Did MR leave GRY by the way side?

[Rene Schweitzer]

Cacole,

I have an answer to your question. According to Terry Thompson, GR has a next issue ad in every other issue of Model Railroader. We have no January issue, so no new issue to promote. Also, MR does an ad with a subscription card for GR once per year. So we are not being slighted; it's just because we publish less frequently.

[grandpopswalt]

Gentlemen,

Let me add my two cents to Malcom Furlow thread. No one can find fault with the quality of his work. He, along with the rest of us is trying to create a caricature of reality. I defy anyone to recreate a completely accurate miniature scene of a real life train and it's surroundings to the last rivit, spike, tree, bush, blade of grass, etc. How plausible is a beautifully crafted, 95% accruarate, scale model loco running next to a 200' scale tree with 5' leaves?

Furlow's work does exaggerate the reality of the Colorado mountain narrow guage RR's of the past, but if you've ever been there you'd know that some of that right-of-way comes pretty close to what he's made. Looking at any of his work immediately takes me back to the ride on the Durango and Silverton RR running along a narrow shelf blasted out of the granite mountainside with the Anams River rushing by 200 feet below. His exaggeration only enhances the reality of the actual scene.

I wish GR would feature some of his more recent work even though he doesn't work in the realm of the outdoor garden railway.

[Marty Cozad]

Beings we have changed topics, My favorite modeler is Allen McClelland and his Virginian and Ohio. I studied everything he wrote as a teenager till I went out doors. His whole "believable" concepts I still strive for in outdoor RRing. Great work. Wish I could meet him someday.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rene S

To vsmith:

Marc H. has never mentioned putting any of Furlow's stuff in GR--but that's not to say it couldn't happen someday.

Well lets try and see it happen, I think alot of the garden variety modelers would be very interested in Furlow's Mexican Hat layout, if for nothing else the level of detail and character he puts into each engine and structure. I've seen some garden RR's that were darn near as verticle as his indoor layout, and far more "whimsicle" and "imaginative" in execution. Garden RR's on the whole are alot more open minded with someone thinking "outside the box" like Furlow. I think fot the most part, they would be very receptive of his work.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RhB_HJ

Hey Vic,[;)]

If you like Furlow's work, fine by me. Doesn't bother me at all.

You know, having grown up in the land of fancy bridges aka Switzerland and having studied many prototypes for many years - including how they built the bridges, why a particular design was chosen, what forces had to be contended with etc. etc. - charicatures of same a la Malcom Furlow just don't turn my crank.
They are very whimsical, that I grant you. Looking at one of his towns; would you like to live there?[;)]

I admire guys like Marty, who can create a scene that looks real. Mind you even him I tease: Hey Marty where are the licence plates on that truck!?

I've built a few layouts, dioramas both for my own use and for customers



but bridges just look a bit different to me.

To HJ, sorry if I got a little hot there, I'm cool with what your saying![:D]

Over on the MR forum there were comments like " its not based on anything prototypical so it's not worthy of any praise" which offended almost every freelance modeler and a rather interesting debate took place. I am also doing indoor large scale, like Furlow, and it that layout was a big inspiation to me, so I get defensive when its put down because I feel like I am also being put down by proxy.

My layout is nowhere near as ambitious as Furlows though, I just dont have the room.
BTW you were saying you grew upon Swiss rail and those Swiss engineered bridges and tunnels. I grew up on western narrow gauge mining, logging, and industrial tramways that populated the west in the 19th and early 20th century and FYI Malcomn's bridges ARE pretty close to various prototypes. He just streches them a bit.

You woudn't believe just how cheap and flimsly some narrow gauge (and standard guage) companies built thier bridges, tunnels, retaining walls, etc. Some of the photos are jaw droppingly scary that these structures would hold a locomotive and cars. Many didnt, which is also evident by a surprisingly large number of photos of trains fallen thru bridges. So what ever Furlow's sources are for his bridges and scenes, I'm sure he's not stretching the truth very far.[;)]

P.S. Would I want to live in one of his towns? Judging by the honky tonks, saloons, and "other diversions" he populates in towns with, well heck ya! Beats Pasadena on a Wednesday night anytime![:p]

[Marty Cozad]

WOOW, did I start all this??? Personally I to am tring not to bash anyone, I want to see the hobby (as a whole) grow. But I was warned, the further you go out on the limb, the better your chances of being shot at.
Yes HJ, I can take it. As another poster on MLS says, "I live in my own little world, and thats OK cause everyone knows me there!"

[cacole]

Since Trains, Garden Railways, Model Railroader, Classic Trains, and Classic Toy Trains magazines are all from Kalmbach, you would think they would give equal publicity to all of these in every issue instead of slighting GR magazine in favor of publicizing the others. Maybe the fact that is was January and the weather is too bad in most of the country for people to be gardening had something to do with it? As far as the gardening aspect of the matter is concerned, my garden layout is rock, and I spray any vegetation that has the nerve to try growing in my rock garden. Unfortunately, the only thing that stays green in SE Arizona in the summertime is Tumbleweed or cactus, and I don't want either one interfering with my railroading. [:O]

[Rene Schweitzer]

To vsmith:

Marc H. has never mentioned putting any of Furlow's stuff in GR--but that's not to say it couldn't happen someday.

