By Dennis Packer

Author  Bio Dennis Packer is one of LSOL'S early members and has a wide array of experience in garden and indoor modular railroading.

Dennis Packer is one of LSOL'S early members and has a wide array of experience in garden and indoor modular railroading. Dennis contributes to articles for the Southern California Garden Railway Society and the Del Oro Pacific Modular Railroad. He and his wife Judy created the Packer & Rio Grande Garden Railroad in their Arcadia, California backyard, highlighting narrow gauge railroading in Colorado between 1880-1910, and their layout has been featured on the Internet and was one of the layout tours for the Big Train Show at the Queen Mary in June 2003.

"Nothing in the world relaxes me more than large scale railroading,"remarked Dennis, who is in his 31st year as a detective supervisor with the Los Angeles Police Department. Packer conducts financial investigations targeting drug trafficking and money laundering. "You would be amazed at the number of officers involved in garden railroading," quips Dennis. He added, "Layouts don't have drugs, gangs, or violence. It's a great way to escape the rigors of society."

Away from the city streets, Dennis has another unusual pastime, professional sports announcing. "Your attention please!" is one his introductions as the game announcer for the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium and USC Trojan football at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He has been announcing since high school, and has announced at one time or another for every pro team and college in southern California, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on New Year's Day, and the Japan Bowl in Tokyo. If you turn up your TV volume full blast, you can hear him as the stadium announcer in the motion pictures, Naked Gun,Last Boy Scout, and Taking Care of Business.

Five years ago, if you told me I could build a structure or scenic module, I'd tell you that you were crazy. Since then, with the guidance of LSOL and large scale railroaders, Dennis has built replicas in G-Scale of historic railroad stations, a live waterfall, Victorian houses and a cemetery that were featured with the Del Oro Pacific Modular Railroad layout inside the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, during the National Convention in July.

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