MODEL RAILROADING IS FUN JANUARY 1968 + 60¢ Denata 2 Jon if &°'Tus Uropia Gazerre O° DowaTaNews “hc Sy ae fe BP let; to have & Ra hlines circles ave oval ano nobooly knows theeAMERICA'S RAILROADING ide LC «=. AND TYCO To a generation weaned on the multiple miracles of color television. jet air travel at speeds faster than sound and even the conquering of space . . . the impact of rail roading on the American scene beginning in the mid 1800's may be difficult to comprehend. Yet it isa fact that beginning then and lasting for nearly 2 century, a compelling fascination with railroading con- vinced Americans in every walk 8f life that the nation's “manifest destiny” was to be reached on steel rails stretching the length and breadth of the land. During that century, America fought four wars to their victorious conclusions riding behind the direct descen: dents of The Best Friend of Charleston. The sights, the sounds, the smells of railroading fed a national folklore that will live as long as stories are told and songs are sung. 1 your dealer But today, even though America is threaded with rails and our national economy could not survive without great railroad systems . itis left toa Tyco to keep the reality of a great past alive... if only in miniature. In designing and producing the small as well as the great locomotives that advanced America’s destiny we ate always keenly aware of this. Future messages here will tell you something about the locomotives that are presently in the Tyco line. and about those that are being added. : " 1,2 ! 7a Y The Other Name for Quality 4, 08997January 1968 VOLUME 35, NUMBER 1 Gordon Odegard- ~~ Associate Editor William R Ream - =< Auociate Baitor Joho T. Hiatt = = Associate Editor Margaret J.Ters ~~ Elcorial Secretary “nae Goma Bs Ree © Seca at ql i BILL OF LADING Toles of Heckmann, = = |e ecient on the Dail Gueh By. Pole lines for the right of way. By Steve Shoe. - = + Importont deta ond pring of wily Hines let's make @ pond. By Jock Work. - = =e Simple sendwich of botom, gloss surface, end shove Layouts in eubastomblios. By Harry D. Latte. Concentote on the points of tafe intrest. A compact track plan. By Gill Baron. = - = = 52 ‘Somers Juntion RR wil fem a fh door ln sal, Interchangeable fuel for tenders: cool or wood. ByE.L. Moore, 54 ‘Only bclte ond litle spond are needed, $8 8 & Continental locomotive design. - = = = SS ow Michmenn rdesignad © model for lower prodution cot Grooming the iron horse. By George R. Clopp. - = 64 ‘Any breed con be ene te well tot, or golop more smoctiy The great Ottlerottle. By Robert Hilbun. = = = = 66 ’A hondy cei ter fr modal reread Prototype drawings: 1894 Wabash gondola. - = a CT wood-sheathed box motor, - = - - a2 Water tank froma lumber railroad. - - = > 62 Soo caboose drawings corrected. == = = 70 Departments and miscellany: Off the train wie || 3 Rallney post offen = n Schedules = 10 Atte tte Pe ede opie =| Trace photon — s aiteoder's Norory 2 eh eenion n Cartoons MAT MR elie: Wane of sal * Inder of etreiners#A ISTRY)RE Toye Ti Teer: h Aer s AEE: E Re) eae fee elk Pr ake ec SHON ONY YORIaINI 31374W09 Suvo ws an = sie, | HAIM SUVO UBONASSVd axNTIdBod DOLLARS aN, roman BY cog” PUI Continued from page 3 Southern Pacttie Daylight, old Great Northern, and Pennaylvania colors and lettering” Firm is offering Nseale re= placement wheel sets and Bettendorf trucks... For seme time the VET Reno 424.0 ln’ HO seale has been avalable {from PFM in the old-time version only; now PEM hes reisoued the mods! in the ‘modernized version with oll fuel, gen= erator, straight capstock, modern’ plot, nd small modern height. Tnland Seale Models offers five’ older-etyle Dulldings in N ‘scale: saloon, rooming house, bank, trackside Building, general store.” Kits ore wood with east. metal etal... Timberline Modele HO five- Stamp mil, delayed because of moving Snow available for immediate delivery “HO country store kit ky Dyna-Models comes with complete. interior details feven to the grocer and his eat...» Four Sivles of HO color-light signals’ are = Wallable from Belbon. Seale ‘Models. Novelty Shop announces 3" scale siting figures. Eight besie figures with adjust thle arms and heads are available Flogull has added GN “Big. Sky Bl reefer white, reefer yellow, and caboose red to the line of aerosal cane offered, (Grande Line Products hat HO co- incase and passenger car sloves in sty rene, suitable for both narrow-gauge snd old-time standard cars...” Bowser is operating’ Pennaylvania Scale Models Under the old ame; hae three trolley nrs--PCC, IRR, and Brillavailable for delivery... - Fine Seale Miniatures announces & superdetalled HO two-stall engnehouse. Suncoast Models is slering an O'scale 30000-gallon water tank based on Santa Fe prototype, with purmphouse, Firm has added cast wine flows to other structures in the line. IN THE MARKET . . . This column is normally written by a member of the magazine stafl and reflects his opinions, bout this month wwe have a guest writer: Robert Schleicher, writing in. Behalf of fone’ supplier, Hevell. ‘The material i ‘naturally from. Revel' viewpaint and trdinarily would not appear in the maga~ ‘ine’ in the suppliers own wording, but Revell has made a move here, that T think is in the right direction, by talleing falny frankly about problems at well at solutions, about hopes. as Well as a= omplishment. Le H.W. By this time af year, the majority of the general public Wil most likely have been introduced at least once to the tiny trains called W scale: The ingocters an manufacturers of these train este have opened all channels to get the N scale festage actors, and there is no doubt {Gat their efforts will be successful fe ‘mere people will become aware of minia= ture traine than during any other single Hove many of these folks will prosrese beyond the “tay” tain stage, to develop into real hobbyist, is unknown. It i 8 {i bet though that realistic and hence ese toylike-~ appearance and reliability ‘souhle-free operation should provide the ‘encouragement 10 ‘Model Rollroadercontinue the hobby on beyond the Christ Fortunately, the competition of having three of the very Taraest North Ameri= ccan_habby suppliers participate in in troducing N'seale ths season as had the effet of improving the scale for the fore setiout hobbyist. ‘The. improve- ments that have been made in the pioneer Rapido N ecale line are one probable re salt of thie competition, ‘We can never Know if the factory would have made he changes without ‘Revels pressure or net; but Revells decision to repackage fad distibute the line, with the expect= fey. of vastly ineressedsnlen throvgh the firm's marketing knowledge, certainly ‘must have hal some influence "The most interesting change in the now Revell/Rapido line (the same. products fre sold under the Arnold Rapido Iabel by the Chas. C. Merzbach Co, but lettered ‘ith different names) is an entirely new Gieeel based on the EMD FPO prototype. ‘The running gear for this engine is ‘daplation “of one of Rapido ‘newest designs frst offered in strictly European= prototype diesel and electric locomotives. the F9; and the Rapido engineers were fff and running with «new Ameriean~ Prototype locomotive Brief, the older Rapido FO offered only four-whes! traction and no truce Setail. He appearance could, a best, be ‘considered semisecle. The new Revell Rapido FP9 has eighiswheel power, plus more welght for traction, and