May (almost) all my switching moves be on trailing-point sidings and with some industries on double-ended sidings, thank you.
Concur!! May’s issue was one of the best I’ve ever seen. David Popp´s feature on switching was especially well done. More operations articles if you please! [:D]
Joe
First keeping N scale in the magazine will keep them N-gaged in MRR.
Second the May issue in on my kitchen table I’ll peruse it tonight.
Model Railroader is the Bible of the hobby. I am currently into classic toy trains, my layout will be as realistic as I can make it but using 3 rail equipment. But I have a lot of HO and will build a HO layout as soon as my 3 rail is sort of done. So I read both magazines, a lot of HO articles also pertain to any scale.
Dennis San Fernando Valley CA.
May Issue, One of the best in a long time.
It is? Wouldn’t know, haven’t received mine yet. 
Winstead is at the end of the line, and the runaround seems too short for 10 cars.
What is the advantage of taking five extra Torrington bound cars on to Winstead, and then having to find somewhere to stash them temporarily at Winstead (and then either run around them before returning, or return from WInstead of Torrington pushing cars bound for Torrington, and then run around them at Torrington)?
In comparison, leaving them at the double ended siding at Torrington seems like a simpler move. When you come back, just go past the siding, grab the cars and switch the now trailing industry spurs - you have plenty of mainline on both sides of Torrington.
How would you have handled the Torrington bound cars if you brought them along to Winstead?
Smile,
Stein, curious
How would you have handled the Torrington bound cars if you brought them along to Winstead?Stein,
On the PRR/Chessie(C&O) we would take those cars with us simply because we would need to make extra moves,cut the air and set hand brakes on at least 3 cars.All of that takes time and for a local crew time is not a expendable commodity seeing you have 12 hours to do your work in.
Of course most conductors I worked with would have done the work before leaving Torryington for Winsted and if and only if he decided to leave the pick ups it would be a simple pick up on the return trip…
In their eyes if we was going to outlaw it would be better to do at Winsted since there’s room to park the train after we made the turn and we can smile knowing the customers at Torryington recieved their cars today instead of some time tomorrow…
I would not argue that this issue was one of the better issues in recent times. However if we go back to the 1980’s and randomly pick the January 1986 issue there were:
192 pages Vs 94 for the latest issue
19 articles Vs 8 articles
18 department articles Vs 12
3 scale drawings Vs 0
I recognize that the hobby is changing and it must. In it’s own way however, this data is indicative of how it is changing.
Peter Smith
I personally agree that this (and the March issue) were the best in a long time. John, I was immediately impressed by the more RMC style, in depth kit bashing article, the relative lack of mostly rank beginner (of which I am one) material and most especially, the treatment and “exposure” to detailed switching moves.
Larry, I think the alternative (more prototypical) feedback you’ve given is very valuable and sparks constructive debate about this article. It WAS a bit confusing, requiring several slow rereads, but I thought the diagrams very instructive and ultimately clear.
My passion this time around with model railroading has been centered around Ops groups and sessions and I think MR should be saluted for this article and hope that it will have more (maybe one per issue) to inspire people to try Ops which is very indimidating on round robin sessions and takes a long time to get really proficient.
I was seriously considering cancelling my subscription after so many disappointing, mostly entry level articles during the last 2-3 years. But I found the May issue to harken a bit back to the MR of the '60s and '70s.
Not there yet, but hopefully heading in that direction. I renewed for 2 more years, mostly to help support this excellent forum which has helped me so much to get my lst/last layout built. I’d like to see a more “mature” magazine that will include more OPs, scratch and kit bash modeling in the detail given this time along with the excellent step by step photos.
I guess my overall feeling is that the Mary issue didn’t seem “rushed” or an “afterthought” or mostly a marketing tool for a change.
Hoping June is at least as good. I miss the MR of the '60s and '70s. This issue took one baby step back “there”.
By the way, OpSsig’s magazine (for members) is starting a new column for beginning operators that forum members might find interesting. I’d love to see an Operations forum here. Other forums are starting to do this and it’s a great way
I agree. People, this is a MAGAZINE! We need to “lighten up” a wee bit. The people who put all of this together for us every month try to do their best to please all of us. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not banging their collective heads against a wall at times. Yes, I, too, believe it is geared towards HO Scale because most of us still model in that scale. There is more product out there for we, the HO modelers, but the magazine tries to please all.
Please, do your own thing and above all, ENJOY YOURSELVES!
