for years i’ve read ‘trains of thought’ first when i get any new issue of MR , but lately tony seems to be on a ‘do what the prototype did’ kick to the exclusion of anything else , and i don’t feel i need to have that hammered at me repeatedly . i have nothing against his writing techniques or abilities , or his modeling . he may not raise the bar himself but he has often shown us where the bar is so we can reach for it if we feel like it . i just think he needs a change of topic once in a while
If you really read Tony’s ramblings you will note that he’s of the opinion that if you aren’t doing it his way you aren’t a very good modelrailroader.Well I’m sorry guys but this is my hobby too and I’m gonna play it my way.
I enjoy Tony’s modeling efforts and truly believe he is one of the better modelers.Unfortunately he comes across to me as believing the same thing.
For someone who used to be a freelancer he certainly has done a 180 looking down his nose now at those of us who enjoy our hobby that way.
Hmmm… a very good modeler - certainly! Great? Not really… I still can’t stomach the puff ball tree concept (quick and efficient, but I’ve flown over too many forests to accept that look as realistic). Does he build a layout better than I ever will? You better betcha!
Yes he’s championed, and thus from his pulpit - encouraged - the contemporary thinking on operations, and the hobby needs that.
But for his column… apparently he gets paid by the word. I always "save it for last” and hope the next MR arrives before I have to read it.
I had little exposure to Koester prior to his “Trains of Thought” column in MR - I never read RMC much at all.
Usually I enjoy his column. Sometimes I agree with him, but often I don’t. It doesn’t matter - he’s a good writer and presents his opinions in thought-provoking ways. Occasionally he gets a little “out there,” but then he’d probably be one of the first to admit it, too.
“Hail Tony Koester?” Nope, no more than I’d hail myself. But respect TK? You bet.
I like Emeraild nuts!
I’ve gotten a lot of ideas from Tony Koester over the years. I’ve also passed over a lot of the ideas he espouses. I’ve agreed with some of his opinions, and disagreed with others.
All T. K. does is make YOU think about what YOU are trying to accomplish with your model railroading activity.
Don’t you hate it when somebody does that?
Chuck
Tony has strong opinions and writes about them. For instance, he used to say that multideck layouts weren’t for him – he just could not abide the visual clutter.
Then he saw Bill Darnaby’s multideck layout and was convinced this was the way for him to do the railroad he’d always dreamed of – the NKP.
So while Tony can be opinionated, he can also change his opinions if given a convincing example to the contrary.
I, for one, appreciate a guy who knows what he likes and doesn’t like in the hobby and has good reasons as to why he likes what he does. Reading his opinions helps me clarify my own likes and dislikes, even if I end up disagreeing. Knowing Tony somewhat from my discussions with him at conventions and over the phone, I am certain he would be flabergasted if people think he expects them to always agree with him. [swg]
I enjoyed his operations book very much, and some of his columns. As far as opinionated, he isn’t nearly as cranky as the British author, Bob Essery. His operations book is so over the top its quite entertaining… if you don’t have working signals and the right shape rail, you’re wasting your time [:-^] I enjoyed his book too. Even though we’re not doing operations at all like either of them suggest, we learned a lot and thought over various options.
However, I did have to scream reading Tony’s column this month. Its yet another remix of the ‘I tore down my old layout and I’m going to build a new one’ column. I wish MR would rotate a couple of columnists so we’d get some more creative thought in the pages.
Cheers,
Maureen
YES I DO!!!
And TK does it to me ALL the time!
For years, I happily muddled along with a roundy-round layout, enjoying seeing the trains run, gleefully mixing Big Boys and Centennials with nary a thought to authenticity.
Then I started paying attention to what TK (and others) were saying: have a REASON for your railroad. Much of his writing caused me to focus more on what I would like to have in a railroad. Consequently, I narrowed my modeling efforts to transition-era and even developed a plan to explain the co-mingling of ATSF and UP outside of El Cajon.
