The prior book club posting did not generate much interest but some of you suggested making it monthly rather than weekly. We will give that a try. The idea as always is to for me to more or less randomly select an issue of MR from the past, say a few things about it, and those of you with All Access Pass to the digital archive, who have the DVD of past issues, or who have the hard copy of the issue, will read it and we will discuss any aspect of it that strikes you, as we would in a book club. Everything from cover art to advertising to feature articles to letters to the editor is fair game.
June 1981 was during the editorship of Russ Larson. The price of MR had just been increased a quarter .... to $1.75. The issue had 19 feature articles, and among them I was particularly interested in Gordon Odegard's brief article on page 74 about instrument cases (or relay box as they are often called) and the coal unloading trestle on page 90.
MR was hawking Model Railroader t-shirts on page 119 for $5.95 - anybody out there still wear theirs?
One of the more interesting Trade Topics reviews is of a Walthers composite gondola kit for $4.95 and what makes it interesting is that Walthers created the plastic moldings for the sides and ends but the rest of the kit was a modified Athearn boxcar floor, frame and weight. The brake wheel was Athearn; the trucks were from Model Die Casting. I had totally forgotten that Walthers used to engage in this kind of composite construction. Actually the kit, while plastic, is similar to a metal gondola kit consisting solely of sides and ends that Walthers marketed for decades. It was listed in the "parts" section of their 1976 catalog as "gondola sides and ends set" -- 933-885(U) and cost $2.95. The tooling probably went back decades. I still have a set in some cigar box on the projects shelf.
Perhaps I have been saying too much about each issue as part of my introductions of the book club issues so I am deliberately saying little about this one. There are prototype plans and some construction articles as well as a Paint Shop column that I hope bring some comment and discussion. I'll chime in now and then if someone else's comments strike me as interesting or provocative.
Dave Nelson
Glad to know the book club is not gone. Monthly is the norm for most any book club I've been involved with. I haven't had a chance to look at June 81 but look forward to it as I was about 14 at the time and heavily into model railroading.
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Greg WilliamsCanterbury, NBCanadahttps://www.gregstrainyard.com/
I enjoyed reading the update on S scale. Almost everything and every company listed are gone.
Only Scenery Unlimited, Grandtline, Tomalco (different ownership, track only), and American Flyer (also different ownership) and Gargraves are still around. NASG is still going strong.
Fortunately, many new companies have come into existance for S scale.
Enjoy
Paul
Only got as far as At The Throttle so far - interesting I was just talking about the attitude towards young people in the hobby back in the day (40's and early 50's) and here's a guest editorial by Dick Christianson on youth and the hobby.
Bunch of familiar names on the masthead - including a bunch who still work at Kalmbach. Not bad for it being 34 years ago.
The Keystone 44 tonner caught my eye - nice model, which I'm pretty sure had been around in one form or another for a long time already by 1981 - though not with a nice drive made up of NWSL and Grandt Line parts!
Interesting also, the brass Jawn Henry from Alco models. My one and only brass loco is an Alco Models product.
And 1981, my layout was N scale, but already foundering as I had not discovered the wonderful Atlas/Kato locos (and likely couldn't have afforded them anyway), plus the previous summer I bought and built (yes, it was a kit) my first computer, and i was spending more time working on electronics than on the layout.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
dknelsonThe prior book club posting did not generate much interest but some of you suggested making it monthly rather than weekly. We will give that a try.... Perhaps I have been saying too much about each issue as part of my introductions of the book club issues so I am deliberately saying little about this one.
Perhaps I have been saying too much about each issue as part of my introductions of the book club issues so I am deliberately saying little about this one.
Dave,
Don't beat yourself up here. You're doing fine. I guess we now know why MR is now all large print, all the time...just kidding
I don't know about the rest of you, but even if I had one of those T-shirts in 1981 (Great idea, bring it back)it wouldn't fit. Time marches ok, lets say, but I don't.
Great observations and as a historian I like the range of cultural evidence.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
cprfan...I was about 14 at the time and heavily into model railroading.
Interesting about the stages of a model railroaders life. It likely affects how they read different issues and what might be most important. In 81, I was a young "adult", chasing girls, working on the truck. I'd gone to armchair railroading in college, dropped out, got a steady job. Too steady, lots of OT, but good for the budget. Considered going to the first National Narrowgauge Convention in St. louis by skipped it so glad to see HOn3 in this issue. Took me a few more years to settle down and buy a layout protective unit. All along, I was reading MR, though, although on the newsstand so missed t everyone once in awhile.
Randy,
I haven't cracked my copy open yet, just riffing on interesting reactons from y'all, so looking forward to that but tomorrow it's getting late.
rrinker The Keystone 44 tonner caught my eye - nice model, which I'm pretty sure had been around in one form or another for a long time already by 1981 - though not with a nice drive made up of NWSL and Grandt Line parts!
Funny, that one. I tried ordering one from the LHS. They never called. Years later, after they had moved a couple of times, I was browsing and came across just such a kit. Thought about buying it, but had moved on to narrowgauge. Then I regretted that eventually, but uit had either been sold or lost again, so no luck.
Them, Walthers B/Os and my special orders just never seem ti mesh, although they doing better lately inder newer generation. Easy to see why competition if hard for them. Will return when I've read the issue,
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Looks like my read and reactions came along just in time to bounce us back to page 1.
The Amro Ltd ad for the Roco German Federal Railways "Silver Fish" local passenger train was a bit nostalgic. I used to see those all the time when I lived there in the early 70s.
