Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

 (1913-1973), the "Wizard of  was a trained artist and professional photographer who gained a worldwide reputation as a model railroad hobbyist. His photographs and articles in the hobby press from the through the early  presented HO scale model railroading as a challenging and attractive hobby, and more than a quarter century after his death, the many photos he took of his model railroads continue to fascinate.

Born in Joplin, Missouri, John was orphaned when both his parents died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. Thereafter, he was raised by relatives in California, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He studied business at UCLA, but transferred to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he concentrated on photography, though the backdrops on his model railroad layouts show that he also had skill as a painter.

He started a photography business in , but when World War II began, he moved to , where he and a partner prospered making portraits of servicemen. John himself c serve in the armed forces due to a heart condition, which was the eventual cause of his death, though he tried unsuccessfully to make his services available as an interpreter of aerial photos.

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts

Ho Train Layouts