I say who needs publications

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

With all knowledge that can be harvested right here in just this forum, why would anyone spend 50 buck or more on books giving pretty much the same answers to our questions. Granted we might not be able to provide some of the pics that published books might, but you all still provide some great ones, and great links to web sites. I see this whole forum as one giant encyclopedia of knowledge. All that i would need. And everyone that participates in these discussions are the ones that make all of this possible. So I wanna stand up and give everyone a hand for taking time out of their busy modeling time to help others that need it. Especially now that the “season” is in fuul bloom. [bow]

Mike

2

I still buy some. Most of the books i buy some articles that give me ideas. These ideas i update on what i read online and in other books. So for me some books still have a purpose. Some of the other books have no no right to be published because it has no good articles or plans.

3

I have a 2 year subscription to Model Railroader, and I always look forward to it coming in the mail. Just a personal preference.

4

Well you are right and you are wrong. I got a lot of good intel on Logging operations here online, but I also bought about 20 specialized books on the subject.

The good info you get here, the people before you got from books. Not necessarily MR books though.

5

I would add that a publication is why this forum is here in the first place and I thank them for it.

6

OK I do get the idea… And I’d have to say you made me blush a little. I should have known that not everyone is born with this knowledge you all have, and not everyone worked on a real RR to know what they know. Of course most of all your knowledge comes from what you learned from other mediums. [:I] So consider me corrected. lol But I absolutly agree that its all you guys that make this forum. And Im still grateful. Besides, what are we all doing on the computer on a Saturday afternoon… Shouldn’t we be playing engineer. :slight_smile:

Mike

7

What’s cool is that I may have read 20 books on logging, but nothing on making a waterfall out of acrylic medium. I know nothing of kitbashing a 2-6-2 side tank steamer from a Mantua 2-6-2 Prairie.

You are still right.

8

Once upon a time, Sept 2004, I proved the host of a certian site was lying, and the so-called member mods were in fact, reading personal messages between other members. I was not only banned, but since then about 20 people have been banned for being me(actually, for fun I did log on under the name “piltdown” a famous hoax). My point here is, MR hosts this site. MR publishes books. We all understand that they don’t want advetising on here, but they also may not like having the opposite on here. Forums, books, videos, and magazines are still no substitute for hands on experience. Last time I heard, you still can’t be on this forum while riding the IRT with your moose. Bring along a good book instead.

9

I think the forums are a nice supplement to books, and perhaps can replace some of them. But some are must haves, “Track Planning for Realistic Operation” and “How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork” come to mind right off. Track plan compilations, and Andy Sperandeo’s “Freight Yards” book also. And despite it’s problems, there is still a lot of inspiration to be had in MRR itself. So, I am no where near ready to “screw publications”!

10

Oh, yeah?

That said, though, I subscribe to MR and I too look forward to getting every issue. There’s something more relaxing about sitting down with a train magazine while your body is hurtling through the air 7 miles up in an aluminum tube.

MR will also be happy to know that I look at most of the ads in their magazine. They are all targeted at me, and even if I can’t run those Rapido passenger cars on my 18-inch curves, I can still appreciate the models and the effort that went into them. Ads on my computer screen might as well be empty space.

And to the OP? Well, if you’re interested in “screw publications…”

11

Why still get magazines and books? Haven’t got the space in the reading room for my desktop PC. The TP roller gets in the way :slight_smile:

12

As a long-time Model Railroader reader and a rather active member of this forum, I have to take a certain degree of exception to your title, and the thought behind it.

IF you are happy with a bare-bones, Reader’s Digest, approach to a given problem - from as many different angles and viewpoints as there are posters to a given thread - you may have no perceived need for published information (with or without pretty pictures and diagrams.) IMHO, that’s like saying, “I don’t need a foundation under this structure. I’ll just prop the roof up on some PVC pipe and hope for the best.”

But, with so many opinions, frequently contradictory, how do you evaluate them? Which is more valid for your needs? Who is speaking from experience, who is parroting a publication and who is winging it from a bleacher seat in left field? Unless you have reference works on a given topic (or a LOT of real-world experience) you have no way to know.

Also, various posters (including myself) frequently reference items in various publications. How will that help you if you don’t have, or don’t have access to, the quoted document?

