Looking for Info on Erie RR early 1930s.

[Anonymous]

Gentlemen:

When I was a boy, Lionel was everything. Under the Christmas Tree, around the kitchen, over a laughable trestle made from dictionaries and cardboard. I'm older and grown-up and now I need more to sink my teeth into.

I've gone from O-27 to HO. I'm modeling the Erie of the early 1930s between Salamanca, N.Y. and Corry, Pa.

I want to scratchbuild. I want to kit bash and I want to make it look accurate. I'm planning to start now and keep going on this 15 or 20 years.

Here's the question: What are good references, books and how-to guides to get in deep to have throrough understanding and to have fun?

Yours,
IGNATIUS

[bikerraypa]

Well, assuming you're pretty much starting from scratch....

for basic "training" (pun intended), any one of the beginner books is good. Kalmbach publishes a good one, HO Scale Model Railroading, Getting Started in the Hobby

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12246.html

Beyond the basics, you'll want to learn about wiring and DCC. Rick Selby's Basic Wiring for Model Railroaders is a good choice

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12212.html

and a good DCC primer is DCC Made Easy

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12242.html

For the sake of brevity, here's Kalmbach's whole catalog page. Good stuff.

http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/model-railroading-books.html

For design, look at the John Armstrong track plans for some great ideas, and Tony Koester's Realistic Model Railroad Design

The best scenery book EVER is Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders by Lou Sassi. This book is what really got me to turn the corner from "toy trains" to "model railroading." Buy a copy, and I guarantee it will quickly become dog-eared from use.

For building and detailing, Kalmbach's painting and weathering book is good, but the best scratchbuilding primer in my opinon is Evergreen's Styrene Modeling book.

http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Book.htm


That should get you started. I'm sure there are folks here who know a lot more than I do, though, so I'm sure you'll get a pretty comprehensive list.

Good luck!


Ray out

[leighant]

National Model Railroad Association Bulletin was crammed in the late 1970s with historical photo after photo, issue after issue, of Erie depots and scenes, I believe from the turn of the century. (The PREVIOUS turn-of-the-century, not Y2K!)

I model Santa Fe so I did not catalog all those photos, but I remember they were great.

Also, Erie country is Railroad Model Craftsman country. I think Model Railroader is the greatest magazine around but RMC of the 60s and 70s had a LOT of Erie stuff. Again, I didn't catalog it, and I'm sorry, I don't have time or energy at the moment to spend 8 or 10 hours going through my back issues, and I am not going to copy them anyway without the publisher's permission.

Books specifically on the Erie and on the area would be useful.

[leighant]

A hint for your post. Your title line "good reading materials" suggests sitting in an armchair reading rootin-tootin adventure stories about old time railroading. A person who HAS material on your special interest and who would love to share with you may never open it. I think only the author of a post and the administrators at Kalmbach can change the post. If YOU changed your title to something like "seeking Information on Erie RR 1930s", you might catch those people who eat, sleep and breathe Erie.

[Anonymous]

A modeling group that focuses on the Pennsylvania RR has a publication called the Keystone Modeler that has had numerous excellent articals on scratch building prototype cars and kitbashing/detailing. Do a "google search" for the "Keystone Modeler". They have the past twelve issues on line and past issues available on CD.
The series on the 65 foot G30/G31 gondolas are applicable to numerous prototypes of the 40's and 50's into the PennCentral creation. The name of the group is the Pennsylvania Raill Road Technical & Historical Society I believe.
Welcome to the forum, and your history seems to be typical to many of the members here. We look forward to your participation nad enjoyment in the hobby!
Will

[Anonymous]

Thank you gentlemen. I have taken notes and changed the topic heading. Hopefully that will do for now.

Yours,
Steven S.

[orsonroy]

The best online Erie resources are the Fallen Flags website, which started as a E-L only website and grew. There's thousands of Erie images on the website:
www.rr-fallenflags.org

A fantastic source of early Erie RR images is at the Syracuse University website. They've got all of the glass-plate negatives of EVERY Erie depot, taken circa 1895 or so:
http://libwww.syr.edu/digital/images/e/ErieRailroad/#images

Other than that, I'm not quite sure what's out there. I've mined the internet for over 220 pre-1960 Erie RR freight car photos over the past year, but haven't worked on the steam, diesel, or passenger equipment yet. Just do several Google searches for "Erie RR" or variations, and see what you come up with.

Of course, you won't get all the information you're looking for online; it's still more of a supplemental research resource. To get the best data out there, you'll have to join the E-L historical society and start buying books on the Erie RR. Don't ignore the E-L data you might come across; since the Erie and DL&W merged in 1960 (fairly early), there was LOTS of Erie stuff that survived through the E-L era, and even into Conrail. The broader your searching, the better your results will be.

[ragnar]

Just bumped up a outstanding site for information on RR Structures on the TRAINS MAGAZINE FORUM ....check that out.

[davekelly]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ignatius

Gentlemen:

I'm planning to start now and keep going on this 15 or 20 years.


Yours,
IGNATIUS

Why the limit?

[Anonymous]

Well, I suppose 15 to 20 is a good start. I have no idea where I'll be then and perhaps, an interest in the local interurbans or short lines will take over.... Maybe --gasp-- I'll get to like diesels.

If all goes well, I will be a millionaire, buy a warehouse and lay out the line in exact scale as a 1:87.5 replica.

We'll see.

So far, all the information you guys have provided has been wonderful. Keep it coming. I'm surprised no one has mentioned clinics yet. Maybe that's not for beginners.
Steven S.

[davekelly]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ignatius

Well, I suppose 15 to 20 is a good start. I have no idea where I'll be then and perhaps, an interest in the local interurbans or short lines will take over.... Maybe --gasp-- I'll get to like diesels.

If all goes well, I will be a millionaire, buy a warehouse and lay out the line in exact scale as a 1:87.5 replica.

We'll see.

So far, all the information you guys have provided has been wonderful. Keep it coming. I'm surprised no one has mentioned clinics yet. Maybe that's not for beginners.
Steven S.

Oh OK, I was thinking you meant after 15 or 20 years, you'll leave the hobby. [:D][:D] The addiction is not that easy to kick - I've stopped trying and have faced up to the fact that I'll be doing this until they bury me!