Just got my new issue of MR in the mail yesterday. I’ve read all but two of the articles; will probably read them tomorrow.
The ground cover article was much appreciated. I got several ideas for my layout from that. Also loved the article “Diamondstacks in the Desert.” There was a book in my elementary school I would check out that was all about the railroads in the early days of steam and westward expansion etc. The Goldfield and Hangtown RR has done an excellent job capturing the essence of those railroads.
While I don’t model the steam era, I had a fun time reading the guide to USRA locomotives.
the new project layout is giving me ideas for my own layout expansion, which will involve a classification yard, not an interchange. Yet iI think a lot of the elements of the Bay Junction will transpose well onto the expansion and allow it and my current layout to coexist as one big layout.
I also enjoyed the short article by Tony on gondola weathering.
Lance Mindheim’s article on modern roofs is a good reference for anyone trying to model modern roofs, and will definitely be one that I refer to in the future, even though I’m an n scaler.
The demolished house bit would make a good scene on any layout, and I may include a scene like that on my current layout.
I have yet to read the article on the passenger operations trackplan, but it looks like it should be interesting. And the servo-powered turnouts is another article I need to read, but haven’t yet.
All in all, this issue kept me riveted and I think it’s the best one since the 75th anniversary issue. thanks Model Railroader!
The December issue was one that made me doubt my need for a subscription to MR, but the January issue is superb. I just wish there were more issues such as the January issue. Real layouts, real “craftsman” articles and less “glitz” and more substance.
Glad that wasn’t the case for me. I thought Andy Sperandeo’s article on locomotive sounds and signals was terrific. [Y][8D] Being still somewhat of a RR newbie, it helped me to better understand how the prototype operates.
I’d love to see more articles of this ilk included in MR on a regular basis. Good stuff! [:D]
Hey, not everyone is a fan of Rod Stewart, I guess.[:D]
The one article I take issue with in the Jan issue is the servo one. Withotu some sort of cutoff, I don;t think it’s a long-term viable solution - the motors in servos are not meant to stall for extended periods of time - in an airplane situation where the servo has to constantly fight the control surface because the gear ratio alone is not enough to hold position, you need to use a stronger servo. With end of travel contacts, it would be fine to do as the article shows. The current draw is a bit high, so it precludes series LEDs like a Tortoise. The RIGHT way to control servos is with a contolle rlike the Team Digital or Tam Valley ones. More expensive than the solution presented but it can still be cheaper than a Tortoise on a per turnout basis.
Speaking of, anyone else see the ad for the Tortoise knockoff? I checked the site - seems to be better engineered but you pay for all that - they cost a LOT more than a Tortoise.
I enjoyed the December issue as well (Rod Stewart is ahmazing at building city scenes!), but the January issue really blew my socks off. Randy, thansk for the mention of the possible problem with the servo idea. I have Micro Engineering turnouts, so I’m not too worried about that at this time.
Rod Stewert has a very impressive layout, but for my tastes it comes under the heading of one of those “fantasy” layouts, just not my “cup of tea” as the saying goes. Second were the pages and pages devoted to the usual…DCC, again, it serves no purpose for me personally, to others I have no doubt it does and more power to them. All I’m saying is that I have no interest in spending my money on something I have no interest in or desire to pay for ever month.
It’s called “choices”, you make yours, I’ll make mine, you have the right to disagree just as I do.
Third would be the amount of advertising. I realize that without advertisers there would be no MR, but page after page of nothing but advertising? That’s the reason why I let my subscription to Model Railroad News lapse.
I prefer to see aricles about normal everyday layouts by the average model railroader, some of these have been real “gems” for my money. Articles about building things, structures, freight cars, scenery, things such as that with new ideas.
In other words, less glitz and glamour and electronics and more down to earth model railroading.
I have been buying MR since the mid 50s either by subscription or at the newstand and have seen a lot of changes, some good, some great, and some that I have no idea what the direction is supposed to be.
I was under the impression that model railroading was about “building” a model railroad, not “Plug n Play”…
MR doesn’t seem to have as many articles that grab my interest anymore, but I figure I get at least two or three quality ideas - and a couple hours browsing - from each issue, so I still think it’s a bargain.
Randy, I was kind of wondering about those same issues - and did I read the article wrong or is the current draw LOWER when stalled than when running? He gives two different current draws with the lower of the two for the stall. Am I failing to grasp some point here or did I misread?
The author mentions at the end that the servo should last a lifetime; it would have been interesting to learn just how long he has been using them. If he has had long term success I guess the proof is in the pudding, whatever the theory may suggest. On my double track layout, where movements against the traffic essentially never happen, perhaps I would not need the stall feature for trailing point switches but would reserve it for facing point switches, of which there are very few (my C&NW prototype helpfully arranged that for me [:-,]. )
Another general observation about the January issue is that not only did Tony Koester supply a useful summary of how to simulate bulges on the side of a plastic gondola model but his Trains of Thought column is also a useful discussion about levels, double deck layouts, and the use of laser levels (which I first heard about and saw used when a contractor re-did our kitchen and bathrooms).
BTW: The most realistic bulges I ever saw modeled on a plastic car (hopper as it happens) was a total mistake - a guy I knew used solvent based cement to secure a l