Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Interurban Era

@interurbanera.bsky.social

4.1K followers 1.2K following 7.3K posts

I make chill scale modeling videos + Build custom model railroads for clients https://lnk.bio/InterurbanEra

lnk.bio

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · Nov 13

Hello! I'm Interurban Era

Here's what I do:

+ Build model railroad layouts professionally
+ Make modelbuilding videos on Youtube
+ Design paint schemes for vehicles
+ Kitbash models
+ Illustrate
+ Play games
+ Learn about history & share it here

Follow me if that's the kinds of things you enjoy!

A trio of Brass Suydam models of Interuban Electric Railway cars owned by the Southern Pacific in HO scale (1/87) which I'm rebuilding at the moment. They're running on my own model railroad, the Alat California.

An ALCO RS-1 I kitbashed poses in front of Mexican vernacular homes on my layout set near Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico in 1968. Check out the little bicycle on the locomotive's walkway.

Work in progress show of the redwood forest & hand painted backdrop I'm doing for one of my clients. This layout is called Anchor Bay, and is set in Northern California in 1948.

I have my own railroad I've been building models and writing lore for years: the Alta California Railway, which connects Guadalajara with Oakland California from 1927-199X. I model the late 1960s.

9 50 360

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 5m

"Now equipped with a picatinny rail, reflex sight and 40mm grenade (golfball) mortar so you can make accurate, long drives!

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 15m

I'd love to build a layout for someone that does right-of-way composition like this. A little dirt road, rail, and a tree tunnel adjacent to high tension lines for a tram layout, as it crosses a highway.

Portland Streetcar History @pdx-streetcars.bsky.social · 45m

A 1946 view of Jennings Lodge station on the Oregon City line, located on the northwest side of the McLaughlin Blvd/Jennings Avenue intersection. We're looking up the track to Portland here along Arista Drive; what is now Roake's can be seen a little further down the hill on McLaughlin.

Reposted by Interurban Era

ren they/them @renzaro.com · 20m

If the media is going to keep pushing their crime & inefficiency narrative on public transit then agencies should fight back.

Car dominance is personally and societally unpleasant, transit is by-and-large convenient, affordable, and socially beneficial. No more needless concessions to big auto.

BART @bart.gov · 1h

Take transit.

It’s safer, better for the environment and it will support our ability to fund service and make improvements.

Google Maps image showing a longer drive time (one hour and 14 minutes) from Walnut Creek to downtown SF compared to taking BART (39 minutes).

3 20

Reposted by Interurban Era

Portland Streetcar History @pdx-streetcars.bsky.social · 11h

Some good news! PGE has listened to community concerns and will not demolish the historic 1905 Oregon Water Power & Railway Co. substation at Sellwood.

Read more here: visitahc.org/blog/a-surpr...

A Surprising Preservation 'Win' — Architectural Heritage Center

Sept. 25, 2025 By: Fred Leeson

visitahc.org

6 21

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 11h

I'm probably too old to do the instructor route now. I probably don't have "fearless leaders' "warrior spirit" either hahaha.

But I'm always wanted to fly in an F5 family aircraft. The perfect thrust to weight ratio.

1 1

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 12h

Which air miles credit card do I need to backseat a Northrop T-38?

2 12

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 13h

Something something looking for an MU connection 🤣

1 5

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 14h

More than a few of you have reached out to ask how to kitbash an ALCO RSD-1, and I'm pleased to report you can just buy them off AliExpress now:

www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005...

1 6 34

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 15h

Why are they demolishing Northstar stations?

1 4

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 16h

It's really hard to beat IL-2s damage models, but CFS2 was my first taste of realizing pushing flight envelopes had consequences!

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 16h

I *loved* combat flight sim. I wish that it had contemporary graphics, cause I'd dump a few hundred more hours in it.

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 16h

What's the weirdest real thing you've heard some person, place, or country "lost it in the war"?

Items, vehicles, landmarks?

2 1 13

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 16h

I'd love to see Microsoft Flight Sim have IL-2 or warthunder damage physics.

*Valiantly piloting a shredded piper cub onto a wide spot in the road, Alaska*

5 1 26

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 18h

Really like the cutaway roof for patios on the building

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 19h

Or, at least memorizing pitches for VPNs and website hosting services like previous generations memorized jingles and slogans from the radio & TV

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 19h

Overhearing a Mom admonishing her child: "STOP talking like a YouTuber!"

8 5 85

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 21h

A. Legendary to choose a Ford pinto for an aircraft of all road vehicles on earth in the 70s.

B. The wreck sounds horrifying, a broken weld loosening a wing strut that disintegrated the wings at a very scary altitude.

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 22h

Put a low watt bulb inside, and turn it into a gentler easy bake oven!

Reposted by Interurban Era

WDTX 1402 @wdtx1402.bsky.social · 23h

20210702_1109

9 28

Reposted by Interurban Era

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 3d

New episode catching us up on what I've been building for the last year on anchor bay.

This episode we build some beautiful redwood trees and giant stumps.

youtu.be/JADz5ASyYbY

2 6 59

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 23h

Every once in a while I check this list, hoping to see some familiar tech names added here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Beyond the joke, the list itself is fascinating, and far more numerous than you'd imagine.

List of inventors killed by their own invention - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

3 1 19

Reposted by Interurban Era

Jake Berman @lostsubways.com · 1d

Just like with Costco and toilet paper, trains are cheaper when you buy in bulk.

Trenvista in English (formerly Rail News Vista) @trenvistaen.bsky.social · 1d

Germany aims to reunify the procurement of PSO trains in order to make their acquisition and maintenance easier and cheaper. The model is based on that of the VDV Tram-Train consortium.

Germany's 27 states join forces to make joint train purchases

Since regionalisation, purchasing has become fragmented, losing the benefits of economies of scale.

www.trenvista.net

1 10 58

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 23h

This will be one of the most impactful mistakes this admin has made in the long term.

Reposted by Interurban Era

Matti has a Boo-ty 👻 @mrbtx.bsky.social · 1d

positing that all trans lesbians are at least model trains-curious

4 7 32

Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 1d

Scrapped streetcars for Buses

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 4d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

5 6 57