excellent truck detail The detail sed proportions fre nnich in Keeping with that expected ‘of scale mod, at the photo: indiate — ‘As you probably know, the Rapido designed coupler has become standard on Stl of the major makes iN scale. To a= ow its proper operation on the FPS the couplers rere bath mounted om. the {rucks, “"Talgo"-style. This forced the de- Hiner to make the pilot (comentche) Divot with the front trick, ad gives te Exomotive somewhat the oopeseance of | MSRSOUSMMCOT SES Tae AMO TT Jenvary 1968 7picket The tear coupler rotedes foo {isco thatthe gp betwacn car an Toco: ‘motive tr greeter tan between ca and BERRAO | Ss owe nate io be rdor Signed to improve it reli 39% ca. “The extra weight in the new FP9, plus wale tus eighicwhed ‘ive allows it tbl ae = fbout 30 care on the level 30 percent improvement over the older F8) No H fale offered thle poor, but © dom Baro Als avallale, Aurore’ dummy F3B Ty hits wralae fn te re Toad names sai so it can be used with a pair of Revell/ Rapido A's if desired Tee, Avoicenrpeoltype fright car inthe Revellapido line has been ime Proved over last year models trough Ti'change to mote correc aaled @- foot-oheclbase tec from the Tfeoters teed last yest, the Dow tucks are ass tmovel 8 bie dest to conb nd of the Gar. The caboose hae new and far beter ‘Setaled end lator. = ou. Now: An all-new RPO-baggage car of about 0 scale fect is an addition this year, ‘The other three cars of the Autod-side streamliners (coach, vista-dome, and ob= Servation) measure about 7) scale feet Tong. All are about 10 sale feet short of the. prototype “dimension. This helps them Bt in the the Thy" and 9*-radies ‘curves supplied with NV scale seta The Imethode described In past features in MR lon lengthening plastic-bodied cars can be applied to these N seale cars if an ‘Honest &0-foot scale car is desired. ‘The one reslly objectionable feature of the Revell/Rapide equipment — Atlas Sind Aurora N scale as well isthe val oversize wheel flanges reminiscent of Lionel © auge trains. Europeans seem to favor these on thelr HO. equipment fm apite of the fact that property desimned Svall flanges, like the P23. ssed in ‘American HO. will perform with no mere frequent. deralments, Con Cor's Japes nnese-made N acale cars and locomotives feature the more-to-esle. Hange favored Dy Japenese N sealers, but these wheel ets ill not fit the Rapido trucks, Con = s Cor replacement tricks could. be subs stituted on the rolling stock, but locero- COCA A AM | op, the cling sty bus loco A Model Reilrooderyou choose N seale, you had best be will ing to live with the eurrent-size wheel anges. "To complete this lst of changes in the Revell/Rapide N scale line, the reliable tack switches have been improved with f total redesign. Hepide turnouts. wore reviewed in September 1967 Trade Topics, fo T won't repeat thet data here. How= ver, the pictures give you an ides of the ‘unusual alternate. seriteh machine ‘mounting for above- oF below-table sur face mounting iY yy ‘These improvements, coupled with some reductions in prices that have be: come posable, are enough to allow area. Sonable level of scale modeling InN fcale We look forward to later Revell Rapido products with the hope that they will be oriented even mare to the scale= ‘conscious modeler LITERATURE... Undoubtedly the most eautifal model railroad vealaloge are those from Pacific Fast Mail. The 12th Faition has just been issued (St in the U.S, $125 elaewhere). Tests more than 80 HO senle brass locomotives available plus some cars and epecial parte and sup~ plies—but no diesels. Rather than sell ices at much higher prices, now neces= sary due to rising production costs, PF3 Fras dropped them from this easton Frasesti Models R. 1, Box 427, Theodore, ‘Als, 38582: Catalog’ no. 3— (price not Stated) —O seale narrow-gauge supplies, 2etoot and 3-foot gougers ls0 prototype is and photos usable by narrow= modelers in any scale... Harbern, impeon Ave, Winnipes 15, Man; Canadas 60-pae catalog (75,eents) with comprehensive listing of HO. and N fcqulpment, structures, and supplies Rapid, from Chas. ©. Mersbach Ca ti page entalog of current NV scale equip rent, track, structures, and accessories, ‘olor; price 60 cents. Vollmer 1987-68 fatalog, from Boyd Models: “HO and N Structures, bridges, accoscores, overhead system, in color 50 cents, Janvary 1968 i WE WIL MATCH & SEAT ANY OFFER_ADVERTISED_ ‘AHC Wit BE UNDERSOLDMERRY ChRISTMAS «04 HAPPY NEW YEA omen Orem aU Certors From the PRESTIGE MODELS in HO by For late Christmas Gifts see the ‘Campbell Catalog No. 5 at your Dealer's, oF send for yours, 50¢ ‘REPAIR Past AVAILABLE PENNSYLVANIA 4= aa4s Pasha Naa Model RailroaderTRADE TOPICS New products— - buile and tested by MR’s staff — Push-pull bilevel commuter cars Molgate & Reyelde ‘An unusual sight grocting travelers in some Tange metropolitan areas is a train ‘with double-deck passenger ears running Backward at full speod. Bilevel cars are the Tatest ching in commuter travel, and ‘often they are operated in push-pull fashion. At one end it a standard diese Tcomative, while the rear ear is equipped with a control cab on the upper level ‘The engine pulls the traln to the suburbs find pushes it back to the lty. ‘The cost of turning the train at the end of the Tine is saved. ‘Chicago & North Western, Milwaukee Road, Rock Island, and Bur- ington are among the roads Using this ‘ype of equipment at present Fielgate & Reynolds" HO models are lose Feproductions of the cars built by Pallman-Standard for the CANW. Two ‘types are available: the standard double= ‘deck coach and the double-deck car with control ca "The enly dlferences in the Hits are the extra side windows (one each ide) at the cab end, and various fit ‘ments such as the plot and air horas "The iit has milled wood roof and Aoor. ‘The roof section must be trimmed so that it wil not hang down into the upper-deck windows, ‘The sides are lear plastic palnted CENW yellow and green, with Windows outlined. and lettering painted fon. Dry-transfor numbers and vente are furnished. Green window material is provided to simulate the tinted glass of the prototype. No means is provided to rake the floor removable for those who like this feature, but this could be dene by joining the lower edges of the sides ‘with polystyrene cross strips and serew= ing the ‘oor to Uhese strips trom the ‘underside "The ends, ladders, sir horns, plot, step, bolsters, doors, diaphragms, and” truck ‘components are oft metal eatings. Same fof these came slightly warped. in our samples. We carefully and gendly ‘straightened them: quick bends) may fracture the metal. A pair of smooth-jaw pliers ean be used, or the pioces can be hhammered gently between hardwood Blocks, Be careful not to damage any raised parts, ‘Most types of couplers can be fitted to the draftgear-bolter castings, oF you cen cut the pleces short and install the draft ear of your choice "The four-wheel trucks ere composed of soft metal castings. Sideframes are Isrgod slighty. Wheel sets are insulated for two-rail and conform to the NMRA standards gauge. ‘n Dullding our ear some modifications to the parte were needed. ‘The floor in ‘our test sample was bowed Hightly at the center, We corrected this by cutting near= Iy through the section, straightening out the bow, and cementing @ 1° x2" splice ‘erase the cute, The floor was also about ‘0" narrower than the rool. We added cardstock strips to the edges until correct Seth wat attained. We had no. other Gifieulty assembling this kit Full-sie end and ide drawings are provided, slong with written instructions Which cover the kit construction quite Well. Information regarding authentic cor numbers, matching paints, and wood finish is furnished. ‘The finished model is 2 fine reproduction of the protooype its are priced $825 with trucks, less couplers. We understand thet stainless esl-ope ears will be produced. 