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Round and Round If I may, I’d like to take “friendly exception” to some comments made by Hobo D. Hirailer in his recent column, “Going Around and Around and Around” (OST #25) Hobo seems to feel that his HiRailer friends like to run their trains just “for fun” whereas some 2-Railers take their trains “seriously”, using the adjective in a somewhat condescending sense. Okay, we “serious” 2-Railers can take a ribbing as well as the next guy, and what kind of dope wouldn’t agree that this, after all, is just a hobby and it should be “fun”? But the same could be said for any pursuit in life! I tell my sons that if you have “fun” in your career, you are likely to be better at it, or at minimum will do better because others will enjoy working with you. But you also must be “good” at your job. I believe Hobo is confusing types of people with types of model railroading. There are some people who are “fun”; they make you laugh and they are almost always “up”. Some of these people are HiRailers and some are 2-Railers. Then there are the “serious” types who perhaps have certain other burdens to deal with which prevent them from being “fun” and “up” as much as even they would like. Some of these people are Hi-Railers and some are 2-Railers. But there is another aspect to “seriousness.” If “fun” is all you are looking for from your hobby, then you are a dilettante. There’s nothing wrong with being a dilettante, like people who “fool around” with the piano but aren’t really capable because they don’t really know how to read music or play subtle and sublime pieces because, well, they are too difficult, too “serious” and it’s not “fun” learning this stuff. But for many “serious” 2-Railers, model railroads are more than just a layout of tracks to run trains on. They serve other functions, the result of which of course is “fun”, but “fun” is just the beginning, there’s so much more to it. For some of us, it’s the fulfillment of a long dream. To have some kind of outlet, right in our home, for our “love of trains”. For some of us it’s the recreation of long-gone scenes or trains we recall from our childhood or our pasts, places and times we wish we could revisit but now can only be revisited in miniature. For some of us it’s the challenge of figuring out how to build that special model we have a craving for; a model which perhaps we can’t purchase anywhere and which 30 • O Scale Trains - July/Aug ’06 therefore must be made from scratch or in some other fashion. For some of us it’s the intricate game, or dance, of operating our layouts as if they served real industries and real commuters, with timetables and operating rules. For some of us it’s the “art” of model railroading, creativity in 1:48. There are undoubtedly many more; everyone has his and her personal reason, and “fun” is always taken for granted. If “fun” is your primary or even only reason for model railroading, well, more power to you. But most of us want to get “good” at our pursuit. Just as learning to be a better pianist requires the investment of your time and effort, to become a better model railroader, your investment will have to be made in a somewhat “serious” way. Now, seriously, isn’t that fun? Andy Romano, Crestline, Calif. (via email) PS: Hobo also says “A lot of 2-Rail guys do have layouts but they are very difficult to see since they often exist only in their minds.” I do not find this to be true either. I am a serious 2-Rail guy, and Hobo is welcome to visit my fun layout at [http:// trainutz.com/ironbound.shtml] Scace responds: Andy, Hobo, et al: Perhaps a second (or is it third) opinion, for what it’s worth… I think you both are hitting around a note that needs to be hit just a little harder, so I’ll smack it. The key word here, in my most humble (yeah, right) opinion, is “satisfaction”. Many find their comfort level on the satisfaction scale in the “fun” regime, as Hobo notes. Others find their satisfaction level somewhere in those categories that Andy cites such as prototypical operation, reproducing a snapshot of history (my personal favorite), or the satisfaction of scratchbuilding something no-one else has done to a level no-one else has achieved. So Hobo, Andy, your not-so-humble Editor, and all of us should remember a couple things. First, our hobby has plenty of diverse areas where one can find their personal “satisfaction”. That’s why we come to the trough. Second, and closely related, is to avoid the trap that snaps when we think that our “satisfaction” choice should be the choice for all. Let’s be careful out there. Oops! We goofed. Received OST #26 today and as normal, a great issue. There is one error: On page 61 you state that the Model Railroad Handbook, Fawcett, 1951 was the only time Joe Fischer described his construction methods. Not true, the Sept. and Oct. 1949 issues of Model Railroader had a two part article, basically the same as the one in the Fawcett publication. I built a short combine to run with my Lionel at that time. I still have the original articles and the combine. Charlie Flichman Scace writes: Charlie, thanks to you, and several other folks, for catching us up on Joe’s article in MR. When we started this project a year or so ago, we ran him through the index that now appears on [index.mrmag.com]. Joe only appeared listed in the Handbook, and the 1949 article