Model Railroading in the 50s and 60s.


Mark D.,

I am also following along -- your tour of the "past to the present" has been entertaining as you go along.

A couple of posts back, you mentioned how products were "coming and going", and it kind of struck a chord with me. A lesson I learned very early in my model railroading career ("way" back in the Seventies! :) ) was that if you saw something you wanted, you'd better get it before too long. And if you REALLY wanted it, you'd better get it now! My mainstay was (and still is) good ol' Athearn Blue Box kits and engines, but I also saw other things I wanted. Saw two at the same train show, and thought "nope, I'll get it later". The first item I didn't see again for ten-twelve years. The second one I waited for nearly THIRTY years before I saw another one! (brass liquid nitrogen tank car from Overland). Both items had doubled in price -- didn't care, learned my lesson and haven't made the same mistake since!

I said I was used to Athearn Blue Box engines and rolling stock, and they were around forever. MDC was pretty much the same. Then along came Walthers (and it seems like they keep things in production for a couple of years -- after that, who knows if you'll ever get it again?). Some of the Bowser stuff seems to be "single-run" only, and if you don't get in the first time the product is released, well... Accurail, not as bad; Con-Cor seems to be very hit-or-miss (are they even still in production?). Then you get into the "modern" high-detail, scale detail manufacturers; primary one that comes to mind is InterMountain. Love their stuff -- but my 60+ year old hands don't work very well anymore, and it seems like I've broken more high-detail, scale detail parts than I've successfully installed. Another example -- I got a good deal on a Proto 2000 50' boxcar -- and didn't even get it out of the box before I was breaking parts. Yikes!! Still, I love the details, and envy those with the time and money (and hands to handle them without breaking them!) to afford the "new" stuff. I still go to train shows, but I've pretty well got both what I want and what I NEED, so I buy very little any more. Still buy detail parts, to replace those oh-so-fragile drop steps and grab irons with wire ones, for example.

Still, it's a great hobby, and I've met many good people being a model railroader!

Just to "distill" my main points out:

1) If you want it, plan to get it SOON.

2) If you REALLY want it, buy it NOW!

Of course, your mileage may vary... ;)

Regards,
Tom
 
Tom, I agree, model availability seems very volatile now days. Like you, I probably have everything I need, my problem is the hobby is about building models and not buying RTR stuff. Tichy and Accurail are my friends!
 
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NP2626 said:
Thanks Willie, now I'm not the only person on page 20!!
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Instead of posts, look at the number of views. At over 7500 in approximately 90 days, that's over 80 views a day. I think that shows that the level of interest is rather high. Of course if you subtract the 40 or so times a day that you check in for other posts...LOL HAHAHA! Just kidding of course!

Willie
 
Mark is saving me the cost to subscribe to MR's back issue collection. Just kidding Mark.

Maybe in fall I'll subscribe as well.

Greg
 
santafewillie said:
Instead of posts, look at the number of views. At over 7500 in approximately 90 days, that's over 80 views a day. I think that shows that the level of interest is rather high. Of course if you subtract the 40 or so times a day that you check in for other posts...LOL HAHAHA! Just kidding of course!

Willie
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I do look at the post count. Still it is nice to see someone else on the page, other than "Yours Truly". How can you tell that I have checked in to see if there are new posts? I knew I did this fairly often; but, did not know I did it 40 times a day!
 
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I've found the article that inspired me to do a serious "Kit Bash" This is in the August of 1986 issue. The starting point was a Rivarossi USRA Mikado, which the article discusses converting to one of the Northern Pacific's hard working W-3 Mikes. The article listed all the detail parts needed to do the bash. It took a month or so to the conversion and I was so proud of the locomotive when I completed it!

This issue also concludes Bruce Chubb's C/MRI Computer/Model Railroad Interface with the 16th article on the topic. I can't believe the amount of detail and information provided on this topic: Schematics, Photos, sketches, and all the writing Mr. Chubb had to perform to complete this series of articles. The thought of doing this much work for my little layout kept me from reading the first page of the series. I commend Mr. Chubb's commitment and know I would still be building this system, had I decided to do so! This issue alone contained 10 pages of information on the subject. I wonder how many pages he produced for the C/MRI articles?
 