4 oes eo faa Gad © scale trolley components lndionapol Cer Co. {Gio Hampton De Ey Indianopa Ind. 44226, eso molded polystyrene plastic mod ulelike componente will enable a Imodeler to construct many different Kinds of wood-side interurban cars in 1" seale, “The various pieces ere to be butted. snd cemented together to form aide, Careful Sitting and Joining. will ‘completely obliterate the joints. Various AEROSOL CANS ROOF BROWN REEFER GRAY REFER ORANGE COACH GREEN ‘AL $1.98 excH Ser Your Dackr, Re hana al cone GRE IME. January 1968 SW-106- $5.95 rt 827 TMMBERLING 7 Avatar finn addition 10 the groing ne ‘of cuenie Ld weet snctree whoOe haNEw 1968 ‘HO’ CATALOG Aerts Yor TT ER ig Tg oie on eet Col =| eh So ie Mek he eon svncoast moons aon Ps Peseese TEs Ae, RRS : HT by ULRIEH St Coe Mont Vice Ob wo CENTRAL VALLEY . CAMADIAN RAMLWAY MODELS Pow) cree $9.50 (woe BSNS. connate ye s.00 5s Catan 8 nee Cena Pteyee TT MRS6 ON Bia Shy Blue RASIS Heetr Yalow BS GN Groomer ats ENB Se Tse Tar maT, (yreus wacon es “ VE Te tle vans ot exocace | eyet2 7 ate 2.95 SE We a 8 sri 287 ‘'N’ gauge aunpING sweetsLog BuGGIE All meal constuction seal lage one ‘wes. ie 25 send 25e for 2 copy of 9 complete ctaog WTHUXDER ON BLUE RIDGE| Seands of Stam Raireading Vel £35 x Mono LP 93% REPT 45 win, | BY estes in MASSIVE. REALISM the an pusbers ound on the Nerf & BR Ws ain Cane On ran a gman $5.95 * woo $4.95 “6. Wasien Lik Railway Prd | Seba otsh,aew Tania es Cee) “ combinations of the window panels and Inserts ean produce typial Jewett, Cin- cinnati, St Louis, or Niles ear sides. The fauare window with the square clerestory 1 typical ‘St Lovie Car Co. design, for Instance. The panels have well-detaled window frames ath, and moldings. ‘The Tower section is grooved to. represent ‘wood siding ‘Aveilable also is door frame and door, and a three-window end. A a8" ‘wide, three-windew baggage door can bbe made by culling two scale 53" doors and cementing them together. To door ‘way panels are altered to 8 ‘We understand that » three-vindow curved end and 2 plain siding pane! will false be available. ‘The siding pel wil be wider than the window panels and will have & small oval (toilet) window: ‘The piece can then be cut to rake a smell! window panel or a plain siding piece. A root ahd ether components are Inthe planning, Price, 50 cenit per set. ‘The square window set Includes one window panel, three upper sash incers, and. clerestory ‘window. "The arch window panel has one arch upper each insert and. clerestory panel. “The upper sashes are made Eindwich 10"-thick clear or green wine dow ‘material between the insert and panel proper. HO Genes saloon atl Scola Miniatures £819 Kim Ave Son Cal Cai 1775. ‘The prototype of this structure stil stands, and Is in use, at Genoa, Nev. on highway 18 about 10 miles south of Car sen City. twas erected ia 18 in the friginal capital of Nevada. It waa first Known a5 an “exchange” rather than a saloon. Liquor was exchanged for zocds Brought in by loners traveling trem the East and by local farmers. The fin- lished model occupies a space a scale 21x 50 feet. Teis typical of the type of struc tures constructed in the eit-19th cen tury. The model eaptures ll the charm ofthe prototype. ‘The basic structure is fashioned from walls, ends, nd. roo! printed on ig" thick’ cardstock. Doors and. porch fasela are printed on thin cardstock. The porch Js. planked "with stripwood. | Window frames are printed on clear acetate. ‘The four porch posts are. nest eoft- metal castings. The walls are overlaid with rice material emnbosted in hard. card Stock; brick courses seale about 214" high Wath Song bricks. Campbell root Shingles (gummed paper strips) are t0 be ‘plied t0 the porch snd main building rool, making very realistic roof, A printed satoow sign is include. Fullsize sesle drawings are provided long with pricted instructions covering fl the necessary construction. steps. Note that sketch 2 shows four brick ‘courses atop the exp strip: there should be six, In'skotch no. 5, the te" ie” block supporting. the porch header "is neatly a cube rather than the elongated fection shown, ‘We encountered no difficulty construct ing this model. All parts went together 2 indicated, Cutting the wall panels and cctting out the window and door panels from ty" cardstock is s real test of modelers mettle, though, It ir dificult fo get a square ‘edge, and your fingers willbe tred and your model knife blades well worn by the time you get al these pieces cut out. The finished prod- Uc is quite handsome and should ft into ‘any pile, whether old-time or contempo= ray. ‘Kit GS-8 is priced $535. HO 85-foot Trailer Train cars valty Crt Moda Vill "Vise, ex” 428, Nerthumbeilnd, Pe vas. Quality Craft Models specializes in con= temporary railread freight care in HO scale. The line includes = 60000-gallon fank car, tilevel auto rack, high-cube Donear, 60-foot double-plug-deor box ar, and 50-foot plug-door boxcar it new kit, T-L furnishes the mate- rials for two 85-fo0t American. Car & Foundry pigaybock ‘trailer care Large ocks” @ven complete tains — of these fears are often seen transporting, high= way trailers, ‘The modal closely fllows the proportions and. scale dimensions fiver in the 1965 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia, ‘The Oficial Railway Bauip- iment Repiter lists 773. cars, numbered 1200-10277 (with some numbers not used), owned by the Trailer Train Co. ‘The model is composed of excellent rallea basswood pares. The floor is cut to length; other parts must be cut to it Fashioning some'of the Gny gussets and bracing is tedious. These pleces add cen siderably to the fished appearance of the model, so the modeler will find It Worth his'time to complete these parts Al wood parts come color-coded for ens {dontifeation. Wire 12 furnished for pipe ing, brake rigging, hand grabs, and steps Cal-Seale universal coupler pockets are ‘melded plastic; no couplers are furnished ‘but. most types will ft into. the draft ear with Ite Gr mo alteration. Scale plastic AB brake components are tied, TRoller-bearing trucks are_ provided ‘These are sprung and equalized. The sidelrames and bolsters are well-detiled ine alloy castings: salen are steel ith ‘molded ‘plastic wheel. ‘The wheel sete ‘heck with the NMRA standards gauge FRoundhesd wood serews are used to at tach the trucks, Medel Railrooder‘Quality Craft provides excellent Chem- picn-made decals. These are ‘white on pink backing paper so that the data ean fatily be seen, Suficlent digits are n= ‘hided to enable the modeler to make ‘many cars each with a diferent number. “The. instructions provide model-size ‘de, end, Boor, and underbody views ‘slong ‘with supplementary sketchos of various parts. We encountered po dif uldes assembling this it. Te should be pointed out that with the trucks aot about 12 fect back from the car end, and with an overall length of faround 90 feet, these cars are not well- TRACKAGE Need Code 70 Nickel Silver HO-HOn3 Dual Gauge Flex Try Your Dealer First LAMBERT ASSOCIATES. 