Mike Budde of St. Louis, MO, was featured in the November 2007 issue of (the now defunct) Railmodel Journal. For a simple trackplan, this module is really an outstanding example of the principles of Free-mo. Sometimes the mundane details can be overlooked. Mike really accomplishes modeling the out of service spur beautifully. The VW Junkyard demonstrates Mike's incredible eye for detail, and his modeling skill to replicate it.

A thought that this module set gave, and it mirrors what Lance Mindheim discusses in his blog; not every industry needs to have an active spur and currently being serviced by rail.  Having a remnant of rail service, foundation of a buisiness now gone, rusty rails burried into dirt, etc. develop a sense of history.

	Lance's manifest power rolls over the Piru bridge.

Flinging open the car door and disengaging the seatbelt simultaneously, I hurl myself out of the driver's seat. Giving the modules a quick once over from outside the window looking in "WHEW, nothing was damaged!" Making my way inside the setup hall, I find my cohorts, hand on their chins, holding the layout plan with a worried look on their face. As I walk toward them I overhear murmurs of "Are we going to actually be able to fit this?"  staring at the "L" shape outlined with masking tape on the concrete floor. They pause for a moment to acknowledge my arrival, only for them to discover my T-shirt inscription. "YOUNG FART" it proclaimed very loudly. Apprehension dissolves to loud outbursts of laughter. I think this might actually be a fun setup.

Free-mo has come a very long way since 1995 when I first launched free-mo.org. The standard was very much in it's infancy. Just a critical few modules were in an operable state and far from complete. I have taken on an assignment about the history of free-mo for an upcoming project. Having been on a Free-mo sebatical of sorts, as of late, has given me a fresher perspective then one that I had just 5 years ago. Further, reading some of the haphazard articles I wrote when I was a mere 18 (half my life ago) has really been a nostalgic activity. I must say that there certainly is a feeling of excitement again for setting up my modules.