To John Sipple:
First I would like to tell you how much I like the glossy pages on MRN. I know you rely on the manufactures and suppliers of G scale to supply their information. I hope they will continue to send [news] to your magazine. Though I do look at all pages, it would be nice if you devoted a section of the magazine to each of the gauges that you cover, so I would not have to search though the whole magazine for Large Scale and your Larger View.
Oops, it’s another dog on the tracks!Now about the picture I sent. Page 35 of the June issue has [your dog] Fluffy. My Australian Shepherd, Brandy, does not let me bother her rest time. Seems she loves to lay on the track, whether I am running or not.
Ken Bostrack
Salem, OR
P.S. — I am a member of the Northwest “G” Railroad Club out of Salem, Oregon.
You are right. We do rely on our manufacturers for information about their products, just as we rely on our reviewers for prototype information and an unbiased look at the products.
The organization of our magazine is very heavily dictated by design and layout considerations. For example, the centerfold section is often reserved for stories that require special treatment or a wide photo. Residents of this place of honor have been the Woodland Scenics “Grand Valley” hands-on layout construction series, HO locomotives, an entire N scale train, etc. Our table of contents, “Also in this issue...” is right at the front of the magazine and includes the scales of the reviews. Meanwhile, I love your picture of Brandy. At some level, this is the essence of garden railroading. —Ed.
I am a new subscriber and new to model railroading for the grandsons. I enjoy your publication, but a lot of it is over my head at this point. But I am learning.
I just returned from Alaska and while there rode on the Alaska Railroad. I was very impressed. It is their 75th anniversary and they are going strong, which is a necessity for that part of the world. We were in a train store in Anchorage that carries the models for the Alaska Railroad, which are neat trains, with the yellow and blue colors. I doubt if there would be much reader interest about Alaska in the lower 48 as they say, depending on how many readers have been to Alaska for the awesome experience, but the Alaska Railroad would be a subject of great magnitude, particularly since it is still very much a working railroad of vital importance to the area. I am sure there are several books on the subject, but would like to see something in your publication about the Alaska Railroad and where one might purchase items of this railroad in the lower 48.
Thanks,
D.S. Bond
via the internet
Since you’re new to the hobby, you might be surprised at the esteem in which the Alaska Railroad is held all over the world! Few other railroads face such severe winters. They currently roster 53 locomotives, including an F7B and sixteen brand-new SD70MACs. They do have a wonderful paint scheme, and it can be found on models of all scales. You didn’t mention what scale you model in, but Athearn produces a GP40-2 for the Alaska in HO, while Atlas turns out a GP-38 in both HO and N scales. USA Trains offers a Large Scale Alaska caboose to go with their Alaska GP38 and PS-1 boxcar. K-Line produces an Alaska GP38 in O gauge. On your computer, go to www.walthers.com, find their search page and type in “Alaska Railroad” in the keywords field. You’ll be surprised at all that pops up. —Ed.
The Railfan Safety and Courtesy TAMR] column by Peter Maurath is very good and should be taped to the windshield of some railfans’ cars. I wonder about Rule #6 though. I agree it is a good rule but isn’t that a little like telling a child not to put ink in a squirt gun? I’d never have thought of it if I hadn’t read the column.
Gene Green
El Paso, TX
Actually, until you mentioned it, I had never thought about putting ink in squirt guns. —Ed.
Greetings from the South West Alabama model railroading community.
We would very much like to continue receiving Model Railroad News. I think it is a very fine publication — and getting better as time goes by. I publish a monthly newsletter to our 100± members and often get product information and/or ideas from MRN to pass along. Just as a few examples:
I’ve ordered figures from Musket Miniatures (and inquired about other items which they don’t make — but I asked.)
One of our members has been using “Railroad Prynters” as a source for paper stock for several card-stock buildings he’s been building.
The “S-Helper” ad for the PRR “Merchandise Service” car is being passed around among the hierarchy of the Lionel Operating Train Society (of which I am Vice President) as a visual basis for our 2003 convention car.
We are working with Penn Heritage Models on a convention commemorative for our 2003 LOTS convention, and (as a VERY remote possibility) a powered commemorative unit for the 2004 LOTS convention.
You always provide some excellent write-ups about many new Large Scale products which are of particular interest to several of our more active members. In short, I hope I give your publication a good workout among our local hobbyists. If you are ever in Mobile, please feel free to give me a call and perhaps I can arrange for you to see some local layouts as well as prototype locations.
Herb Kern
Mobile, AL via the internet
We love your comments, and it serves to illustrate the unusual nature of our circulation. Almost every copy we circulate is being read by more than one person. Most of our advertisers already know this, accounting for their loyalty. Please let your “piggyback” readers know that they can get a free, 3-issue subscription which can be turned into a first-time 15-month subscription for only $18. We even have free, 3-issue trial subscription cards that we will be glad to send you. You can distribute them as you see fit. Any interested club needs only to contact our offices and request the number of cards they need. If all goes well, then your own issue won’t get so dog-eared!—Ed.
