I'm wondering if back issues of MR (circa 1934) are available to view or to buy. It would be interesting to see what manufacturers were around at that time and to read about how models were built, track was laid, etc.
PS; That was the year I was born.
Access to the full magazine digital archives from all five publications is available with the Unlimited Digital Membership offered on this site. You can try it out with a free 30 day trial subscription. This would be the the easiest way to view specific issues.
There are companys that sell past issues, but the unit cost and postage is high; not a problem for a limited number of magazines, but probably not practical if you're building a library.
Local model train shows/swap meets often have back issues for sale - cheap, and sometimes for free. Major shows are advertised in MRR, flyers for smaller local shows are usually available through RR Museums, and local MRR clubs. The challenge here is you may not find the issues you want, or they may be buried in a random stack of various magazines.
Jim
Finding loose issues of 1934 Model Railroaders will be rare because so few were printed. But for many years Kalmbach sold, rather cheaply, a reprint bound volume of Vol. 1 (1934) for the very reason that the OP is interested -- more to set forth the early situation that those pioneers found themselves in rather than perpetuate useful articles, although a few of those old articles, and in particular some of the prototype data and photos, have lasting value. It was a time when just about any accomplishment -- building a car, laying some track -- would get at least a mention in Model Railroader because the modeler was bucking so many odds!
Those 1934 bound volume reprints are fairly common fodder at swap meets.
Dave Nelson