Mike Schafer hails from Rockford, Illinois, where he recalls his earliest train-watching experiences on the Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, Burlington Route, and Chicago & North Western. Mike and his little dog Archie reside in a house (which includes a 1,600-square-foot model railroad) next to BNSF's busy Twin Cities mainline in a small town outside Chicago where he also serves as village trustee and occasionally mayor pro tem.
