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Of Prototypes and Models |
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| I have a computer with two monitors and have arranged a set of photos to use as the backgrounds of each display. They change every five minutes, and these pictures are a mixture of railroad models in several scales as well as proto photos. Since the computer displays them in a random sequence, I often will see a real locomotive arrayed beside a model. This is good for me since it reminds me of what we’re about here. | |
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As I look at the real things, I am reminded of many things. First, a very large hand could not actually pick one up without doing tremendous damage. Boiler jackets would collapse, as would diesel hoods. Steam valve gears would be crushed, as would diesel fuel tanks. For all of the details which a model maker can put on any given model, there are generally five times more which are left off. Windshield wipers, handrail stanchions, and cab interiors are more ornate and complex than any model can reasonably capture. When we photograph a model, our goal is to look it over just as you would, turning it this way and that. If you walked into a store and asked the clerk to let you have a look at a model, what would you look for? That’s what we try to give you. The most forgiving setting to view a model is on a layout at a distance of at least a few feet. The least tolerant view would be on a neutral-colored sheet of paper, taking a close look with a magnifying glass. Often, when photographing a model, I will see things which escaped my old eyes before the shutter was snapped. More than anything else, these photos confirm that these are models, not prototypes. Perhaps because I have my nose shoved into this reality on a daily basis, I have learned to be more accepting. Models are more durable than the vehicles they represent. They can also go places where no prototype ever went. I have paint schemes on locomotives and cars which never ran on those railroads or ever wore that paint. I have seen Santa Fe’s red-and-silver Warbonnet on locomotives, in several scales, which were never dressed up that way in real life. |
| I often see a single prototype which was found on only a single railroad suddenly garbed in the liveries of two dozen railroads. Too often, the version wearing the paint of your favorite railroad is not detailed correctly. I have seen such models worked over by clever modelers with details relocated, replaced, or created in order to come up with a more exact representation. Aftermarket detail suppliers exist to specifically fill this need. This is the essence of modeling. Even more specifically, I have Southern Pacific Geeps in two different scales, both Phase II GP7s when Espee only had GP9s. These models bear numbers from their GP9 roster. Look close because the louvers under the cab and other details all say, “GP7,” but the road numbers say, “GP9.” Do I grind off the wrong detail and replace it? Do I get angry and fling it against a wall? Do I phone the manufacturers and give them a piece of my mind (like I’ve got any to spare)? Do I dash off a scathing letter? Or do I just put the model on the layout and enjoy it? Which among these choices are both better for my health and for our hobby? Today, my desktop background pictures remind me that models are just that — models. I am not in charge of the market, nor can I ever become angry or abrasive enough to alter the economics of product development. I am in charge of the models in my own collection and have the opportunity to enjoy them as they are or alter them to suit my tastes. My desktop pictures remind me that the mission of Model Railroad News is to give you a good, close look at new models so that you can decide for yourself if this is what you want. Often, the pictures reveal more than we can put into the text. Our pictures help us become a sort of model dating service between the manufacturer and you. Keep us handy, and let us know if we’ve helped you find a product which you enjoy. John Sipple Editor |
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| To respond to this month's Editorial, send comments to: Editorial@modelrailroadnews.com | |
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