This could have been a poll, I guess. However, I would like you to be more explicit in your comments than a simple YES, or NO.
I model the Northern Pacific, in the early 1950s. I am a member of the Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Asso. and the Yahoo groups; NPModelers and NPTelltale. I have a few Northern Pacific books. When I am looking for books on my line I tend to buy them from the NPRHA, as this helps fund the various projects the NPRHS is involved in and generally the price the NPRHA has them listed for, is pretty good. I visit other websites such as the Great Northern and purchase other historical site’s magazines occasionally such as the DMIR.
I find that my interest in the history of the Northern Pacific enhances my interest in model railroading, immensely! This interest in the NP causes me to be interested in other railroads, also. I seem to be regional, as my interest is in my local roads. I model western Montana (when I started, I could not imagine a layout without mountains) if I had to start over again, I think I would chose railroading in the Duluth, Minnesota/Superior Wisconsin area, as this would place me in Iron Ore Country with many other roads to model, including the N.P. Besides next to Box Cars, Ore Cars are my 2nd favorite.
Are you a member of a historical society? Is history an important part of your interest in Model Railroading? If not, you might want to think about joining one as the benefits are many and they truly increased my enjoyment!
I am very interested in the lie/s that intend to model. In order to have the steam locos that they ran, I need to know WHAT they ran, therefore I need to know something of their history. I am in the middle of that now ,Mark. I am trying to find out all I can about the old Boston & Albany (later part of the NYC), and also, the B&M and MEC mountain division RR.
Absolutely. I have been collecting various books as well as actual company paper for soem time now. Before I had room for a layout, it was the ONLY way I was able to keep active.
I haven’t yet join a historical society, but there are at least three that cover my area of interest, and I can’t jin all three. Well, I can, but I have this thing about just being a member of an organization as opposed to actually participating, so what it comes down to s there is no way I could actually PARTICIPATE in three different historical societies, not if I want to keep working on my model railroad as well.
I’m in the process in makeing a history of my locomotives ie when it was made, or what railroad they came from, when they retire them, what happen to them, or what railroad they went to. I have bought all the books I can fine on the railroad I model
You bet, I am a member of the Burlington Route Historical Society. I find a great deal of pleasure in reading about the social history associated with American railroads and the industries served by them. My Wife’s Grandfather was killed down a coal mine in the 30’s. My wife and I have put quite a bit of effort into researching the mine and finding old photos and postcards to help me model the mine on the layout.
[#ditto]…I am in the same situation as rrinker. Right now I do not have a pike, but the history of my chosen RR (Pennsy) is rich and LONG!! It more than keeps my interest and motivation. I wi***o model the Ohio area around Cincinati so I can incorporate The NYC, The C&O, The L&N, and The NKP [tup] That way I can get a more realistic bang for my buck! (Not to mention that I will have a LARGE pool of possible modeling opportunities) Just my [2c]
I spent alot of time and bought books, blueprints and videos when I eas researching the DMIR. I had not ever been to Duluth when I decided I want to model the Missabe, I just liked ore cars. Through my research I found that all of my favorite railroads ran there in the early 90’s so I can keep running my off-breed equip.
I have the MRHS application form printed on my desk but my wife didn’t find it for Christmas and send so I get at least 1 more present.[;)]
I really enjoy researching and it makes railfanning trips so much more fun finding abandoned bldgs & lines while waiting for the next train. My only problem now is that I want to be too exact when modelling, I’ve already got 5 Ore dock kits mashed together now I need to work Proctor Hill ( Spirit Mountain) Proctor Yards some long mainline and Evtac into my too small basement, I can at least see long strings of orecars in my booksand videos.
One last place research pays off is remebering our favorite fallen flags so we can keep a bit off history alive.[:)]
Though I Freelance I am basing my railway on companies that operated in the area, namely Canadian National, Intercolonial Railway and the Sydney & Louisburg. These railways make for excellent reading and form an excellent base for modelling with diversity. Namely Coal, Timber, Farm produce, fish, passenger, ore, gypsum and salt to name a few. There’s also gold in them hills!
Gary Ness and Bill Linley have written books on local and regional systems of the Atlantic Provinces.
I enjoy reading the history of individual lines. Some of these have come to be my favorite modeling subjects. The Ma & Pa and the PRR for standard gauge, the WWF for 2 foot narrow gauge. Lately I have been reading a history of the B&O which is starting to appeal to me as a modeling subject.
I guess in my case modeling interest follows the history.
Enjoy
Paul
I model the Milwaukee Road and have a little bit of Northwestern as well. I belong to both Historical Groups and follow the Yahoo Groups. I seem to have all of the Milwaukee books that are available and have a lot of timetables as well. I find that all of this material makes it much easier to build correct models, and has helped me in the design and detail of my model railroad.
Now, I am not a ‘foamer’ still whinning about the demise the the good old Milwaukee or it’s electrification, but I do enjoy reading articles and I really enjoy the track diagrams and arial views in the magazine.
I’m interested not only in the history of the local short line that I model, but also three other lines that operated in my region. I have belonged off and on to two of their historical societies. They are both OK, but most historical societies are the sort of thing that you really get back only what you can put in, and I felt that my professional life did not leave me sufficient spare time to make my memberships cost-effective.
I model several different roads and I am interested in some aspects of their histories. I’m not a raving fanatic but find books, videos and other sources of historical information very useful. I would read railroad history even if there was no such thing as model railroading.
