Hello,
I’m new to the Forum, but a long time modeler. I have enjoyed the hobby for some 20+ years, but have recently (5 yrs) taken it to a more professional, or, prototypical level. I have had a few challenges learning many of the terms & given items on many railroads. An example would be; the barrels located on older trestle bridges, for years I did not understand why they were there, or what they were for. Then, I recently received a model that explained that they were water barrels placed there in-case of a fire outbreak. Yes, common sense, I suppose. However, before then, I had no clue to their purpose. The most enjoyable thing I get from your magazine is in the review section where you detail the Prototype function & charactaristics. It greatly ‘tunes me in’ to the purpose & design of the unit. I really look forward to it every month. I just picked up the ‘Scenery’ special edition, & it is very well worded & detailed for people like me that are wanting to be more engaged in the hobby & the prototype aspect, both in terminology & application. Please continue to bring novices like myself up to speed to get on the right track, so to speak. I’m not a total ‘spinout’ as I have photo documented a few locomotives for modeling, however, much of what I see, I may or may not comprehend, but model as it is. I want to thank you for providing an understandable & informative magazine, & I do hope you will continue the excellent editorials.
Thank you,
Chad