Is this a compilation of trackplans that have already been published in MRR and available in the online database or are they different?
rlandry6 Is this a compilation of trackplans that have already been published in MRR and available in the online database or are they different?
It is a compilation of many of the better track plans already published in Model Railroader. As it states, in the introduction, this book begins where 101 Track Plans left off in the early '60s and continues until where later books of plans (48 Plans) pick up in the '80s.
Personally, I think it's the best compilation to date. IMHO, it has more good small plans than most of the other books. And Kalmbach took to heart criticisms of their earlier compilations. There are comments with issues that might come about trying to build particular plans. And the MR issue is identified, along with whether it was just a design or a plan that was actually a home layout.
I don't believe the plans in this book are available in the online plan database because the online database doesn't go back that far. But I rarely search the online plan database. I prefer to thumb through books of plans. Old school.
Fred W
Remember the original 101 Track Plans is ALSO a compiation of plans that appeared in the early days of MR - in fact to fit it in the book they took only the highlights of Linn Westcott's article on "If I had a Million" plan in the back. I have the MR where that originally appeared and the full article has some more details on the design of the whole thing.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Maybe Kalmbach should follow Playboy's lead and digitize the magazines all the way back to the beginning, put them on a hard drive and sell them to the public. In the digital era, that's the smartest thing I've seen done.