Forgive me if this has already been posted (I did a search and couldn’t find any posts about it).
On page 74 of the Jan/Feb Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette there is a full page ad for the Benchmark Publications expanded edition of Model Railroading with John Allen by Linn Westcott. It is hard bound and costs $40 including shipping. They say they expanded it by adding some of Allen’s photos for PFM (I didn’t know he took photos for PFM).
I have one of the original editions and it is one of my most treasured books.
$40 is a very good price. It lists on Haydens’s site for $63.95 plus $8.00 shipping and Con-cor’s site for the same price but free shipping. http://www.all-railroads.com/.
I have the 1996 hardcover printing and it’s one of my favorite books.
The reference to photos for PFM may well be to sets of slides of the G&D that PFM offered. In fact I think that was their very first product, before they imported brass steam from Japan.
I was able to get my hard cover copy for $10 at an estate sale table at a swap meet. The additional content will have to awfully nice for me to consider buying a second copy just for the new pictures.
I had a paperback version I picked up in the '90s. It is also one of my most treasured books and inspired me more than anything else (except maybe Irv Shultz’s layout) to finally get a layout built now.
If younger forum members are interested in Mt. Model Railroading and a true pioneer in methodology it would be a great book to check out. It’s too bad the new version is so expensive, but even the paperback has been out of print for years so I’m really really glad it’s back and going to find a new audience.
I can’t think of a better book to inspire kids and young adults to take up model railroading. It’s just ironic thatI’m ending up with an urban railroad though after all of that!
Anyone reading this thread who hasn’t seen this book definitely seek it out and see if it turns you on.
For what it’s worth, I did a Google search and found mine at a bookstore in The United Kingdom for 8 Pounds (at that time it was about 20 bucks). Shipping added another $12 - I was thrilled with the deal. So, there are alternatives to this re-issue publisher. It is definitely worth the time to seek it out, and I think the new publisher’s price is fair - it’s that good!