3353 berdeck Dr Oakland, Call, 94602 which are doing 2 fine job of providing ‘ilted for sharperedias curves Truck= Smrury fast travel between important |) & Sind Peete sa ‘mounted couplers can be used as a help. ‘Awire carrier, chaped like = fst U, cat tbe used mear the end sill to Keep the necesrarily long coupler shank st proper ‘operating level The models are attractive and good |] © BB Sirona: Ho repracntaions of the proeiype, oh het igh, a ae moet Buropenn model icrometiven’ The cab ie malted plastic 2 ‘wih clear window inserts The Foot Js Rk Thc? Jn 1 felt pinback Sl tale andi fied with working = Tina corse priced $586 with Pontgrapha wired for ac. A coneceled racks, len couplers uth Tested in te foo tanters cone Sections from all to-overhead” pik HO German electric locomotives The swith ie reasonably acces, 3et ate, Marlin & ia, moor {S cbecured from erdinary viewing. Zhe res nomen ne tupac Acca ne ley fame giver the todel Mor teedwy, iw Fo W010 Siow eater af roi for sable rug. ‘The protljpe of these Marklin and” The pantograph shoe is modied in po Hams iedele operates on the DB" 6lo for best trecking under the wine” the : Deuische Bundesbahn, the Gorman Fedc ages ore rounded mare” than in || €or fr rggec oe teal ys. of Wert Germany. Te cass the prototype. A spring brass tab on the | |! gal co weed ond me ECS GorCo cnvines (Coro means six frame touch-connects a buss bat in tbe || Oma Powered esles'Be:Bo means four end rout to make connection tthe pante~ || Coming 10st Cover Hoppe Seyret Seb herenwes Topspend Goh faders whose regione ews E's mph The moado cone paiuatin Or solder the bese-antrel color sdhene of te "Mirkin is th wo, name in European || .,, QUALIFY CRAFT MODELS Pa Trane-Europenn Expres’ taine, ty trans; te wall respecied by scale | L102 Wim frm Reenter NEW-UNIVERSAL “GEEP” CHASSIS EXCITING SERIES FLYWHEEL DRIVE with OPTIONAL* CENTRIFUGAL CLUTCH at your Dealer's. PACIFIC FRUIT EXPRESS G-2005 $3.95| I Trucks, 8 Wheel Drive) $24.95 Instructions included for simple installation in the plastic super- structures of Athearn’s GP-S, GP-30, GP-35; Tyco's GP-20 and Century 430. No holes to drill or tap. Be soe te ‘The new frame is a serateh builder's delight; provisions for mounting one ither 4 or 6 wheel trucks; recessed to provide space for a splice plate ices if cut to modify length Soon *Clutch may be locked out to give straight flywheel drive. Send self-addressed envelope for copy of instruction sheet and parts E Neeser [| settee en tn ie a cot 7 hobbytown of Boston 7.0.x 2, Ex Stein Sat, Man O21 Jonvory 1968 15modelers es well. It has maintained its reputation by being a. veteran in the field, by maintaining dependability in its products through Inspection, and by avoiding the trap of low price to build tales. The line ie well known to Arneri- fean servicemen abroad, and its parly ‘because these men have brought, beck {foreign trains that the lines are becom ing better known in the U.S. ‘Mésidin wains retain two features no onger found in other makes. The trains ppick up current from @ center ray and they un on alternating current. More fbout this ins moment; however, it brings up the matter of compeubility with other HO equipment. Tncompatibility was once the rule in ‘Burope as it wax here fn toy trains, Bach maker provided track, engines, cars, overhead wires, signals, and other {cesories, and so he felt po need to make hhis products interchangeable with other makes. Possibly the incompatibility was also an attempt to discourage competi- ‘ion from entering the feld, but if 20, this did’ not accomplish. its purpose. Other makers did come’ in, and some Ihave. products of equally fine quality. ‘The trend to common standards seems Inevitable. ‘Two-rail became popular, along with de. polarity reversing Universal cou- plers are being talked about (each mak- fr fecling his ewm design good eandi- ate), and a limit to the excursions of ‘wheal profil has been delineated in the [NEM standard: Noversber 1967 MR, page Recently Mizklin began making its n= fines and ears in a twosrall de. version Under the Hamo name. Quality and most ‘specifications are the same. Thus this engine being reviewed is available in both the regular Barklin and the more Universally useful Hamo versions "The Marklin version runs on up 10 12 volts ae, picking up its current through a'akate located between the Wheels and So suspended that it will ‘contact at Teast two studs of the track contact sys tem at a time. Reversing is by the se- ‘quence method, bit by far better than ‘the usual version. The sequence mecha- ‘lam performs enly when & short impulse fof 24 velts is impressed on the supply. Esch time the supertension is applied, the reverser makes the engine go the ‘opposite way from which t wes previous Ip traveling The reversing mechanism does not respond to 12 volts; Ovus there is no problem of the engine starting out backwards after making stop unless you wish it to dos. "The mechanim is quite interesting. A. three-pole wound-feld motor is. bulll integrally into the truck superstructure, ‘Ten spur gears transmit power to the tree aides of one tuck, ‘The drive is surprisingly quiet, chroush use of both ood gears and a fat-commutator motor {Srmature. Unlike models with worm= [Snd-gear driver, this locomotive has 0 cellent drifting bility. From full speed can coast at far af 20” when power it ‘cut of. The entire drive assembly is re- {ained with &. spring clip and can be removed in seconds Despite the long. truck wheelbase, the model will nogo- tinte curves down to 1” (Z19-em.) radi vs. The model ie 834" (218 cm.) Tong lover butters, Mirklin-type couplers are ‘ounted on each end. ‘Three Tarp bulbs light the triple lights sat each end as well s2 the cab interior ‘and clerestory panels. "The six driving wheels are equipped with friction tres; the other wheels are rondriving snd have all-metal. treads ‘The wheels are equipped wilh 060"=deep flanges, so they may give trouble on any ‘Ameriean-type track, especially rerall~ fers and filled frogs, where electrical con fact may be lost.” The back-to-back ‘mounting is also not matched to NMRA ‘tarmout dimensions Many modelers have hhad ‘wheels reworked or replaced. when they were anions to mix MarKlin equip ment with American-type models. This ‘work can be done by some of the better~ tcauipped hobby shops and tain repair firme, Performance fered direct current” Salemph toed Amperes Belo = My Fale Weigh, 19 ounces. Pull, 5 eunean Minimum ‘The model runs smoothly. Control is ocd. through all speed ranges, Scale speeds are comparable to. those of the prototype excellent! Capacity is about 50 to 58 average freight cars, and more usenger cars than a proatype tain "The Hamo version is the same except for having two-rall insulation and oper= ‘ating on de. with polarity reversing. ‘This ie very fine equipment. The stud contact ae. Mirklin version, catalog no. 15053, and the two-rail de. Hamo version, tatalog no. 8853, sell at the same price: e508. B scale models 6 BALBOA SCALE WODELS PASSENGER DIESELS ‘3884 39th Street, ENEOMe Model RailroaderSBOTWAVO O31YHLSATT YOd ON3S Seg $0201 1VNOILWNUaLNI OH seeerA = SULSTIVaY UadnS © 1340109 SauNLINULs © SONIGTING ee PERLE aie ane FONVS met ERR CORO MR ECC RE BEL b) De a 7a 7/7 ” Jonvary 1968aueH) STREAMLINE N GAUGE FLEX TRACK NATHAN