That said, I’m going to give you a look from a different perspective. You say you don’t want to spend the money unnecessarily. Yet, you are dealing with an expensive hobby. Unless you intend to run a yard-sale train set on a folding banquet table, all the publications you really need will be the least expensive of your assets - and the ones that provide the best return on investment.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with walls of reference books in two languages)

13

Just to get things clear… The title was to get a response. Although I know those are easy to come by… I’m sorry if I mislead you. I will make clear that I have been a MRR subscriber for the past 3-4 years… I also have a collection of about 10 books/guides… Mostly Khalembach published… (spelling sorry)

Look, to cut to the chase here… You all are looking into my post a liitle too much… I was praising everyone for all their help and know-how… And how you have all pretty much saved me money from buying unnecessary books. Obviously if I’m still having problems/questions after reading the forum, I’m gonna have to get my info some place else. It is still OK to cut corners $$-wise in this hobby when we can right?

Mike

14

See, there’s the IRT and the moose, now where’s the guy accessing this forum?

The Atlas publication, Wiring Your HO Layout, taught me at age 9, more about electricity than most people get to know by the time they are adults. Trust me on this, I managled a radioshaft for 10 years and the general public is easily confused by a simple series circuit.

15

The reason they have the answers to your questions is that they spent the money and took the time to read all those books that you say we don’t need.

And the person who takes the time to read the books will ALWAYS know a 100 times more than the person who take the lazy way out and has other people do his research for him on the internet.

Dave H.

16

I have a core of perhaps 10-15 model railroad books or so that I refer to again and again, and always keep close at hand - by authors like John Armstrong, Linn Westcott, Tony Koester, Andy Sperandeo, Marty McGuirk, Jeff Willson, John Pryke, Mike Danneman and Ian Rice.

And there are articles that I read and reread until the magazines fall apart, by people like Linda Sand, Paul Dolkos, Ian Rice, Chuck Hitchcock, David Barrow, Lance Mindheim, Craig Bisgeier, Bernie Kempinski, Dave Husman, Byron Henderson, Harold Minkwitz, Charlie Comstock, Joe Fugate, Jim Senese, Jack Burgess, Doug Gurin, Allan McClelland.

And probably a lot of articles by other people whose names I don’t recall right now. Btw - I hope I haven’t butchered anyone’s names above. If so, forgive me.

The forum is here and now. It is great for interactive discussions.

But the books and magazines is a repository of organized knowledge that I refer to again and again.

Anyways - that’s my answer. Your mileage may vary.

Btw - interesting discussion on logging railroads you started. I am debating whether to go buy Model Railroader’s “Guide to logging railroads”. I have no plans whatsoever to ever build a logging railroad myself - but it would be interesting to read the book anyways.

Grin,
Stein

17

You do. To research the logging industry that you want to model.

18

I guess quite a few of us is ganging up on Mike (MPRR) now. Anyways - gandydancer is right.

You might want to get one of the books Bill Gove wrote to learn more about logging railroads around the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Here is one that looks promising:
J.E. Henry’s logging railroads: The history of the East Branch & Lincoln and the Zealand Valley railroads

Another: Logging Railroads Along the Pemigewasset River

http://www.logginginlincoln.com/BillGoveCollectionofLoggingRailroadPhotos.html

Smile,
Stein

19

Absolutely, but what we’re saying is, the books in your libary will go a long way toward saving you money in the long run (knowing where to cut corners), because, unlike what you read on the internet, the info in them generally been vetted and can be accepted as accurate.

20

Mike

I appreciate your honesty, and gratefulness for the information you have received from others. My peeve is not aimed at you. But you opened the door for this rant. I see not just a few try to get by building a layout without buying any books. It becomes pretty obvious from the questions, particularly if the issue deals with wiring (my forte). And some other model railroading forums are far worse than this one with new posters demanding complete answers (with diagrams and pictures) to the same questions that get asked repeatedly. Helping with a particular issue is one thing. But when I realize the poster is going to need repeated hand-holding, and that 3 paragraph text posts aren’t going to cut it, I have to think about where my priorities are before committing to a full-blown tutorial. Especially if I have already provided ordering information for a book or a link to a web site that covers in detail what the poster needs - and those links and suggestions have been ignored.

It takes a fair amount of time and effort to set up a tutorial on wiring for model railroads, no matter whether the medium is a web site or a book. Diagrams and pictures with accompanying text take time to draw, write, vet, and publish/post. The host of our forum publishes excellent books (including wiring) at pretty reasonable prices. Those who are unwilling to pay for the author/creator’s time are not just cheap, they are unethical IMHO. And I speak as one whose total model railroading budget is/has been $40 a month in the good times.

Wiring is just the example I used in this rant. There are plenty of other topics. I was rebuffed myself when I asked for guidance about a particular model locomotive. I was told, and properly so, that I should have tried the search engine first. The poster still provided me with the links and information I requested. But I have taken to heart his advice about searching