Most definitely! I’m modeling the NKP’s line between Bloomington and Peoria, Illinois, circa 1945-1950, and am trying to replicate the line as closely as possible (given the constraints of model railroading).
In terms of research material, I have somewhere close to 20 linear FEET of material. I’ve got most of the books published about the NKP, along with 10 years or so of the NKPHTS magazine. I’ve got three 4" binders full of NKP photos, and well over eight MEG of NKP photos and data on my harddrive. I’ve got copies of Sanborn maps, aerial photos, and track charts for the line. I’ve got almost 2000 train orders for the line, as well as lots of official NKP paperwork, manuals and employee timetables. I’ve walked or driven down the entire line I’m modeling, taking dozens of rolls of photos of things to help me in my modeling. I’m also an active member of the NKPHTS, and am looking for a few more details before I start writing articles for the society. And in researching the line, I’ve also collected a lot of information on the different railroads that connected with the NKP line, especially the P&PU, TP&W, P&E, Alton/GM&O, IC, and C&IM.
Researcing the line greatly affected the way I designed my layout. To accurately capture the feel for a midwestern mainline, I felt I needed as much mainline as I could get between Peoria and Bloomington. Since both cities are large in their own right, they basically each needed a level all to themselves (I’ve only got a 13x32 room to play with, and share it witht he utilities). To get a sense of flatland railroading meant a third level of nothing but mainline and two small whistlestop towns. Engineering a three level wraparound layout was quite a challenge, but worth it to represent the line.
Researching the line has also changed my buying habits for engines and freight cars. When I was mostly freelancing, I bought basically anything I wanted. Now, I only buy a freight car if it can at least stand in for a real car that would likely have b
Indeed! Researching the Sacramento Northern has led me to join BAERA, whose museum sits on SN’s old mainline, doing plenty of research at various regional railroad and historical archives and libraries, buying books and company artifacts, and taking extensive photos of what remains of the line. Since Sacramento was so riddled with track I have also spent time researching CCT, WP, SP and the local PG&E trolley line. Online I have found significant resources, including SN and WP Yahoo-groups and assorted photo archives.
My research has even steered me back in the direction of history as a profession–I may make some of the research I have been doing into the basis of a master’s thesis!
I guess one without the other is just not possible. It all starts with the wi***o model a certain prototype and where does that come from ? I don’t think I have met somebody that favored the Santa Fe just for their paint job - even here in Germany. Sometimes research and interest in the prototype overweigh the interest for the scale stuff - and if only for a time, but time well spent !
Martin
I’m pretty much as DeSchane,Only with the NYC.I am also a member of the Danbury rail museum,I model a freelance version of a combination of NYC Harlem and Putnam divisions.
I’m delighted that you brought this topic up. I couldn’t agree with you more. History DOES enhance my enjoyment of MRRing! That’s the one aspect about it that caught me totally by surprise.
In the last fifteen years or so, I’ve become more intrigued with and come to really enjoy and appreciate history the older I get. (Maybe because there’s more of it these days. [:)]) Blame it on the Ken Burn’s PBS series Civil War. Stick me in front of a documentary on history, and I’m one happy camper!
Still really being very much a newbie to MRR, I’ve been learning some history about the NYC but more in relationship to railroading as a whole. I’m modeling the 30’s and early 40’s. So it’s been fun to learn (learn?..I’m STILL learning!) about the various aspects (i.e. signaling, structures, switching, rolling stock, servicing terminals, etc.) used on the railroads during that era, so that I can reflect that on my layout in order to make it more historically accurate. Next to actually running trains, learning about railroading and the whys and hows of it ranks a very close 2nd in enjoyment in my book.
Good post, Mark! I’ll strongly consider your admonition about joining the NYCHS - which, by the way, is actually based right here in Cleveland.
Yes I model Union Pacific I have books and videos and other paraphenilia that I use to model the UP. I also recently joined the UPHS so I can receive their publication and what not about UP. I am also a member of a handful of yahoo groups that are UP related.
Of course. I am in the Yahoo Southern Pacific group. The history of SP is what made me backdate from the 1990’s. A fantastic source of Espee information is Charles Smiley’s DVD “SP Vintage West” and Pentrex’s video “Railfanning Southern California in the 1950s”. The latter is a great DVD for anyone who wants to see color fotage of vintage freight cars.
I am a member of the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association, and have been for the last 14 years (almost half my life). As such, I have been a volunteer for the NHRHTA for almost as long as a crew member on our show staff that goes to local train shows and “waves the NH flag”, selling NH magazines, videos, books, models, trinkets and the like.
I have been a model railroad since before I was born (or so it seems). My father has been model railroading since the early 1950’s with Lionel, and switched to HO when he went into the Air Force in 1958. I’ve been told I’ve been to Steamtown in a stroller, Wolfeboro as a youngun’, and several other railfan places (but I don’t remember them). My father’s always had an HO layout, so it’s natural that I too have become a model railroader.
I’ve been a NH fan since I found out that the tracks near my house used to be owned by a railroad that was so much better and classier than the Amtrak, Conrail and MBTA trains that I knew. When I went to a train show and saw the NHRHTA, I was hooked.
Ever since, I model the New Haven, therefore, the history of the New Haven, and by extension my region, is of critical importance to me.