[RhB_HJ]

Hey Vic,[;)]

If you like Furlow's work, fine by me. Doesn't bother me at all.

You know, having grown up in the land of fancy bridges aka Switzerland and having studied many prototypes for many years - including how they built the bridges, why a particular design was chosen, what forces had to be contended with etc. etc. - charicatures of same a la Malcom Furlow just don't turn my crank.
They are very whimsical, that I grant you. Looking at one of his towns; would you like to live there?[;)]

I admire guys like Marty, who can create a scene that looks real. Mind you even him I tease: Hey Marty where are the licence plates on that truck!?

I've built a few layouts, dioramas both for my own use and for customers



but bridges just look a bit different to me.

[Anonymous]

vsmith,
Thanks for speaking up for the gnomes!!![:)][tup]
Pete

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RhB_HJ

Rene and Marty,

As long as MR still features Malcom Furlow aka The Schmaltz King, as a typical example of Large Scale modelling then it is just as well. There are hundreds of pictures - good pictures - to choose from in GR and they had to choose a Furlow pix from MR.

Deems fighten werds!!! Word of advice, Dont Diss' the Furlow![}:)][:(!][}:)][:(!]

Remember this: THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO BUILD A MODEL RR.[;)]

Dont like it, Dont read it, skip it and move on. or just read Railroad Model Craftsman, the rivit counter choice mag (nothing dangerous or controversial in there)

Malcomn Furlow's work has been a source of inspiration for a lot of big and small scalers. His latest layout, the Mexican Hat RR is one of the better things I've scene in any scale. there have been at least 3 diffent threads on Furlow over on the MR forum and the conscensus was that yes, he's controversial and not everyones cup of tea, but he's also very vital to the hobby. There are more ideas and details in his layout and its more dynamic than most layouts I've seen in the past 5 years since I got back into the hobby seriously.

Sorry folks but I get angry when someone diss'es on of my fav modelers. Whats next?

Are we going to start diss'ing everyone who doesnt have a perfect prototype based garden RR?

Will we hear: "What you have Gnomes on your layout, We dont allow no stinking Gnomes on any layouts? Remove them immediatly and replace them with a scale building, Oh and get rid of those bothersome plants, and Oh could you kindly move the layout indoors and redo it in HO?"

Keep your mind open, dont become a stuffy rivit counting crumudgen who cant abide by anyone doing something outside the box. Your IN garden railroading, which by definition means that you also are "outside the box" at least as far as the NMRA is concerned.

MR has published some very serious and detailed garden RR's in the past and they will also in the future. But there core readers are indoor benchwork and hydrocal model railroaders in HO and N guage, they have to present the Garden variety in terms a little closer to the traditional types. That also includes Furlow, who's one of the best, and most Manic modelers out there. He's one example of that type of indoor benchwork and hydrocal modelers that thier readers can more easier relate too.

The descision on what outdoor railroads they publish is something only the editors of MR could answer. Garden RR magazine aims more toward the GARDEN in Garden RR, IOW those who are serious about BOTH the gardeing AND the model railraoding. The Garden part is what shys most indoorers away. All they see is the plants and often fail to see the whole picture as we do. Anyway , nuff' said...

Rene: I want to know, will we ever see anything from Furlow in Garden RR?

[Anonymous]

That's interesting. I have the January 2004 issue too and saw no Garden Railways magazine was advertised[V]. I also have the January 2004 issue of Trains magazine. I
saw advertising for Classic Trains, Model Railroader and Classic Toy Trains but no Garden Railways[|(]. What is going on?

[RhB_HJ]

Rene and Marty,

As long as MR still features Malcom Furlow aka The Schmaltz King, as a typical example of Large Scale modelling then it is just as well. There are hundreds of pictures - good pictures - to choose from in GR and they had to choose a Furlow pix from MR.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm what does that tell you?
I was under the impression that the Kalmbach VP of Marketing was into 2m stuff and given that I'd almost expect Michael to pitch in for LS.
Hmmmmmmmmm.....

Well anyway, Happy New Year everyone!
May Large Scale be the scale of choice! [;)][;)][:D]

[Rene Schweitzer]

Marty,

Interesting that you noticed there's no GR next issue ad in MR. From a company standpoint, I thought it was standard to have that in every issue. *shrugs* I don't know their policies about large-scale stuff. They seem to run something once or twice per year and that's it, and leave the rest to us. FWIW, they are running a garden railroad in the June 04 issue (as it's scheduled now, could change) that they asked us to cross-promote.

Rene

[Marty Cozad]

I was working out of town this past weekend and of course I left w/o my latest trusty GRY mag so the town I was in had a Model RRer mag at WallyMart ,,so I bought it. Then after going through it 3 times realized there isn't even an add for GRYs in it. The Jan issue 04. I dropped MR few years back cause they dropped most articals about any G things. I always looked at MR as an "across the hobby board" kind of magizine, I guess they aren't. I did see Trains add , Classic Toy trains , etc.
I think GRY is getting a bad rap on that one.[V] I tried once to send an artical in about mainlining to them but I guess they could tell I was out "recruiting" I think its better to have a person switch scales rather than lose them cause they are bored with that scale or its abilities. Thats Why I switched.