R. PRESTON & Ci ead Pe 18 ‘Model RallroaderVIKING HO VEHICLES ROKAL TT GAUGE MODEL TRAINS a ROK NEW kot Stee TRACK SYSTEM NATHAN R. PRESTON & CO. and Pees Jonvary 1968 ”VOLIMER 10 & N BUILDINGS i The leader in plastic structure kits, each Vollmer build- ing offers the finest detail possible. Facto fesilities, stations, bridget and mony others. ‘complete line of HO houses with the some high ‘Vollmer Color Catalog 50¢ PREISER Figures / 4 ga a i BOYD MODELS Complete Boyd Models Catalog 147 Wood Rebignratr Car $275 ee 52 Kroys Hom Bocon (Prive owner 1354 Schloer Bron, Batra) 1357 Opperbuimer Casing Co- 1306 heawhee LOOK AT THIS DETAIL ley Window Caboose $325, COMING SOON 50’ Modern Box Cor $2.75 ea. M3 Soo tin lack-ae 1254 Banore & Ohio 1257 Penesy 1454 Spree Fels Poper ovat green) 1435 Fh 8 Late Ee NVC) gree 1436 Union Paci acon vec) MS? Conor ble, ress pete wre) ‘Aleo PA-1 Diesel $14.98 oa. 2002 Soni Fe (prs clos 2004 GN (orange & brown) 200s SP Goya 2007 Penney fight (Groen tg) Al Con Cor“ locomotives feature ane place injection moulded repertoires, sing the met tesem euinmans Our “PULMORE "ive yen Con-Cor Models ‘este latest in spore oge tehnlopy tng aod omar "tan 256 5745 W. Division St. ete" Calg, ne, $1.08 Chicoge, Ill. 60651 20 HO passenger car diophragms gt enor {990 folmouth Sr Thousand Oeks, Calif. 91360, MHP diaphragms have Ween popular for years. ‘They are reasonably close re~ productions of the diaphragms that pro~ fect pastengers stepping from one ear Into the next on passenger trains; and hey work: that is, they actually press fgainst each other and tend to mate prop- erly without interfering with the: per= formance of the cars thenizelves. "These dlaphiragme for mounting. on HO scale cars scale 5-0" wide and 9-11 bigh, and extend 2-4” from the end of the far. Each consists of a tn molded noo= Drone cover vith Uhree fer formers to Fotain the shape. ‘The striking plate is {hin sheet metal Each steiking plate bas ‘oo lugs; and if properly centered, mat~ ing diaphragms will mesh and held prop— er alignment. For the disphragis to operate efficent= ly, couplers should be mounted 20 the 1 shout scale 42" betwoon car ends (Prototype cars are about 30” apart) ‘When 0 mounted, and operating over NMBA "tminimum-radius curves, the Giaphragins should offer no impediment to operation, The NMBA suggests a mini~ ‘mum curve of 25” radius for cars sealing 1p to-00 feet long over all, 251" radius Fun with model trains .-. © ‘Mong the right of way | Model Railroaderfor cars up to 10 feet, 30" radius for care tup to #0 feet, and 40” radius for longer fears, Diaphragms should be attoched with good rubber-base adhesive such ‘& Walthers Goo ot Goodyear Pliobond. ‘Price, 5 conte pale in shape, but colored slightly diferenty, with one basally ray, the other tan. ‘The darker gray tones’ accentuate the rock shapes better than the lighter tan tones. The castings can be chipped or carved to alter the shape slightly so that Several identical castings can be used fon the same layout without looking too uch alike "The tunnel lining should be carried ‘back out of the line of sight. Plaster should be used for best results, and the filers should be blended with the portal fasting. When joining new plaster fo the farting, wet the casting at the points of ‘Price, $2.98. Reversing theostat Lombert Anocotes 2889 bordeck Dr, Oalond, Cob 94402. ‘Combined theostats and reversing switches are popular in Burope but are {ese now in North Amerien The sd vantage is thatthe train roves tothe lft (oF Fight depending on which way” you move the speed control lever fom te center off position. One disadvantage, if {you consider it one, is that the control is Naa Jenvary 1968 ‘he raw frm NWSL ib this Fernie Terminal (lee Siar Fell Tiber) #103 JET wilh Pinon DEI, pre boc frome ond citer RWSL fee” quality free, The $109 shel rv ot your habs Ey shop bout Decerber 18. This debgifl Tile leaping end navel locomotive wil be ae pope en Your layout ond ellacion ts the protely wan on the meny short ine, seminal, logging ond instal varoads i oa ward, Only $4230, ‘Sn the #103 nd thus other NWSL fra HO seal epost your abby shop NORTHWEST SHORT LINE Box 423, Seattle, Wash. 98111 Freight Station cxtenger Station i 'B-641 Kit $1.98 640 Kit $3.49 ‘her @ Stotion Found on the Pannayl ent Syatm inthe cutee, Uniod Sate. The modal how weuided red tec wots, Coal Loading Silo 8-662 Kit $1.98 | & “Arch Bridge wtih Piers Bescon xi $9.29 Te, fnery founds. enh Sina'Can ber oned te load’ engine, Sr Sound mint lod cel ar (OF Sow how's tond and grovel yord crmaybee es) MORE ‘‘N” COMING Con-Cor Models ‘5745 W. Division St. Chicago, Ill. 60651 Thc brdge con be found in the book "bndges ond Boing" by Kaimbech time changes wore made fo mould i plomes beat". dora tnd of USA derign, bet you con fd Son for veel of thew end to end. NEW HELJAN CATALOG 40 KITS HO AND “N" 25 wn fe) > cr m bas 4 n nn 2 9° = asen REFERENCE Sao Sete ee ees ¥ DON'T MISS OUR BIG JANUARY CLEARANCE evings vp te 40% —Jenoary 20 fe 90 ces 4.62 a $64.50 aw Smcoh Re secre te ena oe Se ce ee IY HOBBY seavice SAVE AT BLUM’ Paen oe oe 2 THE HO ENGINEER P.O, BOX 69 PLYMOUTH, PA. 18651 Floquil Weothering Kit How to order (hall ordre under 500 od 25 for po ‘oe & honing. We poy. posoge on ol I'S HERE!! THE NEW ALL-NATION PRAIRIE (© Unto the tine provens ngged AbNoton chon, dive train ond AWN High frau sca wow on #11001 $9800 At oer 0 weale ‘onote HOW AND SAVE 10% ae Speco intvodutry Pca wal Jan 18th $85.50 ALL-NATION LINE 80x 145, ves pLatnes, ttt. 60017 not arranged like that of a real loceme- tive. Take your choice. Another disad~ vaniage is that, due to the arrangement of the four resstance cells, any" alight ‘movement of Ube lever changes the resis~ tance about torice az mich as 2 rheostat ‘with a single coll Tf the railroad has loops, wyes, or @ turntable, additional reversing” switches fare fill necessary to reverse the main~ Iine polarity at the moment the train is within the return section. ‘This wizing IS imple to do if you fellow this routine: Connect the reversing Theostat direct- ly, or through block toggle switches, to ‘he return-loop trackage (often marked Ron published track plans). Pass the current Uarough another reversing switch fo feed all ether blocks of the main line Conulting ‘3 wiring book such as How ta Wire Your Model Railroad, to sce the Standard method fit, will male inter- Dretation of thir intraction easy. “The device measures 1s" wide, 2%" high, and 30K¢" Tong, with a 24" handle eis rated to handle 50 watts, 3 amperes, fand has a maximum Teristance Of 50 Shins. The reslatance is taper=wound. ‘Our test sample tended to stick at the point where the two wire sses are joined. Sentct was smooth, "Control at very low speeds ir only falr wlth any rheostat as ‘compared to more elaborate speed con nished along with a panel mounting tem= plate Nibbling toot ‘6t0 Renal St, Chicago, M60. 