After getting the most recent issue of Great Model Railroads, which featured Doug Tagsold’s great Terminal of Toledo layout, I sent Doug a note of congratulations. When he replied, I was surprised to learn that his Terminal of Toledo layout has been dismantled, and that he is building a new layout. I asked him a few more questions about taking down the layout, and his new one, and have shared his replies on my blog at http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.ca/2014/12/doug-tagsolds-terminal-of-toledo-gone.html
This makes me sad. I visited his home when he had the Denver Rio Grande layout about 6 years ago, before the upgrade in the MR article. I was looking forward to seeing his Toledo layout next year during an open house. It would have been neat to see considering I grew up in SE MI and visited Toledo many times and had family living there. Now I wonder how long the Colorado layout will last…must be nice to have time and $$$$$$$$$$ to do stuff like that.
There seems to be a trend among many modelers of the Baby Boomer generation, who are bailing out of HO and taking up On30. I can think of at least two possible reasons: (1) failing eyesight and (2) a desire to try something different from what they have been doing the past 30-40 years.
Painful as it is to the rest of us, the only thing we can do is smile and wish them well.
I saw Dougs Toledo Terminal layout last year. Being a Toledo boy, all I can say is WOW!!!. He did an amazing job with the jeep plant, libbey glass, and the docks. I took several pics of it, I think I have them on my facebook page. He said something last year about going back to the western states (model wise). I had heard that it was sold and someone up east bought it, and flew doug up there to assemble it and make sure everything was in working order.
If I had the space, I’d go to O or On30 right now to capture the detail and operating characteristics I want.
I suspect it won’t be long before we hear that Tony Koester has switched to O or even G and started modeling a mixed train Wabash branchline or perhaps a line based on Peterborough NH.
The blog link says that the new railroad will be 1/72 scale and will use HO equipment. Exactly what is 1/72 scale, other than something used by military modelers?
1:72 is not a usual model railroad scale, but it does have some advantages:
Lots of product - just not trains.
It’s a direct reduction, not “How many inches is sixteen millimeters?”
Half a century ago a MR staffer noted that 1:72 is, “Printer’s scale,” directly convertible from feet and inches to picas and points.
16.5mm gauge would scale up to 46.7 (approximately) inches - not a normal railroad gauge. It’s a close approximation of the gauge used by some Japanese street railways and some early Scottish rural routes.
Were I taking the same route, I would go directly to 1:48 and model my two favorite prototypes, both of which were 762mm gauge - close enough to 2’ 6" as makes no difference.
I guess 1:72 is 1/6" = 1’0". In that scale, 3 feet would be exactly 1/2 inch.
If he uses HO track, that means his gauge is a bit broad, scaling out to almost four feet. I believe a lot of vehicles may be available in 1/72, but many structures and detail parts would have to be scratchbuilt.
I don’t get it. But then again, I’ve never really “gotten it” about these compromise gauges. The “n2-1/2” and the “n3-1/2” gauges use axle lengths that are out of scale, which means equipment often doesn’t look quite right to the discerning eye. If commercial track is used, the size/space relationships between rail and ties looks wrong (because it is). For that matter, traditional U.S. O gauge is too broad. I’ve considered switching to O because of deteriorating eyesight, but I suspect I would go for P48 because it looks much better, and I know of no reason it shouldn’t operate as well. Many modelers find these compromises to be acceptable, but I have a hard time with them. That’s all personal opinion.
Mr. Tagsold is welcome to pursue his hobby in any way he sees fit.
On a somewhat related note, I have wondered whether we will get an update on Gary Hoover’s efforts. Last I heard, he had gotten rid of his AT&SF layout and was building something with an N&W theme, with no change in scale or gauge. Of course, that information might also be out of date.