When I recently found time to attend a club night at my home base at Fareham I discovered that we had had the good fortune to be the recipients of another large pile of old model railway magazines, most from a time when you got change from a 50p piece when buying Railway Modeller!
Whilst I did buy some magazines at that time, I couldn’t afford them all and lack of space prevented retention. I just cut out articles of interest but even that collection has now grown to a considerable size all carefully filed under subject headings! In recent years, with the introduction of the new kids on the Model Railway Magazine block , the number of files has grown and re-categorising is now needed. This recent batch of old magazines has filled in several gaps in my collection and it has surprised me both how relevant so much still is and how 3 major themes seem to come out of these old magazines.
Firstly (as you would expect) the technical quality of models (both rtr and kits) available today is infinitely superior to that which was available then. You only have to look at a new locomotive or rolling stock to realise this although some do now say that the level of detail has resulted in a fragility that militates against actual usage. Hardly surprisingly, the technological advances are possibly even more significant in the control of trains and the recent introduction of sound. Following on from that is the equally unsurprising higher standard of the finished layouts featured in magazines, enhanced even further by the exceptional quality of photography now being achieved by leading lights such as Chris Nevard.
Secondly and slightly less surprising is the apparent shift in popularity in terms of size and type of layouts from the larger to the smaller, although that may be an editorial decision on what is covered, and also a shift in favoured region and period. This may well be is part due to what is being produced by the manufacturers.
Finally and where I was surprised (re-assured??) was that the majority of the principles on which we base our hobby seem to have remained largely unchanged over the same 30 year period, making due allowance for the obvious technical advances that have been made. Well constructed baseboards and well laid track remain essential to support all layouts no matter what the gauge or control system. Furthermore, the enjoyment derived from what is put on those boards remains directly related to the amount of research put into the finished product. The only alternatives to poor research are a very tough skin or reversion to my Number One Mantra - It’s your layout and you do what you want to. The vast majority of “skill” type articles in the magazines of all that time ago could be repeated almost verbatim to the current generation of modellers.
Clubs
08/11/2009
05/06/2009
Grand Meadow Club
We had the distinct privilege of getting to know some of the designers and engineers behind a fantastic display by a group of retired guys who share a passion for model railroading. They've taken real life scenes and scaled them down with such detail it is truly amazing to see what can be done in the world of model trains, at least from my perspective.
We hope to visit the Grand Meadow Club and feature more of their work and their displays. Check out all the latest videos coming soon to modelrailway.tv.
Betsy Singer
www.modelrailway.tv (coming soon)
05/01/2009
Plenty of shunting and operating potential
Here’s a photograph of a great example of what we believe we can help you with as you move beyond the train set stage. Teenager Kyle at my local club built this layout (with a minimum of help from Dad!) and it was operated by him at a recent club “mini” exhibition. It only takes up a space of about 4ft by 2ft, fiddle yard excepted, and provides some scenic and building opportunities, the chance to practice track laying and ballasting and results in a track layout with plenty of shunting and operating potential. It can also be based in any part of the country or any timescale. An added attraction (which is not visually obvious) is that, even though there are quite a few points, there is no complicated wiring under the board. Because of the relatively small size, all of the points are controlled by tube in wire.
