Ralph Mason was born in Birmingham, England, and as a young man, trained to be an engineering officer in the British merchant navy. As a boy, he was an avid trainspotter, and his love for railways and rapid transit systems carried over into his project management career. After attending the University of Birmingham, he decided to visit the United States for a couple of years and got a job in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Subsequently, he worked as an engineer and manager on projects all over the world. He now lives in Northern California, having lived in the US for the last fifty-five years. He is a joint citizen of the US and the UK.