Whether you’re designing your track plan or super-detailing a locomotive or freight car, prototype information is invaluable.
What’s your primary source of prototype information? I know they’re all important, but which one can you not live without?
Vote then share your comments below.
[:)] I actually use 3 different sources. The Internet is the primary source (thank goodness for it). My second source is an aquaintence who is an Engineer (train driver, not an office type) for Canadian Pacific. Third (and the most fun) go out and LOOK at stuff! Follow some tracks and see where they go! Sit and watch a crew shunting cars at a siding!
Have fun!
Tim
I use anything and everything when I am doing research. I have a large assortment of 35mm slides of the things that I am modeling. I also use other resources such as magazines, books, historical railroad groups, and of course the Internet.
Len
I was tempted to respond “All of the Above” until I read Erik’s statement , “I know they’re all important, but which one can you not live without?” In other words, if you could have only ONE SOURCE, which would it be.? So in that light I selected the historical society option, as an affiliation with one of these groups can give you access to all the rest PLUS.
After I have exhausted my books looking for prototype info I usually turn to Mainline Modeler magazine. If I can’t find the info there I write directly to the Historical Society for the road involved.
I have found the Boston & Maine RR Hist. Society to be a fountain of accurate information (I model B&M). However, I also use books/mags on the prototype. I also go and take photos of buildings, track, areas around the tracks, buildings, etc to get a good feel for what might be modeled
For Narrow Gauge I search back-issues of magazines like Garden RR, MR, Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette, and Finescale Railroader are my 1st sources, then Books if I can find them, Not many videos, and the internet can be boom or bust depending on the subject.
I work for BNSF, so the prototypes are everywhere.[:)]
My favorite railroad, and I seem to be one of the few who likes this one, is the Grand Trunk Western. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a wealth of information out there on this one. I don’t know if it is because they were part of the CN, or because their US operation was only in Michigan, Northern Indiana, Chicago and Detroit, or what the reason, but there is very little out there that I’ve found in terms of written material on this railroad. As for HO scale locomotives, there’s even less. Athearn makes an SD40-2 with the road number 5933 in GTW and 5935 in the CN North America scheme, and Trainline makes a GP9M in the North America scheme, but that’s about it, and even these are not entirely accurate. I even bought a book from Walther’s called “America’s Driving Force” looking for GTW stuff. I thought that since more than half of their traffic is related to the Auto Industry they would deserve some kind of mention, but I was wrong. I think there was one picture of a box car, and one sentence about the GTW in the entire book. Fortunately, there are some models of Rolling Stock out there, and Clear Block has a series of five videos about the GTW. That’s where I’ve gotten quite a bit of my information. The videos and the internet would probably be tied for first, with travelling back to Michigan to see it for real being second.
Books and mags are my two biggies, with books being the, far and away, primary resource for me. I love all the new books that have been published on the GN recently. They have been a real bonus for me.
It would have been easy to choose all the sources, by choosing ‘other’, I think I covered it.
I certainly wouldn’t do without my magazines, books, videos, internet, societies etc, so I think for most people other or ‘all’ is a close answer.
I’ve found four great sources:
I model the Southern and L&N in the late steam era. The Southern Railway Historical Assoc. and the L&N Railroad Historical Society both do excellent jobs with their magazines and other information. They are my primary source for information and photographs on detailing steam locomotive models, as well as other railroad specific information.
As does everone else, I also use many other sources; books, magazines, the internet and whatever else I can find.
I agree with Teditor, Being able to choose all or multiple choices would be best as no one source will have everything that you require/desire.
I hope my website, which is somewhat out of date is helpful for modelers of the Finger Lakes Railway. My research and photography are for myselg and the site.
Carter Garrigues-Cortelyou
http://FGLK.railfan.net
In this part of the world, magazines and the web are my best options but a couple in Nth California have provided a fair number of railroad type momentos plus mags and info data sheets which would not have come my way otherwise. Visitors from the USA that I have come in contact with have been more than willing to answer up on Railroad topics which has been great both ways. Hope to meet many more. Just lately, this mode has provided much of interest. Cheers.
I am a member of an Illinois Central model group on Yahoo. This group has many members who hold a wealth of knowledge and are willing to share. Have a great day!
Where ever I can!
Gordon
I try to photograph the item I want to model, from all sides and angles, if possible. But my primary source is my historical society for diagrams of yards and other such things.
For the oddball stuff, I use the internet. My own library of D&RGW books, and then magazines. There is a lot of information that is available via the web, and if you don’t happen to have the right book infront of you, can make research much easier.
Paul H. L iddiard