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That article about the NP Mike did catch my attention. The finished locomotive was excellent if I remember. I had though about doing something similar, but had a lot of other projects going on and never got to it.
 
My wife and I are building a 2 rail O scale layout with mostly equipment dating from the 1950-1970 time frame. Track from AHM/Rivarossi, engines from All Nation(NW2) and Max Gray(GP35), freight car kits from Quality Craft, All Nation, Athearn ect. So far only the track, a couple freight cars from Atlas and the MRC throttle date from the 1970's. I have several old model train magazines from the 1950's and 60's and always watch for more at flea markets and antique shops. Back then one actually had to do some "modeling" and spend some time to make engines run smooth, assemble car kits ect. These days one can almost build a layout without hardly doing more than opening a box. I see no fun in that. Being able to say "I built that" or watch as other admire how well an old model locomotive can be made to run, is the best feeling in the world to a modeler. Mike
 
Chet said:

"...but had a lot of other projects going on and never got to it. "

Now THERE is another set of "true sayings" about model railroading. I have started 15-20 projects... and have yet to finish ONE. To use a baseball anology, I need an ace out of the bullpen to come in and finish the game (project) for me!

All kidding aside... I think it might be an "attention deficit disorder" or some- LOOK! SQUIRREL! ;) I make fun of it because I'd probably lose what is left of my sanity if I dwelled on it too much.

Somehow, though -- I've gotta finish some of the projects I've started before I begin any more! Am I right!? :rolleyes:

Regards,
Tom
 
TomStockton, No, start more! The more the merrier! Haven't you heard, nothing on a model railroad is ever really done. The just get taken to a point where most people can be fooled into thinking they're done. Right now I have 4 steam locomotives that need completing, I am working on one and actually hope to complete, sometime.
 
Sometime in 1988 one of the guys from my R/C Model Airplane Club borrowed me his collection of Model Railroader Magazines from the year before, 1987. I have started looking over 1987's issues at this time and recognize cover photos. One of the more outstanding layouts I remember from this time period was jack Burgess' Yosemite Valley RR. Despite my having spoken out about strict adherence to reality in model railroading, I am not against doing so, I am against espousing that it is the ONLY way to go in the hobby. Jacks layout inspired me very much and Jack's layout specified a date and time to model. It was easily understood that the date and time he models, is important to him! I'm all for people doing exactly what they want and describing how they came to these decisions.

jack's Yosemite Valley RR is splattered all over Youtube, strongly recommend taking a look!
 
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I ran across another person who buit a layout I admire and that is Eric Brooman's Utah Belt. In the July of 1987 he is discussing Locomotives of the Utah belt. Eric constantly up grades his fleet of locomotives to reflect the current times. By 1987 he had obsoleted all his F-Units. SD 50 and 45 where his newest. My interest in Mr. Brooman's layout is in his wonderful scenic talents. This issue also has a drawing of an Illinois Central Mikado, a chunky locomotive that I just think fits the bill for what I feel steam locomotives should look like!
 
Back to Jack Burgess' Yosemite Valley Railroad. How many of you are familiar with this layout. You can get a pretty good look at it by going to YouTube and typing in Yosemite Valley Railroad. The August of 1987 issue of Model Railroader highlights this layout and the track plan was really my first exposure to a multi deck layout. The real Yosemite Valley RR was a short line which ran from Merced (Merr Said) California, to El Portal at the Western edge of Yosemite National Park. It started in the San Joaquin Valley, following the Merced River then following the Yosemite River to El Portal. The total length of the railroad was only 78 miles and in Merced it linked up with the Southern Pacific. Jack did a pretty good job of including many of the towns along the right of way and one of the more interesting details of his railroad is a connection to an inclined Railway at the town of Incline which connects the RR to Camp 17 of the Yosemite Sugar Pine Lumber Company. Jack's locomotive roster is mostly 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 brass models of Yosemite Valley locos and cabooses. It is a very interesting layout!