Now I’m working on a trackplan that includes hidden staging on lower levels. I haven’t given up my desire for continuous operation, although what I’m designing hides that fact as much as possible.
TK has helped me grow as a modeler. Yes, I understand how a reader could get the impression that he is talking “down” to us for not following prototype practice religiously. He is almost fanatical about his railroad “operations”. It is how he chooses to model his railroad. That doesn’t mean that his ideas have no merit. As Chuck says above, TK makes you THINK about what you want to accomplish. Even if you don’t want full prototype operations, his thoughts and ideas can help you determine what is and what is NOT for YOU! Sort of a good example/bad example comparison.
I’ve never met the man personally. I only know him through his writings. Often I don’t agree with his opinion on a subject, but his thoughts
That is the one drawback with a thought-streaming, or opinionated, commentary such as Tony’s; it isn’t in a conversation, and therefore not real-time. The reader has no opportunity to interject, to seek clarification, to rebut, or even to reinforce his points with personal anecdotes unless he/she writes in to him (and how many of us would get, or see published, a response?)
I see value in what he does, as I am sure many subscribers do…else he’d be long gone. But, as others have said, he says what he knows and understands, and we are meant to accept or to reject. His is not the definitive word, but since the vast majority of readers don’t have his background, he passes as a “leader” in the hobby. Some follow, some don’t.
-Crandell
Although Tony Koester’s approach to model railroading aren’t necessarily for me, I admire his skills and he comes up with a lot of good ideas that are useful on my indoor Large Scale logging line and my secondary layout in HO, both of which are protolanced and freelanced. Myself, being a protolance and freelance modeler, am much more of a fan for the approaches of Malcolm Furlow, George Selios, Linn Westcott and John Allen. Although I love to superdetail rolling stock, locos, structures, and scenes, I’m not a rivet counter and don’t follow any particular prototype. As long as it looks plausable to me, it’s good enough.
Sam Posey’s book talks about two “camps” in model railroading. Part of the problem with folks is putting people squarely in one camp or the other.
One is the railroad as 3D art class. John Allen, Malcom furlow & others seem to fit the camp. SCenery may be done well to fit a theme, much like anything you see on TV. It’s all fiction.
The other camp appears to be the rivit counter prototype camp. So AK will research any tidbit of NKP to make it seem as close to real as possible. For scenery, go to the site mentioned, take lots of photos or find photos or drawings from way back when. Nothing is “made up”
Either approach appears to take the fun out of modeling if you have to do it all one way or the other. Quit bashing MTL for producing Smokey Bear trains. Let’s save the bashing for poor mfr’s with poor motors, worse paint, couplers that don’t work, etc.
I’m not sure if we “need” someone to hate. We do need people that can improve skills & make a layout run & look better. Part of running means it would be fun to operate, from switching to running long trains for long distances, without uncoupling or derailing. Making things look better at least makes the model look like it could have been possible if only.
I’m having a hard time figuring out here what all the hoopla over TK is about… I re-read the columns that I think started these threads and I’m not getting an imression of arrogance, talking down to, or even being opinionated from him. I didn’t get that if we aren’t doing it TK’s way, we’re doing it wrong. What I got from the April column is that standards have changed and what people saw as good enough then (one person in particular) won’t measure up to good enough Now. The May column, is it worth trying to save a chunk of an old layout. His answer, in a word, no. Unless, that is, it was originally designed for a possible change in the future.
I’ve seen other modelers mentioned here in this thread that I think are Far more uppity than TK comes across to me. Modelers (or at least one), in fact, that I liked until I heard them speak (on video), about Other people’s skills or lack thereof.