'A nibbling tool is'@ punch and dic cot which removes noteh from the edge of thet metal, plastic, cardstock, and Ue like. By making repeated bites various Model RailrooderSSSA ck i Sie ed al, ae agit fobse eased pete ‘AHM CATALOG, LIONEL CATALOG FLEISCHMANN CATALOG _75¢ E STOCK OF PARTS FOR ALL GAUGES parent penal fy an RG 2 #773 e aA ZED SALES-SERVICE oom PARTS ) ty w 4 | Fy a 4 q 5 z ) fy a a t 105 EAST 23RD STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10010, SP 7.1111 METAL TENDE! FULLY DETAII Can be used with the following locomotives: #700, #763, aasesaasegaeees sb atnets.HO BRASS mrorren nooas Ke# Scale vsnay moons Rou ereera a HOBBY SHOPS! Model Reloading — HO ond N gou Trek bit balding, centro spp, pets UNITED MODEL DIST., INC. 1040 N. Halted, Chicogo, i, 60622 7442 W. Chicago, Doh, Wich 48204 OUR SUPPLY IS NEARLY EXHAUSTED ream eal cl irate iawretace fe ORDER NOW! 18 $20.00 rotall value, yours for ‘$16.8 posipald USA. 1 cupply runs out botore official ox Diretlon dato of January 18, 1968, we arty, but this offer will mot Be Toe Doated. Please rush your ‘order at Sree, without delay! STEAM IN THE 60's P.O. Box 336 Burbank, California 91503 California residents adé 5% tax Foreign orcer U.S, funds only, Conade ‘and’ Menico”adé $250, olher Toreign 8840 $820 tor postage ALSO AVAILABLE FOR A LIM ITED TIME AT BETTER HOBBY | DEALERS EVERYWHERE! 24 shapes ean be cut into the edges of car sides, structure sides, ete. Holes rough ‘metal or plastic can also he enlarged and shaped by nibbling. ‘The proces ir often ‘much faster than Bling, sawing, or shesr= ing with snips ‘The Adel nibbling tool cuts a width of 17 into the edge of material to a depth of Yr. Repeated cutting can make the botch wider, deeper, or of special shaping. ‘The tool cleanly cuts O#6"-thick steel er 4e"athlek copper, aluminum, brass, ahd plaste. It is so designed that there is a mechanical advantage of about 16. Thus ‘materials up to 3g” are eaaily cut. The tool will also cut thin plastie materials Without thelr cracking. It is comfortable to handle and easy to control. We tried the nibbler on all sorte of materials and. found it to be an excellent reans of = ‘moving excess material. Price, 415 Butane torch Microtoms, te 7800 Computer Ava, Minneoeli Minn 5435, Hore a very fine trch that wil pro- duce heat up to 5000 degrees. Tk measures about $i" x2" x54": neat handful. Tt ‘uses small eylinders of compressed oxy gen and butene. ‘Three tipe (made like Iiypodermie needles) sate furnished: 20- gauge, Zogauge, and 2agauge. Otber ‘zen can be made from standard hypo- ‘dermic needies ‘The needle tips sip over the regular nozzle The 34"-long nozle can be swung in complete elrele Control valves for x9 {gon and butane are located at the top. ‘Wits eareful manipulation, fames of up to 8000 degrees can be produced ‘using the 25.gauge tip. The unit can be used for soldering, silver-soldering, brazing, tnd welding Small components and mad tls. The flame wil leo cut metal. For {hia oxygen should be inereased, "The eylinders are easily replaced. When orlering replacements Keep in mind that ‘nygen cylinders are used up two 10 ‘Shree times ae fert-ae butane cylinders Using the 20-¢auge tip, the oxyzen il last spproximately 10 minutes; with the Begnign tip) 20 ina, with the 25- ‘auge tp, about 80 ‘Complste instructions repanding base ‘use and operation are provided. We fosnd the torch to be excellent for attaching small tings to metal models and for spe= lal soldering jobs. Temperature ranges ‘will sllow the modeler to sttach compo= IMPORT BY SANKYO. Homs for the HO modeler who de- mands SUPER DETAILED REALISM EMBOSSED BRICK — A beautifully detailed fine scaled weathered brick. 6 sheets $3.25. EMBOSSED SHINGLES — Uneven ld style roof shingles with a weath- ered appearance. 6 shoots $3.25 ‘OLD TIME COLORED POSTERS Scaled size poster signs. 176 for $129. CAST TREE STUMPS — Af lost for all logging R.R., beautifully detailed ‘roo stumps at & for $3.00. Check with your favorite dealer fist or order direct plus Be postage. FINE SCALE MINIATURES 57 King Sewet Peabody, Mass, 01960 "NEW COUNTRY GROCERY TORE CTSA Nia Ee Model Railroaderrents with different melting points so to the extent that the book carries out that now parts can be attached next 9 the basic premise of the subtitle tis en |] FIVE MONTHS TO PAY previous ones without the whole works’ exciting visual presentation of scenic pele falling apart. To conserve oxygen, Jo nat Views, action shots, and motive power light the torch unt all parts to be Joined photographs. The carly days. are’ pre~ rein place;_then shut the flame off sented in some rare. photos, and from Immediately after making, the joint. wee the coverage moves. steadily on "The model B torch is priced $1995 and through the days of steam and clectric ‘comes with oxygen and butane cylinders, operation to present-day. diesel power. {feo vaukets, and three tips. Extra oxy Of especial interest is the section de- ken cylinders are 75 cents cach; butene voted to the electric operation of Cas- fvlinders are 60 conts. An industrial sot cade Tunnel from the fest three-phase Sith larger cylinders is also available. BAB box motors of 1908. (with parallel ‘You can write to Microfime, Ine, for the pole trolleys) to the monster. streari= ‘name and address of the nearest outlet.” ined BeD+D- class Ws of O47, said to be the largest single-cab clectie mo- ‘mas gine tore ever built. a Sri ess To‘ locomotive nor car drawings re oe Se stes mie nthe bok but the saany Bites of al {| PARK'S HOBBY & SUPPLY CO. ass of GN power show! details for |] --0. Bx 624. Asbury Par Nt 0718 those withing to auperdetall existing GN troscle The scenic views wil be helpful Imodeling the territory verved by the IN from the farnlande of Minnesota, Serde te gren plains, and hurding the Rockies snl the Cancates to Paci ide= virB LOCOMOTIVE DRAWINGS $1.00 Ee, ~ 2 o Moye 75 Eo. PPD USA West, by Charles R Wood. 192 pop 10%", unrated. Mord. covers” $12 Seo, Wash, 9811 CIFIC COAST MAIL ORDER SP AC-12 Cabforward “The subtitle of Lines West describes it accurately: "A pletorial history of Great ‘Alco PA-T painted Norther Ry. operations and motive pow= Following Roads cer frorn 1857 to 1961." Alshoughs the au- ‘SP, GN, & UP thor presents a capsule history of the road, “serious historians of the Great Northern will have to look further; but 1222 tong Booch Bh ang ech Ca $0818 SS TE ee cas nae See agen ae ONT dD etna AMERICAN TRAIN & TRACK CORP. Salles Office: 200 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010 Jenvary 1968 25TRACKAGE Need Spikes Code 70, Try Your Dealer First LAMBERT ASSOCIA TS 3353 Burdeck Dr, Ooklond, Calf, 94602 SIGNALLING! TREDELT HAS IT! 3-COLOR $14.45 per 8. | | Sex 203118 Sam Diego, Calif. 92120 LOCOMOTIVE WORKS: xin }] BOX 898, AUBURN, WASH. 9800 HO and HOn3 BRASS LOCOMOTIVES and ROLLING STOCK ‘ome MAIL ORDER SPECIALISTS in imported brass HO scale models ‘Wt today for ou fre eehire Keystone Models 70. Box A6O16 Rasy Rv, One 488 STRUCTURAL SHAPES Crernre [ANGLES — BEAMS — CHANNEIS W COLUMNS ~ TEES ~ZEES SPECIAL SHAPES CO. 5007 Belmont Ra, Downers Grove, 0815 Model RailroaderUCL CRU Pe Er Ce jenced Model Railroaders use TRU-SCALE Track & Roadbed! or SMOOTHNESS of op roc "READY TRACK’ hos the fest COMPLETE LINE of Mounted Switches, ‘nd Roorled isthe en E Crenivars end Cromings tat match perfec i Sue you vie the BEST - oan: EADY TRACK’ Feoture the fomed Tru-Scle “> swith the clouing Frog, which elininate 50% of wit both oil problems! Ne Ral ‘eied,belloted amborkmant COMPLETE in ONE PIECE! ined Wood Ties Nihal Sliver or Bost Rel sched fr positon ss Rollei =. the COMPLETE "HO" tro ond FOADRED . HEADY for inwediate opeaionl ‘HO’ SELE-GAUGING ROADBED "HO' 25-TON “Diesel” CRANE (Operating). BE necdy tn, Fly Working Model Bros pulley, C ing Cab, DinCant Zine Cha hogging performance, Mounted on frencoling Tu Seal Trucs ‘Rotomate NaMRA Couplers. aly $875 LINESIDE” SHANTY with Werking-Womon This weather beaten litle howe is typeal of Relkeed Companies to tein Cony to cnn ho ‘ony $129 WATER TANK with WINDMILL Sacwilly Datel and sony Ye ones Menicipal water wpply i not evalcble. Comes ih Tw ong Horn sters «only 98 SEE YOUR HOBBY DEALER ‘TRU-SCALE MODELS, Dept. R, San Dimas, Calif. 