As a long time reader, I was dismayed when you went to a glossy cover. With advancing age, I find glossy paper harder to read, and did not welcome the “threat” in a recent issue for further “improvements.” The current issue doubled the glossy pages, and made the Riley interview difficult to read (not to mention that it needed a bit of editing — the bottom paragraph on page 4 refers to “tenants” that Irv Athearn laid down; I strongly suspect that this should be “tenets”).
I model in N-scale, and find it very annoying that you accept ads, and publish News Briefs, that omit the scale. For example, in the current issue: page 4 - Rem’s Railroad models; page 5 - Images Replicas; page 38 - Reboxx; page 38 - Southern hoppers. I have no problem with editorial material for other scales, since many techniques and tips are applicable to many (e.g., the current Woodland Scenics series), but would prefer you to consider doing something about advertisements. Advertisers should be strongly encouraged to include the scale, preferably large enough to be seen easily. Alternatively, you might consider grouping small ads of the same scale, identified as to scale, on separate pages. When the advertiser includes a URL it only costs me a little time, but I’m still wondering about Reboxx (which on first impression sounded like a packaging product).
Also fascinating was the News Brief item on Bowser Porta-Potty. It claims that these are “O-Guage.” First of all, “guage” does not appear in my dictionary (Webster’s Twentieth Century, Second Edition, Unabridged [Library size]). Assuming that it should have been “gauge,” the entry defines it as 5 - spacing of railroad tracks, and none of the other definitions relate to scale. Somehow the pictured buildings do not appear intended for running on track, so they should have been described as being a particular scale.
Where N Scale is concerned, the Micro-Trains Line reviews are of limited utility. By the time MRN reaches me, some of the cars shown are already on the discontinued list. The descriptive information is valuable, and looks a bit like an edited version of George Irwin’s UMTRR mailings. I’m satisfied with the general balance devoted to the various scales, and generally read each issue cover to cover.
Gerhard Postpischil
Bradford, VT
Our readers are usually like you, in that they read the entire issue, enjoying all the articles, even in scales they don’t model. You are right about “tenets,” and that mistake was purely mine; I know better. The “guage” reference slipped through a typo loophole, but the name of the product is “O-Gauge Porta Potta Kit.” That leads us to the larger issue of advertisers and manufacturers. They can name their products and companies whatever they wish, and it isn’t appropriate for us to change — or even suggest the change — of a name. When an advertiser buys space, they get to put in or leave out whatever they wish — within the clearly understood limits of this family publication’s stand regarding decency. The business of laying out a publication as complex as this precludes grouping ads or articles by scale. We urge advertisers to include scale references, but this advice isn’t always heeded.
I’m sorry the glossy pages make reading harder for you, but the overwhelming response to this change has been hugely positive and is helping our circulation. Our photos on glossy are 133 line-screen as opposed to 100 line-screen on the newsprint and as one of the publication’s photographers, I like seeing my work in higher resolution. Economic forces control growth and change within the publishing industry as with all other facets of American life. Changes and improvements aren’t a “threat,” they are an unavoidable reality. —Ed.
I was surprised that your editorial made no mention of George Stephenson with his locomotives, especially “Locomotion” for the Darlington and Stockton (Co. Durham. UK ) and especially the “Rocket” for the Manchester and Liverpool railroad.
These were the real founders of the modern railroads and took place in 1825.
Bill Antliff, O.B.E.
via the internet
We still have another twenty years before we plan the bicentennial celebration of George Stephenson’s creations. I revisit in this issue the topic of Trevithick’s engine, the first steam locomotive ever created and “Old Maude,” the grand dame of articulated steamers who figured out how to take advantage of the changes mandated by the Railway Safety Appliance Act of 1893. Both locomotives came to the rails in years ending -04, just two years away. Hopefully, if model makers take up the challenge and succeed, it will pave the way for more historic models. —Ed.
The last time I was in Cortland, New York, there was an unused elevated shanty just by the big Rubbermaid plant. That was in 1999, and I haven’t been back since, so I don’t know if it is still in existence. I took a photo, but I have no way to send it electronically. When I dig it up I could have a copy made and sent to you if you would like.
George O’Hagan
East Greenbush, NY
I noticed when reading the Trains magazine article on rail yards a couple of months back, an elevated crossing shanty very much like the one from Tom Muella sat between the tracks in a very nice photo. The only difference is that the lower stairs were not folded under at the landing but extended in the direction of the upper stairs. The Muella model could be built that way or with the lower stairs heading off to one side or the other. At one time, these shanties were everywhere; too bad so few remain. Does anyone out there know if the Cortland shanty still stands? —Ed.
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