I don’t think there are too many model rails out there whose interests don’t change over time. That change can come from any number of places. For me, it was the recent discovery of a couple of my grandfather’s old time keeping books from his days as fireman. He suffered a massive stroke shortly after retirement in the early 1970s so I never really got to ask him about his train days before he went to work for the union. He lived for 20 years after the stroke (and had several more) but his mind just wasn’t there anymore. The time books however, gave me a glimps into the life of an actual railroad man showing where he reported to work, what train he was working that day, the engine number, and even the name of the engineer. That discovery sent me on a search for info and photos of places I knew he had been while working on the railroad. The search, done mostly on the internet (it Can be a wonderful thing at times) has shown me a lot of things that I never knew existed, made for some interesting history reading, and has all around been a fun search (sometimes frustrating too but that’s another sto
I enjoy T.K.'s articles and modelling-Bob Essery-cranky?
Contact me direct and I’ll tell you about Bob,Maureen
Best wishes
Steve
I have always enjoyed Tony’s Trains of Thought column, although I have noticed lately that he seems to repeat himself on several subjects (layout height is one horse that he has beat to death three or four times over by now). I think his columns could go to a bi-monthly format without feeling any great loss - and this would leave more room for feature articles or other columns in the alternating issues.
However, I can point to two significant contributions Tony has hade to my hobby enjoyment over the years. First, Tony edited several issues of RMC that were landmarks for me in the early 80’s - especially a 1981 issue featuring two Doug Leffler articles on a southern Michigan railroad that got me permanently turned on to shortlines in general. Then, in 1989 I think, he worte an article in MR with very detailed instructions on hand-laying turnouts. A copy of this article is sitting on my benchwork right now as a guide for the several turnouts that still need to be spiked down. Not only did Tony preach the advantages of handlaid track, he made sure we all can learn how to do it ourselves.
I think that Kalmbach made a really good move when they brought him aboard for MR Planning. As long as he keeps those magazines coming each year, I say more power to him.
Tom
It’s also in “Trackwork and Lineside Detail for Your Model Railroad”
Enjoy
Paul
TK is one of our best writers and had one of the great model railroads. During the time that the AM was operational, I often learned from his Trains of Thought column and, as others have said, it was usually thought-provoking. I didn’t agree with all of his approaches. but that’s fine; I’m not interested in reading something that I entirely agree with; that means I haven’t really gotten anything new out of it. Unfortunately, I have to say that his columns since tearing down the AM have been so devoid of interest to me that I rarely even read them anymore. Maybe he’s just stretching himself too thin as he seeks to more actively supplement his retirement income, but I think it more likely that the problem is more fundamental. TK is a great OPERATOR. For him, the model railroad itself is just a means to that end. Not putting it down - for him to achieve his operating goals, the railroad needs to have a reasonable standard of appearance, and especially the locomotives, with constant lighting and sound, etc. - but its not his true focus. He isn’t teaching me anything about BUILDING a railroad, and before I stopped reading his column, I often felt that he was having trouble coming up with something to write about. I hope that he gets back on form when his new pike is operational.
Most important, he’s a Boilermaker! I say he’s great…
Not to mention that I am envious of his work. While I would never attempt to achieve his level of realistic operation, his writings have certainly sparked my interest in this aspect of the hobby. Hmmm, a model railroad with a purpose…
Hail, hail to old Purdue.
I just read T.K.'s latest article in M.R.
What’s wrong with it-I found it very informative no holier than thou attiude-just good historical information.
I can’t wait to see pics of his new layout.
Best wishes
Steve
First of all I do not read Trains of Thought. If I want someone’s opinion I’ll ask for it. I have nothing wrong with this Tony guy but “All Hail”? Not a chance. Admire the work not the man. Yes maybe he’s a good modeler but I know nothing of this guy. I’m modeling my new layout after Pelle Soeberg’s (except the UP theme). Good modeler? You bet but “All Hail” him? No way. “All Hail” their modelling? That something to debate not the character of the man. Dennis Rader was an upstanding member and a respectable man too. I’m not putting the people in the same catagory but this idol worship is over the top for me.
Jeremy