Gracias a Dios, Jimmy
This is why I can’t decide if I want to resubscribe. I believe that I have been subscribing just for sentimental reasons. My dad subscribed for what seemed like forever. He’s not much of a modeler anymore, so I picked up where he left off.
I am more of a builder and love things like scale drawings. I miss them.
I found May’s interesting too. Sense I’ve ran into money woes. This issue has made me wonder about doing a switching layout instead. Would save me some money and I love switching.
Gee, I never suspected that my post would stir up so much controversy. I’ve been a subscriber on and off for a long time and the fact that I still am must say that I enjoy the magazine. It’s just that I am getting back to work on my layout and I’ve been thinking of making some modifications to improve switching operations. I also found the article on building a large concrete culvert interesting as that was part of what my civil engineering job was. Third I thought the article on improving a basic covered hopper was good too. Instead of spending $50-$60 on a highly detailed car improving a $10 car or one already owned can save one money. It was only my opinion and I’m sure others of you found nothing in the issue very interesting. Oh well to each his/her own.
I accept your challenge!
Am I allowed to use brass “off the shelf” parts (including details), or are you sending me to the woods with naught but a hobby knife, and i have to get everything myself? [swg]
We did, until Bowser got out of the game about 18 months ago… (and to any of you nay-sayers… it’s 1943 here, so bowser’s kits are “current” [:D])
As for the issue, I was pleased to see some actual kitbash/construction articles, rather than the “buy this, add paint/chalk/dullcote, done!” type beginner articles (they have their place, yes…). I remember reading late 80s/early 90s MRR issues, with the afore-mentioned scale drawings/multi-issue projects/etc and always thinking to myself that one day, I’d like to be “that good”…
Okay - taking this thread off on a bit of a tangent - on a model railroad the problem usually is not that there isn’t enough time to complete all tasks, but the reverse - how to make tasks take enough time to fill up a reasonable percentage of an operating session.
Without either making people spend significant parts of the session waiting and waiting, or spend an inordinate amount of time shuffling cars in and out one by one through a way too short switching lead.
Given that Dave Popp’s layout is a model railroad, and that Winstead is at the end of the line, how would you have handled the cars left at Torrington if you had brought them along to Winstead?
Smile,
Stein
Given that Dave Popp’s layout is a model railroad, and that Winstead is at the end of the line, how would you have handled the cars left at Torrington if you had brought them along to Winstead?
Smile,
Stein
Just like I was taught…I would work Torrington and proceed to Winsted.
I would leave the caboose and the Torrington cars out of the way outside of town and proceed to do the work… I would leave the Winsted pickups on the lone yard track,pickup the remainder of my train and then simply switch the train back in order after running around my train.
Of course I would do this instead…
I would not switch every industry every operation session but,would divide the industries into “Monday -Friday work days”…You see by doing this I eliminate any switching puzzle operations by having to many cars and knowing it can take 1- 2 days to unload cars this gives the industries time to unload their cars…Plus if a car is unloaded today it won’t be picked up tomorrow because it won’t be on the switch list or we may even be by the industry or decide not to pick up the empty especially if we was getting short on time…
Dan:
I accept your challenge!
Am I allowed to use brass “off the shelf” parts (including details), or are you sending me to the woods with naught but a hobby knife, and i have to get everything myself?
You can use Kemtron detail parts for steam locomotives and buy Varney drivers,crossheads, side rods etc.
Sorry diesel details must be fabricated from your brass stock-there wasn’t many diesel detail parts back then…
You need to use a soldering iron and roll (form) your boiler.
I wish I had that skil but,by the start of “my model railroading days” there was lots of nice brass steam locomotives on the market…
what are these “diesel” locomotives you speak of Brakie?
least I can buy brass bar/sheet stock… will definitely be adding this to my list of things to do on the MRR (maybe I’ll be able to start this winter [:)])
Dan,Back in the day they was very few switchers like FMs,Baldwin,Alco,44 tonners…Basically if you wanted one you broke out the brass stock and had a nice project.
Then came the brass diesels from Alco Models,Trains Inc and Hallmark that offered Alco,EMD,FM and Baldwin switchers has well as road switchers…Life was good.
OK, I read it and didn’t think it was any better than most recent issues. It appears that most of the comments here are about the switching article. (Not my thing, and a bit hard to understand) and about N scale coverage. I had been thinking that this issue had better than average N scale coverage with a feature layout, a new column and an encoder install. I did enjoy the Bay Junction and the structure scratch build articles. I guess that’s why they mix’em up, to give everyone something!