it was expensive.
Going to the other extreme is the model railroader who is a builder—only. The layout, whether crude or finished, is secondary. This person will spend six to nine months building one car of an ob- scure railroad that existed for less than five years and there is only one known photo of it. The car siding is made of homemade tongue and groove boards. The journal boxes open, and the hand brakes operate.
This person is also growing the trees
A COLUMN BY OUR READERS where they may express their own free opinions. Please keep letters to one page or less if possible, typed or very clearly written. Print your complete name and address. All letters submitted are read. Those deemed of great- est general interest will be printed, but none can be answered by mail. Mail to Safety Valve, RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN, Box 700, Newton, NJ 07860.
Checkbook modeling Bob Walker has pointed out on occa- sion that anything new in model rail- roading is usually introduced with cries of doom. Things change though. As of 2012, we have prefabricated On3 track, which should mean the end of days is at hand. (Don’t forget that On3 is a scale and gauge that “must” use handlaid track.) The number of
items offered as
ready-to-run in recent years has been quite remarkable. This begs the ques- tion, is model building going to come to an end? Of course that question has been asked since the first
injection
molded plastic model was introduced. More accurately, when the first sand casting was introduced, the wailing whiners wimpered, “Will this lead to the end of real model railroaders?” Let’s look at this question from vari- ous points of view. Yes, there are a few who can afford to hire a private builder or firms to build a model railroad. Those kind of people with large wallets would also buy anything expensive and one of a kind no matter what it was as long as
to provide the ties for roadbed. They will be ready for harvesting in three to five years. To them, checkbook model- ing is for wimps. Commercial parts are for the faint hearted, and he or she buys nothing already made. They re- fuse to be in the same room with these “unter-modelers.”
In between these extremes are the rest of us. We are all checkbook model- ers to one degree or another. If you find you are modeling a road that used GP15’s are you going to build one from scratch or buy one offered somewhere in the pages of RMC?
Time is a true consideration for many
of us. If we want to detail a layout to an acceptable level, sometimes ready-to- run is a practical solution. Ultimately there is no right or wrong answer. So the real question is how much do
you want to depend on other people’s skills to augment yours? Do you want to pay for the manufacturer’s materials and interpretations of the prototype or develop your own talents? As Bob Walk- er has pointed out, we all started with small sheet of plywood and developed from there. The best part of model rail- roading is that there are so many facets and levels to it that it is never boring. If you think model railroading is too complicated, no it isn’t. If a flickering thought flitters through your mind says, “Maybe a pond would look good there,” don’t suppress it. Go to the hob- by shop, get the supplies, and build it. Chances are it will make you happy. JIM AUMAN via e-mail
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Henry R. Carstens E-MAIL:
carstens@carstens-publications.com
EDITOR William C. Schaumburg E-MAIL:
bills@rrmodelcraftsman.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
James E. Ankrom E-MAIL:
jima@rrmodelcraftsman.com
Christopher P. D'Amato E-MAIL:
chrisd@rrmodelcraftsman.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Kenneth R. Goslett Keith Wills
SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Ken Lawrence
VICE PRESIDENT & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
John Earley E-MAIL:
ads@railfan.com
MARKETING DIRECTOR George Riley
ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Phyllis M. Carstens
WEBMASTER Otto Vondrak
Editorial secretary: Lisa VanSweringen, Advertising manager: Pieter Uptegrove Advertising production: Larry Deitch, Mgr., Tammy Havens Customer service: Lynn Good Dealer service: Cathy Streeter Book acquisition manager: Chris Lane
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN includes TOY TRAINS, combined wrih ELECTRIC TRAINS and HOBBY RAILROADING, MINIATURE RAIL ROAD- ING, MODEL & RAILWAY NEWS, THE O GAGER and THE MODEL MAKER (est. 1924) magazines.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. and possessions: $37.95 per year, $69.95 for two years, $99.95 for three years. Single copies are $5.95. Canada: $50.00 per year, $94.00 for two years, $136.00 for three years. Overseas: $58.00 per year, $110.00 for two years, $160.00 for three years. Payment must be in U.S. funds. All communications re- garding subscriptions and changes of address should be sent to Circulation Manager, RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860-0700. Please allow six weeks for change of ad- dress. Postmaster send Form 3579 to RAILROAD MOD- EL CRAFTSMAN, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860. Periodicals class postage paid at Newton, NJ and other mailing offices.
SUBSCRIPTION E-MAIL:
rmcsubs@rrmodelcraftsman.com
CONTRIBUTIONS: Articles and photographs are wel- come. Contributors are advised to keep a copy of their manuscripts and illustrations. When requested, we will endeavor to return all material in good condition if ac- companied by return postage. RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN assumes no responsibility for unsolicit- ed material. Payment is normally made upon publica- tion. The contents of this magazine must not be repro- duced without written permission from the publisher.
ADVERTISING: Main advertising offices: 108 Phil Hardin Rd., Newton, N.J. 07860. Phone: 973-383-3355.
ADVERTISING E-MAIL:
ads@rrmodelcraftsman.com
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
www.ChoochEnterprises.com
5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116