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QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1 [. He was telling me that when he was into it back in the 1940s and 50s that he had to make just about everything except the train and track. He said he built a typical 4 X 8 layout, made trees, telephone poles, buildings, signs, etc out of wood, poster board or what ever worked, and that he would buy lead cowboys and soldiers and trim them with a hot knife and paint them to use as people.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831 QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1 [. He was telling me that when he was into it back in the 1940s and 50s that he had to make just about everything except the train and track. He said he built a typical 4 X 8 layout, made trees, telephone poles, buildings, signs, etc out of wood, poster board or what ever worked, and that he would buy lead cowboys and soldiers and trim them with a hot knife and paint them to use as people. Well, yes, things have certainly improved but not really to the degree being inferred here. Considering the gentleman in question refers to altering lead soldiers into everyday people implies he was working in O-scale, not HO. I'll readily admit that in the 40's and 50's O-scale was no piece of cake and you had to work largely with "Lionel-type" items when it came to commercially available structures, scenery items, etc. HO was not so desparate, however. By the mid 1950's there were a great variety of structure kits available commercially in plastic, wood, and cardstock. The magazines were filled with creative articles on modifying/kitbashing these (and don't most of us still do this?). All manner of writings were appearing on the use of new materials for scenery (even the use of foam insultation board, believe it or not!). And while scenery materials have definitely improve, who doesn't make their own trees, bushes, etc. for a quality layout today? Available kits for steam locomotives back then far out-distance what is currently available RTR and manufacturers were offering car kits for a truly vast assortment of rolling stock, many of which are likewise unavailable today in any form. So, don't sell "the old days" short. While the hobby certainly did require more creativity and skill than it does today, it definitely wasn't the dark ages. CNJ831