About Us

Joy Draper Ball & Michael W. P. Ball - The 'How To Team' of Brass Locomotives

In the past 40 years, Joy Ball has been an enthusiast and now expert in the field of Brass Model Locomotives. As an expert hobbyist, she has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Her primary interests have been around HO and HOn3 Brass Replicas. Far from being content to be your average enthusiast, she has made it her passion in life to build and restore a whole host of trains, while always minding to surpass the already strict standards of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotive to the running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas.

On a personal side note… As a child, Joy grew up in India. She attended a school fifteen hundreds miles from Bombay, where her Parent’s were doing Missionary work for the Salvation Army. Joy made countless trips riding a train from Bombay to Madras where she boarded a cogwheel train that took her near her boarding school located seven thousand feet above sea level. She often made the long trek accompanied by her brother and sister and together they continued the ritual for about 7 years.

Joy looks back at her time riding by rail with so many fond memories. To this day the memory of India’s pastoral countryside passing by her window remains very near and dear to her heart.

Michael has spent 50 years in the hobby of HO trains and Brass Steam Locomotives. Like his wife Joy, he has spent a great deal of time with both HO and Hon3 brass engines and the respective passenger and freight cars associated with both gauges. He gave up on the Hon3 scale because the motors were not adequate to operate the engines as they are now.

Michael is a member of the NMRA and uses the standards set forth by the NMRA in all of his HO railroading. He spends time upgrading locomotives to DCC and sound operation.

Michael is spending a great deal of time getting even the most recent Brass Locomotives to run correctly and operate as intended. Many of the new locomotives are built for static display rather than operational on a layout. This is a major draw back and requires a great deal of time to get the locomotive to run properly.

On a personal note… When Michael was about 3 ½ years old his father took him to the Great Northern Roundhouse in Interbay Seattle, Washington. This was during World War II summer of 1944. It was a remarkable experience for such a young lad. Michael stood with his father between to huge steam locomotives. He remembered how clean the roundhouse was and how well things were kept around these huge be mouths. All of a sudden one of the locomotives blew stem out the side of the engine and scared Michael to death. He climbed his father's pant leg in fear. However, the experience left an impression that has lasted for years and model railroading is a result of it.

Michael has had many experiences with trains during his growing up period. While in the Army he road trains all over Germany and Great Britain. When ever he and Joy travel the World they ride trains where ever possible.