T&D Models SD40T-2 shell was definitely in demand in that era. Not sure I've heard of it, although we're undoubtedly now much better served by Athearn's model in HO.
American Trains Limited was going to offer 1981 American Eagle long distance buses. I'll bet those are rare.
And the Classic Miniatures Conoco CONX 5 HOn3 tank car kit came out. I happen to have one that was converted to a water care for my MOW train. That's old Conoco decal just crumbled when I went to build it a couple of years ago, so had to make another choice in decorating it.
Interesting ad to subscribe to MR with Eric Lundberg making a cameo appearance and noting "A lot of modelrs have shared their knowledge " via the pages of MR. And now we have the forums
I still have my 1981 Walthers catalog, in part because of the great narrowgauge cover shot.
Sad that RR logo patches are so hard to find nowadays. One of those things that has changed for the worse.
The At the Throttle concern over the rising average age of model railroaders is interesting. I wonder what it is now?
Don Heimburger's article on his S scale layout is interesting. He doesn't mention the location, but I'm pretty sure it's Tolono, IL, a RR junction town (Wabash and IC) here in Champaign County, at least when he started it in 1959. I've met Don a couple of times at National Narrow Gauge Conventions and I think I mentiined one of his childhood buddies used to work with me in a previous career. Reading the article, I see where Don credits Bob Nicholson with helping him building the L-girder framework. Used to be a Bob Nicholson who drove for us. Same fellow? It wouldn't surprise me. It's a small world sometimes.
I really enjoyed the HOn3 Timessaver and the coke oven articles. I've always wanted to model coke ovens, just never enough space.
I can't believe I went through the mag and wrote a response and never posted it. It's still June so I hope this is of interest to someone.
On P.9 there is an ad for the Keystone GE 44-tonner. I still have mine that I saved and saved for in my early teen years. I must see about fitting it with a DCC decoder. My first locomotive that I bought with my own money
On P.21 there is an ad for a Foredom motor tool. Recently a friend was complaining about the number of Dremel and other brands of motor tools. He can't seem to find one that is durable. (He is in live steam and is quite hard on his tools) I went looking and sure enough the Foredom company is still around and making tools. Not cheap but durable I am sure.
And there on P.27 is the review for the Keystone 44 tonner! The review notes that the instructions indicate using ACC for assembly. I remember that was my first time using ACC and I even used the brand Hot Stuff as recommended by MR!
The editorial by Dick Christianson speaks of a topic that still permeates the model railroad forums now, youth in the hobby. It seems we have been worrying about it for as long as we've been making models of trains. We constantly worry about the future of the hobby and getting the next generation of modelers interested. I think it is a problem that will take care of itself. I think model railroading has proven that it is not a phase but an enduring hobby with a lot of appeal. We should though, be aware of introducing our hobby to folks of any age, they might just catch the fever!
Interestingly I am reading a book on clergy self care. There are many clergy who burn out and become inneffective. One of the suggestions in the book is that we take up a hobby, and model railroading is mentioned! My congregation knows of my passion for trains and has offered me space in the church basement for a layout, which I will take them up on! I will share it with the youth in the church but also with everyone else who might be interested.
Another fan of the 44-tonner. I can't think of a better loco for a first one and you certainly dove into deep waters building a brass kit!
cprfanWe constantly worry about the future of the hobby and getting the next generation of modelers interested. I think it is a problem that will take care of itself.
I couldn't agree more. It's a hobby that usually doesn't get to be a habit until you're a settled adult, even if one starts young. We could probably spend the time worrying better on outreach so those who might be interested know where to learn more.
cprfanInterestingly I am reading a book on clergy self care. There are many clergy who burn out and become inneffective. One of the suggestions in the book is that we take up a hobby, and model railroading is mentioned!
I've noticed a number of clergy appear in MR over the years. Someone must keep taking that advice, which frankly also applies to many other professions. Interestingly, we have two clergy members in our relatively small NMRA division.
Thanks for the last minute interest in the June issue of the Book Club. I am not sure the new monthly format is working all that much better than the original weekly version, but I will be posting a new July book club issue tomorrow or maybe later tonight. I just returned from an exhausting weekend of railfanning in the Galesburg IL area and need to catch up on missing sleep.
Thanks for keeping the book club going, Dave. If it weren't for this thread I would probably not look at the all access issues very often.
In June of 1981, I was busy building my first "real" layout in my first home purchased a year earlier (with a 9½5 interest rate!!!) One of the first areas of the magazine I would turn to back then was the Standard Hobby Supply ad to see what I just had to order!
I noticed with interest, too, the SPUD drive from Tenshodo on page 67. I had forgotten about that. Kato has touted its new coreless motor drive as the latest & greatest technology but what do 'ya know... its been done before!
I found the article on page 75 to be of particular interest to me as well since I am getting ready to add the trackside details shown there, battery boxes, relay cases and such.
And, being a passenger train nut I found the story about the wandering sleepers on page 84 to be of interest but I wanted more than a single page! I always justify running "foreign" cars in my passenger trains for some of the reasons mentioned in the article. There were frequently special cars and even whole trains run for some events like the Kentucky Derby, Army—Navy game and Shriner's conventions and such.
Again, thanks for keeping this thread alive! Being Summer time in the Northern Hemisphere many of us are occupied with outdoor chores and events so I think some of the participation in the forums has tapered off a bit.
Regards, Ed