Having it rough

For those not familiar with the life of an editor, you may be surprised to know that I have it pretty rough. Long hours behind a computer, taking work home to spend even more time behind a different computer, all the while knowing that my dream layout sits idle while I pound away hoping to make it before yet another deadline.

Then there are those product reviews that I force myself to do. I start looking through stacks of books, reading countless magazine articles, and surfing the internet to gather as much information on the subject that time allows, all in the hopes that my opinion will be appreciated by our readers.

An example of how arduous the product review process can be is best illustrated by a brief recount of the Large Scale diesel locomotive review that begins on this month’s front page. After a few phone calls and e-mails, I set up a mutually convenient time with our new writer John Sipple so that we could, in John’s words, “Play with the big fella.” John has an outdoor railroad he calls the Pine Belt Railway. This was to be my first review of a Large Scale locomotive, and John had graciously offered to assist.

The day of model operation arrived with a heavy overcast sky and a threat of rain. The threat of rain never stops an Oregonian, so I packed up the loco, camera, and note pad and headed off to John’s house some 30 miles away.

The directions John had given read, “...then turn right at Taco Bell.” After a quick lunch, I proceeded to John’s house, finding it at the end of a rural cul-de-sac. John met me at the curb, and began peering through my car window at the large locomotive box in the back seat like a small boy gazing into a toy store. With that type of enthusiasm, I knew right then how this day was going to unfold.

We made our way through the house (with a brief introduction to John’s wife on the way), then out the back door to the Pine Belt Railway. John already had a train on the layout. As he parked his Chessie unit on the siding, I unpacked camera and loco. After placing the new model on the track and hooking up the string of freight cars, we both took turns putting the loco through its paces.

After remembering our intended purpose of the day, we came back to reality and both began taking pictures of the locomotive. John’s layout provided a natural backdrop. After an hour or two of photo taking, we made a few speed measurements and numerous other tests. Once these were done, we proceeded inside to John’s office and his computer (a G4 Macintosh if you must know), and calculated the numbers we measured while running the model. We sat and talked trains, what else, as John printed out the results of our days work. He also handed me a file of what he had accumulated on the prototype. Many thanks John! (Expect to see a great deal from John in the pages of MRN in the future.)

John and I said our goodbyes and promised each other we would do it again when it was not “work related.” During the drive home, I could not help but think, “Yeah, I’ve got it rough.” Days like the one I spent with John make all the late nights worth it, and this was just one of many. And no, you can’t have my job!

—Michael J. Pratt Michael J. Pratt Managing Editor