As a 1915 modeler of the Nevada desert railroads I was very pleased to see the Goldfield and Hangtown RR in this months MR. I thought it was well done and some of the scenery, especially the mountains capture Nevada very well. It is more freelanced than my layout but covers the same themes.
An increased interest in modeling this era would be welcome to me and a few more kits and engines be offered wouldn’t be upsetting. I’ve seen that there will be a kit soon for the Rhyolite Bottle house in HO so there is always hope! Now if I could get a company to make a kit for the Las Vegas and Tonopah Rhyolite Depot… - Nevin
I think there is plenty of interest to model that era, but it is somewhat dormant, as none of the main stream manufacturers/importers is offereing quality equipment. Bachmann´s Spectrum line 4-6-0 an 4-4-0 are a bit too modernish to fill the gap.
The Bachmann 4-6-0 is actually almost perfect for the railroads that I model. The only problem is the lack of electronic compatibility between that engine and their Vanderbilt tender.
I agree that there is more interest in this era than generally recognized. However my guess is that a lot get siphoned off to HO narrow gauge and On30/On3. If you include those gauges and scales, I bet there there there is more interest in Pre-WWII than people think. - Nevin
right you are, but again, it is the lack of equipment that drives the interest away from HO standard gauge modeling of this era. For that reason I went to HOn3, but with Blackstone being the only source, supplies are pretty thin as well.
Gentlemen: I am the President of the Goldfield & Hangtown RR. The old-time wood-burning locos are from MEW, (Model Engineering Works), and originally models of Colorado Midland locos, with replaced stacks and headlights. I am always glad to hear of others who appreciate the scenery of Nevada, (whicih really isn’t “desert”, but “arid plains”, along with mountains). More pictures of the G&H RR can be seen at www.freewebs.com/awwallace.