Not a single steam engine to be found on any of the pictures, and the RS2 is my least favorite locomotive. But I must tell you the Central New England layout by Paul Lambert is one of the nicest I have ever seen in the magazines. The picture on page 65 just does it all for me. I love the way the facia is raised about an inch higher than the track, making an excellent but invisible protection from the plunge.
Nice work Lou, and Paul, you had a wonderful railroad. I look forward to seeing your next one!
Having been a a resident of both New York and Connecticut for a total of 30 years in the areas modeled I can only state that I hope that I can do half as well in the layout I have in planning.
I’ve been indirectly involved in a couple of these situations where the owner was not motivated to write up the layout for publication until he knew that the layout was going to be dismantled soon. Then he wanted it documented “for posterity”, so to speak.
People move more often these days. Nick Kalis’ neat urban LIRR-themed layout feautured on the cover of Railroad Model Craftsman Sept 2007 has been or will be dismantled soon for a move. A new layout with a different theme (and different scale and gauge) is reportedly planned for the new location.
So it’s not a unique situation, and certainly not limited to the pages of MR.
Is it just me or does it seem more and more layouts are being featured in MR “posthumously”?
George
Comment:
I presume your reference is to the layout being “posthumous” — not the owner. is that right? If this is the case, then I will say that I too have noted an increased number of layouts appearing in MR after they have been dismantled. Not a huge number but an observable increase. I wouldn’t know why this is so.
I’ve noticed both in MRR. Layouts being featured after they have been dismantled, and articles published after the author is dead. Articles aren’t usually published right after they are submitted. Sometimes, most times, a year or more goes by. And a lot can happen in that time span.
Perception is a funny thing, isn’t it? So much influenced by recent events. Just to check, I went through this year’s MRs. Most months, there are two major layout stories. (This year so far, there was only one in January and July, but three in October.)
Of the total of 1921 (edit: I miscounted) stories, counting the two stories on dismantled layouts in November, the total number of stories on layouts which had been dismantled at the time of publication was … three.
The only other one this year was a club layout that had to move due to loss of space.
The builders of all three of these dismantled layouts are building new ones.
Certainly the perception here overides the reality. But let us remember that there have been a number of well known 20-30 year old layouts falling victum to the sawsall over the past couple of years.
With all due respect to the builder of the layout in question: Ho Hum - Another Boring New England Layout. Fall foliage and quaint structures placed in F&SM wannabe scenes. OK, we get it. Enough already.
Now, before anyone starts calling me names, I think the builder did a fine job. Obviously, he finds New England railroading from several decades ago to be fascinating, and constructing a layout based on that theme is an outlet for expressing his fascination.
Instead, my gripe is with the constant stream of New England-based layouts (NEBL) in the hobby press. It seems like every issue has to have one NEBL article, and if they skip a month, then they run two NEBL’s the next month to make up for it.
Clearly, there has to be a reason for this phenomenon. Here are a few theories: 1) Maybe there really are that many NEBL’s out there compared to layouts based outside NE, and MR is just providing coverage that reflects that balance. 2) MR is so enamored with Lou Sassi and his photographs, that they will run features on any layout he has photographed, even if is nearly identical to one they ran a month or two before. And, Lou never met an NEBL he doesn’t want to photograph. 3) MR is not stupid, and they know that the colorful scenes on a moderately well executed NEBL will sell more issues than photos taken on Oklahoma-based layouts, for instance. I think theory 3 predominates, but theory 2 probably plays a part, too.
Now that my ranting is over, let me say that I hope one day my non-NEBL will look as well done as the one in this issue.
Hmmmm. interesting perspective, Potlatcher, I have a New England-based-layout, but if (when) I put it in MR, I hope it might be more interesting than these ones you mentioned;
1st: It’s not another transition era layout; which are nice, but I personally prefer a more modern era,
2nd: It’s completly “sincere” where only 1 track runs through a scene, and has a backdrop down the middle, ect.
3rd: I’ll be taking the photos myself![:)]
4th: It’s a freelanced shortline, so it’s another paint scheme to look at![:D]
That’s probobly just me however, as I prefer modern era layouts to transition ones. I’m not sure why, I guess it’s because that’s when I grew up.
Didn’t you just know I was going to count while I had the magazines out?
But before I get to that, I think it’s not so much New England layouts as fall layouts that you may be noticing. Years ago, every layout seemed to be coal haulers in Appalachia, and before that Colorado. Fall does seem slightly more common recently (and no, I’m not going to count those).
And it’s true that Popp, Sassi, and Dolkos articles are published a lot and their layouts are New England themed. So if they do a how-to feature, the background may be NE-based. When Furlow was doign a lot of those articles, everything seemed CO based.
But of the layout feature stories in MR so far in 2007, here’s the breakdown by state or region:
1 Generic (sort-of CO)
1 CA/NV
2 CO
1 FL
1 ID/UT
1 KY
2 MD
1 MI
2 MO
1 MT
1 NY
1 OR
1 PA
1 WA
1 WY
And the grand total for New England layout features to date this year? Two. Plus one if you consider the generic upstate NY modular club to be New England, which I wouldn’t.
OK, I promise that’s the last thing I’m going to count since my conference call is over and I should get back to work.