I have been a “modeller” since I was a kid. Now, I wand to become a model railroader. Can anyone suggest a book that describes the various terminology as well as operating hints? I think I would like to have a switching type layout and wonder just what this entails.
No foul language since Bergie got to work. Thank you.
Bruce in the Peg
there is the old testament
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/kalmbachcatalog/12148.html
and the new testament
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/kalmbachcatalog/12148.html
[:)]
Another very good book for realistic operations is the one by Tony Koester. Also available from Kalmbach model Railroader books. While each chapter goes into detail, there is also a quick start guide 1-2-3. Also a good companion, is the new book on Freight Yards. These two and Armstrong’s book belong in every model railroader’s reference library. And, No, I am not a Kalmbach employee. I am a happy, informed model railroader, albeit with more knowlege than skill. It’s a great hobby, enjoy the ride!
As far as operations, this is considered by most to be THE bible:
“How to OPERATE your model railroad” by Bruce Chubb, Kalmbach Books, 1977. ISBN: 0-89024-528-2
Chubb strikes again - an excellent discussion of real and model signals in chapter 9 awaits."
Unfortunately, it’s no longer in print!
Sam Posey’s new book, “Playing With Trains” is a good one as well, although its not technically a model railroading How-To book.
Second vote for the Koester book. I got the library to buy it and then I liked it so much I bought my own copy.
If you want to get a handle on operations, order a copy of “The Railroad What It Is, What It Does” by the recently and lamentably departed John H. Armstrong. (ISBN: 0-911382-04-6) Published by Simmons-Boardman Books. It’s a 323 page, no-nonsense primer on every conceivable aspect of railroading. I paid $35 for my paperback copy from Amazon.com. You will know how and why you operate your switching layout if you buy this book.
I’m with you. I like switching, too.
Bruce,
I was just sitting here going through John Armstrong’s Track Planning for Realistic Operation for some turnout info. This is a pretty good read. It explains how the prototype does things and then tells various ways of modeling these operations. Packed full of useful information. BTW, I sent you an e-mail. My computer has taken over the house again so I’ve been out of touch.
model railroader getting from started in the hobby by jeff wilson from kalmbach books. I just got started in this hobby and this book is a great help
I would recommend Koester’s “Realistic Model Railroad Operation” and Armstrong’s “Track Planning for Realistic Operation.” They are, however, very different books. Armstrong’s book is about the nuts and bolts of track planning and gives lots of examples of how to layout things like passenger terminals, ports, industrial spurs, etc. Koester’s book doesn’t really cover these topics and focuses instead on the nuts and bolts of operation with detailed discussions of how to switch a yard, design a car card/waybill system, manage traffic, etc. I would stay away from Koester’s book realistic railroad design. That one is mostly useless puffery.
If you are planning a layout, it helps to consider the type of operations you want to implement on the layout. In this manner both the Armstrong and Koester books work together. I think Koester volume 1 (the operations book) is a useful introduction, but yes Armstrong’s book is great. Considering that he wrote it in the 1960’s, it is standing the test of time. Too bad about Chubb’s book – it is a useful introduction, and broader in scope that Koester’s.
The following websites are also good:
www.gatewaynmra.org – great operation and car cards articles
www.modelrail.us – interesting operation and design articles
www.opsig.org – basics of various operations issues
www.ldsig.org – Be sure to cheek out the ld sig’s “Primer”, which is a bit dated, but contains many thoughtful articles about layout design from (mostly) the point of view that layouts are built to operate.
Regards
Peter
conford
Bruce Chubb’s book, although groundbreaking at the time it was published, is more concerned with how model railroaders operate than how railroads operate. That is, it spends a lot of time discussing car cards, thumb tacks, and other methods by which model railroaders keep track of which car goes to what industry. The prototype is completely unfamiliar with any of these methods. Paying too much attention to Chubb’s book will lead to playing a game loosely based on railroad operations. It can be a useful introduction to operational concepts, but so is Koester’s book. Koester’s book has the advantage that it’s in print, and it’s a more recent presentation of some of the same ideas, incorporating increased knowledge of how the prototype accomplishes its task. Given a choice between the two, I would recommend Koester’s book.
There’s an NMRA Special Interest Group, and an associated Yahoo discussion group, which can build on such an introduction. You can contact them at:
NMRA Operations SIG http://www.opsig.org/
Yahoo Discussion Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ry-ops-industrialSIG/
-Ed