91773 SSaunenaier California Jenvary 1968 aRES Hobly Supply 7.0.8 2242 Ven Nuys, Calera 91404 METICULOUS That's the word for our attention to the Alco RS” derals, ‘Unfortunately, thi sect onyEee dete’ e's Joe ihc jg wai? al you do AByny, you te the wert on ot your des une? Ale BL 6008 Bar Blog Ales BS.) intr itd Ako BLAOD8 igh sone (wise) =. 97 90 £€0:1008 ‘Antenne aut bir 00 ALCO Bayport MY. 1705 Fe esi casa ta TOWER ENGINEERING yl; 2.2209% 5 GOT YOUR BROCHURE ON OUR NEW GP.35 © SCALE KIT YET? Send for it today — 10¢ eosin compat hav ord och with tw enloed gerbonas that euple daly {mats shate See? conine sper fore-phote engraved ond lot wor cor eC TTS ‘aint $e machin shy te Mode! Rt roofers foots for matiee nal re sin parts TUNDMT sea ny 17” eg te co: ‘rts ta vertal le, pee ser “homo wth mcfontecocneg Get ‘be tena $1 =tr hon ‘ue Msehong Tees” eres ree tate ty, FOR THE MODEL RAILROADER. ONLY $13950 Features for X scale After reading your fine magazine for a fow years, E have one question for you: Why doesn't MR feature more, about X augers and in particular’ Xn? [in his Ieucr Jerry Reid was actually referring to O scale, but we have changed hie letter land our answer to read X scale since the questions and answers apply equally well to any scale in the hobby except HO and Ny T have been interested and active in model railroading for 1B years. T started {nO tinplate, then went to HO for the past 12 years, Last November 1068) Jolned the XYZ Society of Model Ral oaders and through these Ene members [find mysolf ace in X and Xn3. I be- lieve that X seale modelers are the best modelers because of Unie desire to model ‘a accurately, and with ae much deta, 2 possible. These builders have to serat Build many parts, bave few suppliers as tslvertined io ER ave to wail any days for parts and are in many ways delayed 1 Building their models ‘Tm not complaining; Tim proud to say Ym a model railroader, but T would like to see more published on X scale models, Grawings, parts, and anything to do with X scale JERRY K. REID T know just how you feel, Jerry, for 1 take a photo magazine and’ wish there ‘were more material in iton the type of hotography that mest interests me. How fever, thus X sealo matter is not a now thing wits the hobby —its years old Despite that, tis sill only porly under~ ood. Ask yourself these questions: 1. Do T want to see more material in [EK that will be mo good to anyone in an ‘other scale? Thats 8 loaded question, but Thana on. ‘2 Am T interested in seeing more pub- CST es Model ReilroaderLety in MR 29 more people will know about X scale? 8. Do T have any problems peculiar X scale that Tdon’t know the answers to ‘and need help? ‘4 Would I like to soe more X scale advertising in MR, especially for new products? "Now, les see how the answers to these ‘questions present problems in the field 1, No one wants to be selfish about the scsie he works in to the detiment of those using other seales. ‘The experience fof @ man working in X seale can be usoful (0 all of us, Thus you almost never see a title like “How to build = gondola ear in X scale” in MIR, There meed. be no Berlin valle between modelers We also tty to edit some of the stories to make them useful to as many molers 38 pot sible, regardless of the senle the author happened to tse. One exception t0 this secure when the whole feature revolves around @ particular produet such as the edification of Central Locomative ‘Works’ © seale couplers, o some particu= lar plation(or other) siructure available ‘only In, say, HO oF NT scale. Magazine Imbalance does happen here, simply be- ‘cause some scales have more commercial parts with which to start'a project than 0 others. 2: Publicity for X scale? Okay with us. We want photo stories of X seale layouts, photos of good models, and so on. I! you {ake a count, youll find that we do pub- Tish this sort of X scale material far out ‘of proportion to the number of followers in Ke seale— because any minocity-scale ‘modelwork makes news, “There is a limit-—and this i that there sre only 9 many modelers in X scale Billding models and taking photos, How much you see of thelr work depends on {heir generosity in keeping Mand all fof us informed about what they are ong. 15 you have any special Xseale prob- ems, welll wy to find the answers and Prt ther. “1 We're helpless about X scale adver- tising — that's the part of the magazine ‘re have almost no control over. We too ‘Would like to sce more new ‘preducte advertised” What really determines 2d= Yertising volume is how much you and other X sealers spend for the makers’ ‘present X scale products, “LINN H, WESTCOTT Charles Kraut yields © point Having reed some very interesting in= sults threats, and ransom notes, T have decid to surrender. Ever sinee the July 961 MR came out, Te been afraid 10 Teave my house for fear of being shot at or Kidnaped and tortured: you woulda’ ‘lieve the patriotic sprit which ean be Failroads, [think hed have a small army at his dispesal, composed entirely of ral~ fine! ‘To got to the point: Mr. Wagoner was correct in his assumption that T had ot Seen the Westwood kite When T verote the letter, Westwood Kits bad not yet a= rived at the local hobby shops and T was eponding on their advertising for infor~ Janvory 1968 GET YOUR siei 0-0 oavee “auaioe 207 1 Se CHAMPION DECAL CO. eal "oscovesa naw wonun of sumncar eee ‘COMPLE DaALEA CavALDG a ‘azconaa puatsa ianins ALSO ~- Don't Forget To Get CHAMP'S New FREIGHT CAR LETTERING PLAN BOOK (ett DIF, PLANS)" Ove, Poni EH-101 HO PRR $2 6-86 TURBINE EHIO HO PRR CLASS $2 64-6 STEAM TURBINE EX-IOLP as above, Factory Pointed & Lettered es eae ine ‘The magnificent PRR Steam Turbine with removable Wind Defectors. A very, very lim- ited re-run... and may just about be the end for this collector's item. Delivery starts March throsgh Apri GN-110 HO PRR H10s 2-8-0 CONSOLIDATION GN-1I0_HO PRR CLASS Hits 2-80 CONSOLIDATION sss GN-IMP as above, Feetory Painted & Lettered 6495 Bckorder reservations have been building up for years snd we ar able to squreze in & short rerun. May through June delivery. SOON TO COME RELEASES... OR... RECENT EM CATALOG scaes amps comt iy [em models 2 foltesd hee rd A onttls odtion 82 Bisiars 250 Or send 750 to Gem Models: No tmp. ‘cre Fost Office Box 12218 cictninaing C=) phitcdetphio, Po. 19144 “siccor™ 29ee Sree ea HOWELL DAY _£.2 UNIVERSAL DRIVE SHAFT KITS. Fer HO Ariat Lecomatives tS eS ae Cord mation. have tried Westwood kits and personally don't eare for them, not enly fer their high plastic content but also for their design ahd construction teshmigi. "To Mr. Vondrak: Iam mest definitely interested in both material and end prod Wet. IFT built Ral 9 ar or structure from twood and the other half from plastie, 7 would probably ave a. poot-looking ined ‘To refute Me. Hodson, I did start with 1a Belle and Ambroid ‘with no previous sxpertence: aed I will ever buy & shee the box” kit ‘To wet myself out of this mess and avoid bloodshed, let me say that to my Knowledge there iene way to make plas tie look like wood, I have tried. devens of sealers, enamels, lacquers, and pains, but even plastic wth a molded grain doet rot resemble wood. Plastics have a ten Sency to warp unrealistically (ike pla lic), while weod warps and bends reali: tically, like wood. Iajectionemolded plastic has molding seams lst-wax plac~ propery. "And I don’t think I ever ate 4 strain ing wood span, truss, or teste in plastic that wall actually strain under a heavy locomotive unless the strain i bolt in! CHARLES W. KRAUT N seole rebuild Althouh in HO, N seale has interested sme since its Rest appearance some years yo, and the bug bit harder when T saw Some of the nev and finer equipment now ‘vallable. 