I don’t know if anyone has looked closely at their MRP 2014, but I noticed what looks like an error. It looks to me like the switcher doesn’t have any lettering or handrails! Did somebody err or are people trying to test subscribers observational skills?
If you look really close, it looks like they forgot the ballast and scenery at the bottom right too …
Mark.
I didn’t even see that until you mentioned it! (And I haven’t even opened it up yet. Other computer stuff.)
Seriously? My guess is since it is a ‘planning’ issue, they are showing a bit of planning and construction.
So this is out now? Wonder when the digital version will show up…
Maybe I’m old fashion but,I would be embarrass to no end if my under construction layout was on the cover of MRP and in the center for all the world to see was a undecorated locomotive missing its handrails.I would have taken the time to find a more suitable locomotive for the photo.
Of course I’m the type that gets red face embarrass if my train has a (gasp!) derailment during a open house.[:O]
As someone with an “in progress” layout, I appreciate the shots of unfinished benchwork, undetailed locos and what not. It makes me feel better to know that even the great layouts may have areas that look like mine (track on plywood, no ballast etc)
Also seeing benchwork/scenery in progress may give one ideas on how to solve a problem with their own layout construction
To see nothing but superbly finished layouts all the time kind of takes the wind out of ones sails when faced with their own partially finished layout looking rather bleak.
The Genessee & Wyoming took over the Ohio Central a few years back and they operate a branch line from Newark, OH to Mt. Vernon, OH passing through my home town of Utica. The branch is no more than 20 miles long and to the best of my knowledge exists only to serve the grain elevators in Utica and Mt. Vernon. The last couple times I’ve seen the train running it was headed by a switch engine (SW7 maybe) painted orange and white with no numbers or lettering. It seems there is a prototype for everything.
Yeah but their scenery is finished!
If you saw some of the scenery, you might not be so sure. 
Agreed, it’s showing a model railroad in stages of completion, it’s not an error.
The switcher is an undecorated model (hard to find these days), and is in keeping with the “Planning” theme of the magazine.
As in “planning to paint,decal and add handrails some day”…[(-D]
I would still be embarrass.
Larry, no need to be embarrassed, it is a magazine about construction, not to show only finished layouts. I enjoy seeing the building part so I can see how others do things.
+1
What a silly thing to start a thread over. MRP often shows illustrations like this to suggest a layout in progress.
Why not operate before all the scenery is done and all the locos finished?
You do not get the point, obviously.
Back in the day, there used to be shots in layout visit articles showing unfinished parts - this let you see how things progressed to the OTHER pictures of the nicely finished parts. Also there was often a shot of the layout owner standing somewhere next to his creation. They stopped doing these things - now you only see nicely finished views, if there is anything unfinished, camara angles are chosen to make sure that is obscured.
I’d rather have it the old way. MRP is one of the few places they’ll show construction progress shots outside of the project layouts. I think MR should mix it up a little - save the “Nothing but perfectly pristine shots” for GMR.
–Randy
Obviously I get the point and think its sloppy presentation especially from “experts” that’s going to give me tips how to plan and build a layout in a $7.99 special magazine.
I would have went the extra step and used a completed model especially for a cover photo…
Its not the constructon photo since that’s what that magazine is all about…Its the incomplete model that has nothing to do with layout planing and building.
This is not the first year the cover photo has been done like that. Or maybe it has and I’m recalling seeing a ‘photo’ like that on another special issue publication or book. I know I’ve seen it before, where the picture is essentially blueprint in on corner and fully finished in the opposite corner.
I think it conveys the idea of start to finish, plan to completion. I dunno, I don’t see that as being innapropriate or odd given the mission of the magazine. It’s NOT something I would expect to see on GMR, but MRP, or any other planning thing… sure.
–Randy
MRP 2004 I believe