How did you get interested in model trains?

Although no one in my family worked for a railroad or actively participated in the hobby, somehow my interest in trains started very early. My parents tell the story of my room being at the end of our mobile home that backed up to the tracks, and that I would stand in my crib and wave at the engineers as they passed.

At age 3, a hand-me-down American Flyer T&P train was set up in our room. By age 7 we received a Santa Fe Tyco train set for Christmas. Bought my first model train magazine around 1979 and that's when I "got serious" about the hobby.

How did you get in the model train business?

Ironically "running a model train shop" was the answer I gave to the high school guidance counselor when asked what it was I wanted to do for a living. After a course in general business, I decided that running my own shop was not going to be in my future.

After spending ten years in the radio business and other ventures, I found myself in a job that was not going anywhere by late August of 1997. One Saturday I went into my local train shop to find that the owner was going to close the store down the next weekend. Next thing you know, I'm in the model train business afterall.

How long have you been in your current location?

The original store was in a very small space on Baseline Road. In 1998 we moved to a building that is across the street from our present location. In 2003, on April 1st of all days, we moved into our much larger store and that is when we added O/0-27 trains, plastic model kits and die-cast to our inventory.

So are you in Little Rock or Mabelvale? Where is "Helm" on the map? Why can't my GPS locate your address?

All good questions. My store is well within the city limits of Little Rock, but it is in the very southwest corner. It is in an area of the city that was once the small town of Mabelvale. Mabelvale was annexed into LR at least 20 years ago, but retained the "Mabelvale" post office. So mail must be addressed to "Mabelvale" even though the store is in Little Rock. Helm street is only two blocks long and may not show up on your map. The store is very close to the "T" intersection of Mabelvale Pike/Mabelvale Main/Mabelvale West.

Where is the shopping cart? How can I order?

While I do operate a 3000 square foot store, this is still a one-man operation and not a large mail-order warehouse. So we do not have our inventory on-line. However, you can e-mail me at onetrackmindtrains@hotmail.com or call (501) 455 - 5050 (leave a message if after business hours) and I will try to find what you are looking for, or let you know that I have the item(s) in stock.

Just what are your discounted prices?

Generally, our prices are discounted around 10% from the MSRP. We do take 20% off of most locomotives and flex-track and also some lines where we get a better wholesale discount. There are very few items in the store that, unfortunately, we are not able to offer at a discounted price.

We also have a clearance/bargain area where there are even better deals.

How many trains a day pass by your store?

Approximately 45 trains pass by One Track Mind in a 24 hour period. There is no set schedule for freight trains, so you may or may not see prototype trains during your visit. Around 15 - 18 trains pass by between 9 am and 5 pm. There are times when 4 or 5 trains go by in 30 minutes, other times you may not see a train for hours at a time. It is a Union Pacific Railroad mainline and you may also see BNSF (trackage rights) trains and Amtrak's Texas Eagle.

How did you come up with the name?

While it is a common phrase, I came up with the name while listening to the radio. At that time in 1997, Aerosmith had a hit song titled "Hole In My Soul" and when the line "...with a one track mind..." went by, it struck me as the name for my store. Some think it is clever, some think it is cute and some think it is a stupid name. Sometimes I think it is all three at once.

You're not from around here, are you?

No, but I enjoy living in Arkansas! I was born and raised in north central Illinois and moved to Glenwood, Arkansas in 1988. That is where I met my good Arkansan wife and we have been married since 1990. We briefly lived in Fort Smith and moved to Little Rock just before Christmas of 1993.