One of Jim Eager's earliest memories is of accompanying his uncle to work at the NYNH&H yards in New Haven, Connecticut, and spending part of the day riding a switch engine, so a fascination with trains came naturally. Tinplate and then scale train sets kept the interest going until it was directed to the D&RGW during a visit to Colorado after graduation from high school in 1972. The Rio Grande has been his primary focus ever since.

Jim is interested in just about every facet of the railroad and its history, operations and equipment, both the narrow and standard gauge. His study of the Grande's equipment led him to write the Rio Grande Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment for Morning Sun Books in 1996, and he has also written articles on prototype freight cars for several of the modeling magazines. He currently models the Rio Grande in HO and Sn3.

Jim is a professional photographer and lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with his wife Margaret and their son Keith. Some of his other interests include wilderness canoeing, hiking, camping, and cross country skiing.