Archive Article Lookup

[Outsailing86]

One day while going through the archives, I found an article about the three types of Track Plans, (Dispatching, Operator, or Railfan). 
I want to say the article was in the 50's or 60's. 

I feel lIke I've looked through them all with no luck.  anyone else familiar with this article?

[mbinsewi]

I don't see a way to search the archives, hopefully they are working on it.

Mike.

[Xacto]

I think the article you are looking for is in the Nov 54 issue, pg 66.

[babefluff]

Xacto

I think the article you are looking for is in the Nov 54 issue, pg 66.

I also agree.

Scott

[mbinsewi]

I just checked it out.  John Armstrong article,  "Build Your Pike To Suit Yourself",

Engineer, Dispatcher, Spectator.

Mike,

[dknelson]

I would have guessed it was a John Armstrong article because that was a common theme of his -- he designed layouts for paying customers who made it plain what they wanted of him, and if it was scenery they wanted it was scenery they got.  A layout plan in the July 1952 issue of MR, page 26, has a sidebar called "Scenery or Operation" which makes the point that except for the very largest layouts visual realism usually comes at the cost of operational realism and vice versa.  For example if you want your dispatcher and your operators to be "realistically" busy dictating and copying train orders that meaningfully tell various crews what to do, you'd want an unrealistic density of tracks.  A huge layout like Bruce Chubb's has the best of both forms of realism.  

His lesser-known book on layout planning "Creative Layout Design" (out of print) has entire chapters on the various motivations for a layout. It was popular enough in its time that copies are readily seen at swap meets.  

Dave Nelson 

[Outsailing86]

THANKS!!!!! 
it was driving me nuts!!!! 

[Steven Otte]

It seems you've already been directed to the article you were looking for. But for future reference, you can search our Archive (as well as a bunch of other rail-oriented magazines) here: https://rrmagazineindex.org/ Use the Advanced Search option to restrict your search to specific magazines, or by date.