Tampa, the famed cigar district. At the other end in downtown Tampa, you are a few minutes walk from the Tampa Bay Hotel, built by H.B. Plant, the Florida Rail and shipping magnate. This hotel was the terminus of Plant's New York City to Tampa rail line. This was later to become a large part of the Atlantic Coast Line and later the Seaboard Coast Line. The trains would pull right up to the...

Taking a long needed vacation. We arrived in Florida last night. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I discovered the hotel is across the street from the Tampa Trolley maintenance facility. The trolleys run every 15 minutes from Ybor City to Downtown Tampa along the waterfront. The trolleys are free to ride. The trolleys are fed overhead and are of classic design. The trolley stations are beautifully simple. With brick pavers and iron work. I am looking forward to exploring...

Steel mill model at National Model Railroad Association, Mid Eastern Region Convention I just returned from the NMRA MER Philly Express Convention held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It was a great time to visit with other model railroaders, learn some new skills and explore area railroads. The first evening of the convention found me presenting a clinic on building my elevated railroad at CB Train Junction. Attendees were engaged and there was interesting discussion that led me to...