1 finally broke dewn and pur- chased a Repido German 0.6407. After Studying it T concluded that something better could be male to American proto= type. The position of the motor dictated 2 wide Brebos, which sent me searching for possible camelback prototypes. Tsot~ tledion a Jersey Central 0-6-0, ‘After fale start with eiyrene, I built the. new locomotive, superstructure of brass, but Used styrene for the tender, ‘which as a wood floor and Alls trucks The photo shows the result of 3 deye work, including « weekend, DEANE MELLANDER S00 Line caboose May I make a slight addition to the in formation about your October issue pro~ totype dravinge? I believe your Soo Line steel caboose. would be more correctly ‘entified as an International Car Corp. fxtended-vision caboose, Similar curs are fowned ty’ Burlington, Great Northern; Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Frisco; Seaboard Cosst Line; and Gulf, Mobile & Obie, DAVE GHORNELL Scale Models rein HO euioman fr te demands hott Bote eseaseees 30 feed MARKLIN cxvionent REEVES INTERNATIONAL, INC Model ReilrooderTT scale mognetic uncoupling Recently I purchased Kadee's new MED-14 HOn8 magnetic couplers on the hance they might work on my TT equlp= ment. I installed them on both freight fad passenger cars and find that passen- ‘ger cate will track through «small S furve of 18" radius on our club layout ‘There is no sign of binding. ‘There is one small problem. The un- coupling ramp is quite thick to set on tice Sith code 70 rally but thie can be over- come by setting the ramp into the tes oF by cutting away the Ges completely where the ramp is to be locsted—so it isn't such of problem after all JOHN F. HAUFE ccar was a Brill couch, VET 3 and 4 were Kimball coaches; nes. 11 and 12 were Brill Tam surpried that e magazine with your reputation would make a mistake of ‘his king. ‘Steamears to the Comstock, by Beebe ‘and Clegg, shows these as Kimball coach= fos this is Incorrect. ‘The Virginia & ‘Truckee, by the same authors, hows these coaches a Brill coaches on pase 16, and fon page SL shows a Kimball cosch being Ialled by no. 12, the Genoa, Thave done quite « bit of research on the VAT and have models of all tre loco motives and rolling stock. I hate to see fm error Uke this in print FRANK J. SCHOENING Compact track plans 1 was interested in the compact track plans that have been appearing recently {hn MR for the use of apartment dwellers Though my home has a basement and ample room for a pike, I am always on the lookout for improvements and "edd fons" to my present ralrood, "T would Uke to point out that a small plan ean be enlarged for greater realism nd scenic eflet. Bly own track plan was designed for a 4x 8-feot sheet of plyvood bbut measures 416 feet, T doubled the Tenath for longer runs snd a more gradual grade. To go back to B.S. Secley's “De- Signing portable layouts” June 1966 MR, both of his plans could be lengthened Sed used as'n basement pike, ar they ‘ould be doubled in width for more sruce tres and scenery GySet. TERRY GUMMERE Tit for tor Perhaps MR readers will be interested in an amusing tale about a recent Chest- nut Ridge @ Laurel RE [page 47, June 1967 BIR] business deal (2) which cused the road untold Goancisl problems. "When portions of the old road were scrapped, funds were set aside for pro- urement of an edditionsl locomotive and ‘some rolling stock. However, o the gon- ‘ral manager's dismay, his wife abscond= fed with the money and squandered it at January 1968 NOW IN SECOND PRINTING Don't miss out on “The American Steam Locomotive Volume 1 — Evolution”, the deGiniive and interpretive book on Americ’s great locomotives. More than 270 pages, 84 x 11 format, hard bound, with every picture BIG — more chan 100,000 words of informative text. REMEMBER — this is the Sst of 2 acti that will cover the Americin Steam Locomotive in the mos comprehensive fashion ever undertaken, ‘Aviale a your last besiallar or hobby shop, or diac) « «$1480 (MID-WEST RAIL PUBLICATIONS, INC. 629 Parry =. 0, bon SIA © Bavenpert, lowe £2808 LOOKING FOR A WINTER WONDERLAND? YOU'LL FIND IT HERE! Don't miss those precious winter hours of model railroading for lack ‘of the special kits and supplies you want. Lev us furnish your e need fora wonderful winter of railroading enjoyment. ‘MAIL ORDERS SHIPPED SAME HOUR RECEIVED GILBERT'S ‘Shor’ GETTYSBURG, PA, Phone: 3345715 17325 Sey 0, O27, or O-72. Soe your deolr or snd Sc tmp for, compl "CorGyees ocoge Foc / ‘ aso “s" ‘CARORAVES "FAERIE “5 Fi ‘CAUCE TRACK. NOW AVAILABLE ea Rta eae ea 31SUPERSONIC MAIL SERVICE LE AM 1 Wy ” AUTHENTIC #O REPRODUCTIONS IN BRASS SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY +. 0. sox «7s 32 the local auto dealer's, Seems that CRAS. trains had become #9 undependable that she decided she needed a new car to get round town, “There's a happy ending, though. ‘The fieneral ‘manager's ‘wife felt so. badly About depriving the road of its desperate ly needed motive power that she bought the CREL anew diree-truck Shay. "Now CR&L- trains are slower than ever, what with that 10 seale miles per hour top speed! STEPHEN B, HORSLEY Curse you, Jack Dalton! ‘Curses on you and Joe Kunzelmann for publishing an article giving away all of these secrets in expert model structure building (Structures from the ground ‘up July 1967 MR], How in the world are fuys lke me golng to maintain a slight {ead —if any “in ane Uny section of our hobby? ‘Serioudly, both MR and Joe are to be congratulated on an excellent article. 1 ope others take advantage of the wealth of information Joo put together. EUGENE F. HICKEY What's it for? Recently 1 saw a car in a westbound ‘Soo Line train near my home that I have never seen before. It was a wooden car with steel outside bracing, and. at the ‘center of the ear where one would expect tw see & doar war an X of tecl bracing. In the center of this bracing was a Nor- folle & Western emblem. T-noticed that there were swinging doors on one end nly. ‘The car was painted silver (oF ©. C. DEVEREAUX “The Americon scene offers ‘so much more scope” Lam a recent convert to American model railroading because the American Scene offers 20 miuch more scope for in- ‘ividvalism than the English seene. The new BR color scheme is a blue and fray —very attractive, but itis the only fone, In the States you can choose any fame and color scheme from many 1 roads, according to your preference, stead’ of being restricted to one proto- type ‘My railroad isto be ealled the Chicago, Northalifle & Western. I rvalized only after T had thought up the name how Imlich lke the Chicago & North Western i eounded, It will have an emerald-green ‘color scheme highlighted by mauve and leet wih daniciomed Cuda on the ‘eae! “not too brash, I tut? ‘3. GREY OTe daa) yee Model Railroader