wasn’t there (We’re careful about that sort of thing!) so we missed it. Please let us know whether you want more resurrected articles from the past (that have application for today’s O Scaler) on occasion. I have another one in mind already, and it isn’t in the MOAI (Mother of all Indexes) either! The MR index is a wonderful resource; something of this kind of breadth is bound to have a couple holes in it, so keep me honest! O Scale Generations Comment Brian Scace wrote some pointed comments in Issue #26 “Observations” concerning, mostly, command control. But the message went a little further in comparing the differences in his (and my) generation of “doing it all” in building our railroad as compared to the newer generation accepting most everything already built. Well, some building is required, of course, but that is often just adding a few details to a car, locomotive, or a structure rather than starting the whole thing from scratch. Brian mentions that the “newer railroaders don’t have the time to spend wiring receivers and speakers let alone building kits and scratchbuilding.” True enough, as that does describe our lives today with technology as it is and fast advancing to be even more complex. Time is precious when one is supporting a family and trying to get ahead in the job. But then, wasn’t it the same when we were younger even though the technology may have been a lot less sophisticated? Family and work was just as important then as now. And time spent on building that RR was allotted in small increments when time allowed. When I first started in becoming a model railroader in the mid 50s as a young hard charging sergeant of Marines, married with a family, time and money wasn’t always there to pursue that growing interest in all things railroad. But it was done, and mostly by scratchbuilding as it was sure a lot cheaper than buying it already made. MR, in every issue back then, had scratchbuilding articles
ecause that was the norm during those days. Remember Eric Stevens “Dollar Car” projects? Or brass locomotives built at the “kitchen table” using a hand rotary drill to turn domes and stacks? Even electronic throttles were scratchbuilt as evidenced by the numerous articles in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman. I built a couple of these, they worked, and I don’t know anything about electronics! But the philosophy is different now. “Why build it when I can buy it already made?” There are certainly more model products out there now than there ever was when we were younger and probably a little more affordable with today’s personal incomes than it used to be. But still, scratchbuilding and “doing it all” has slowly drifted away from what it once was. Most everything I have is built from scratch with only a few kits and they are usually modified in some respect. I have written a few published articles on some of my projects but I suspect, broadly speaking, that the majority of modelers today are not much interested in the details of carving brass and styrene for a complete model or the research involved in getting the details right. It’s a new generation! Enjoyed your editorial on O Scale Generations, Brian! It was well said. Tom Mix , Capt. USMC ret., Monument, Colo. Brian writes: I can agree with Tom’s comments, with a few more of my own of course. There’s another component to this that needs be brought out. As an example, I still have the first locomotive I ever scratchbuilt (It’s awful, and it isn’t for sale at any price!) I built it under the tutelage of some of the old prewar crowd, now long gone. From their perspective, my use of decals was a sacrilege! Why didn’t I hand-letter it, the way it was supposed to be done? Simple. Decals were available to me, but not to them in their formative years. I regarded decals as an available tool; they regarded them as a cop-out. The generation behind me doesn’t have to scratchbuild or modify everything like I did. Now their available ready-to-run stuff becomes my cop-out. We scratchbuilt, first from necessity, and then (after we got good at it) for pleasure. That first locomotive was not fun. It wasn’t even satisfying. It was, however, very formative. These young hard-chargers come from a different set of formatives, so the perspectives are different yet honestly held. I can respect that. BF&M Baldwin Forge & Machine Box 5, Baldwin MD 21013 How can we help you? Custom machine work, 3-R to 2-R conversions for steam, diesel or electric. Driver castings machined. General repairs to O Scale locomotives. Call Joe, evenings 7 to 9 PM. 410-592-5275 or rrjjf@aol.com FOX HOLLOW MINING Co. set on flat surface or mountain side, fully detailed loading bays. KIT #404 First in a series of companion building. Laser cut wood. Designed for easy assembly. Footprint: 23"L x 11"W M DEL TECH, Inc. for the SERIOUS modeler X 15"H. MORE INFO CALL 7289 WESTFIELD ROAD MEDINA, OHIO 44256 PHONE 800 264-9845 July/Aug ’06 - O Scale Trains • 31
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Page 26 and 27: The Art of Finescale Michael Cougil
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Page 38 and 39: Traction Action Roger C. Parker Mod
Page 40 and 41: Building Lauther’s Perfect Pickle
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Page 54 and 55: Product News & Reviews REVIEW: C&O
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