The August of 1987 is the first issue where I have seen slow motion switch machines are being used. They are the Hankscraft 2-4 RPM display motors.

Charles Ro was a large mail order company doing business for many years. They where big into supplying modelers with all scales. Does anyone know what happened to them?

Andy Sperandeo has a paint shop article on painting Northern Pacific's Baldwin Road Switches: a BB Model DRS-4-4-15 and a CC Model DRS-6-6-15. This might be of interest only to me, being an N.P. modeler.
 
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The September 1987 issue has a continuance of Jack Burgess' Yosemite Valley RR, with a look at Scenery and Detail: Technique and Philosophy. Northern Pacific's Trains 57 and 58 are discussed in the October issue from 1987. Again, only interesting if you model the Northern Pacific. However, this issue has an article by John Armstrong, entitled "Meet the Mushroom". I find the track plan to be extremely difficult to decipher and would need to study it long and hard to be able to understand how it works. The idea uses a helix and appears to split the helix in two half the ways up to go to a staging loop for train storage. I am still finding that Model Railroader Magazines contain from 150 to 200 pages during this time period.
 
I've completed 1987, I found a few articles of intereste to em in the Novemeber 1987 issue, one on the Franklin Junction of the Rio Grande Southern, The ABCs of Box Cars and how to make head light lenses for locomotives. It's also fun to look through issues I have not looked at since I got started.
 
Starting on 1988, these are the first issues where I was a subscribed purchaser of Model Railroader. This is also where Malcom Furlow started his Carbondale Central layout.
 
Reading over the March 1988 issue of M.R. There are two articles which stand out to me, the first is an article entitled "The Rio Grande and Southwestern". The layout is a sorta coulda combination of the Denver and Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern. It has places on it that are Rio Grande Southern such as Vance Junction, Ophir, Lizardhead and Telluride and places on the D&RGW such as Chama and Cumbres. The article is written by Jeff Griffin and the photos are by Malcom Furlow. The second article which tripped my trigger is Part 3 of "Building the Carbondale Central" by Malcom Furlow. In this article it really shows how Malcom was capable of very fine artistic abilities. He showed in his San Juan Central how good he was at Western Mountainous scenery and with the Carbondale Central he shows he is very capable of Urban Scenery, too. Malcom Furlow will always be at the top of my list of extraordinary Model Railroaders! He was so prolific with articles on model railroading in the late 1970s and 1980s! However, I haven't seen much since and I know that he concentrated on his art work, since. Does anyone know if he is still involved in Model Railroading? The Walthers Catalog was on $9.95 back then!!
 
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Malcolm primarily was an artist and used model railroading as a medium to express his art. I had heard and read back in the late 90's or early 00's that several narrow-gauge "purists" and other rivet-counters regularly "trashed" him, so he left the hobby in the early 2000's. Don't remember the website any more, maybe MR's or Atlas. Whether that was the reason or was it that he did so well as an artist I cannot verify.
See this exchange on the MR website from 2012.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/202054.aspx

Willie
 
June 1988, now the inside back cover is used by Overland Models Inc. and the back cover is used by MRC, to show off their latest and greatest DC Power Packs! One thing that I think has been an important asset for Model Railroader is the last pages of each issue where the magazine shows The Classified Market Place, Leading Model Retailers and the index of Advertisers. I have found these pages to be very helpful when I visit another city I have never been to before, to to see where the local hobby shops are and find an advertizer that I am looking for.
 
Mark:

To answer your question, next fall I may start a subscription to the MR Archives site. Right now no extra time with spring being here.

I have issues of Model Railroader dating back to the 70's and I been sorting through them and only keeping ones of interest due to lack of storage space. Not counting the other model railroading magazines I've kept along with the issues of MR.

Greg
 
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