You know what I miss.........

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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You know what I miss is the comics in Model Railroader

This past week I have been going through all of my old MR’s (I’ve kept them all) because I am going to give the ones I don’t want to a retirement home (if they’ll except them), and I was viewing all of the monthly issues that had a short, funny, little cartoons about modeling and what not. Funny how I could relate to most of them. I miss them.

Speaking of comic strips, I’ve always like the work of Bill Watterson that created Calvin and Hobbes. That guy could draw a train.

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I’ve been a Calvin & Hobbes fan myself for quite awhile. From what I understand, it seems Bill was was pretty fastidious about drawing things fairly correctly (he heavily criticized his dinosaurs in his early strips as not having correct amount of toes for the creature in question, etc.)

Bill is from the Cleveland/Akron area, & according to an article (I think) about a year or so ago in the Akron Beacon Journal) is kind of living a J.D. Salinger life now-refuses interviews, or even contact with anyone media-wise outside his family. He -did- grant the ABJ an interview not long after he started his strip in the mid 80’s, & they included a pic-the “dad” in C&H looks amazingly like Bill himself.

I only recently started getting MR again on & off, & now that you mention it, they don’t seem to have the cartoons they used to. Could be that the folks that drew them don’t do it anymore, &/or the ones that are submitted aren’t up to MR standards? Just guessing on my part.

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I always thought the cartoons were a special once and awhile kind of thing. As for relating to them, I hear that!

There was a pretty good one a few months back, but I can’t remember what it was. But anytime they want to include them, it’s a pretty good deal.

And I also agree about C&H, I miss them and the Far Side too. All pretty good stuff.

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Zak, that strip you posted was always my favorite! [(-D] I’ll have to dig out my C&H books now.

I think that’s the most realistic depiction of diesels I’ve seen in a cartoon (aside form the leaping 200 feet in the air part [:-^]).

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The cartoons are my favorite too. But I also miss the Tips & Tales from the Cab, that appeared in a few issues back in the early 90’s.

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Yeah, Tips & Tales from the Cab were good too.

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Yeah, he is pretty good. Both the locomotives in the strip look like GE products. The locomotive #52 resembles a later 6-axle GE product (I’m not the greatest at identifying GE locos) , while the later loco is a 4-axle U-boat.

Wish there were more comics in MR too.

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Daily Calvin and Hobbes reprints can be seen at www.gocomics.com . I always enjoyed the snowmen Calvin made. joe

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There actually are comics in MR, but less frequently.

I love Calvin & Hobbes too!

I wonder why the caboose was right behind the locos…

EDIT: I actually beleive the 2nd unit is a EMD; because of the dynamic brake blister on top, no GE units had those.

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I would reconsider donating MR’s to a retirement home, not many guys there will be too interested in model trains, try a MR club or put up an ad and someone interested in MR will show up.

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I still think the second unit is a GE because the trucks are the type used by most of the 4-axle U-boat series. It is a comic though, which means it shouldn’t always be prototypical.

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I would like to see more humor in MR, but I think we’ve all gotten too serious about the hobby.

Enjoy
Paul

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Oh yeah! I looked forward to his latest creations every winter. Hmm, maybe if we get enough s**w this winter I can replicate one in the front yard. Yeah, the neighbors would love me…[:-^]

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I love Calvin and Hobbes! I have (I think) all the books Bill Watterson ever put out. It’s fun to go back and thumb through them. My sister is quite a fan as well. Growing up, she had a little tabby that she named “Hobbes”. Sadly, he passed away a few years back, but her new kitty is named “Calvin” in memoriam.

The Far Side is a close second for me as well. I still get the desktop calendars every year. Even though they’re repeats, they still make me laugh.

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Oh yeah! Didn’t notice those! [#oops]

Hmmmm… the cab looks like a widecab though, but whose that is, I have no idea. Maybe it’s a crossbread![:O]

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I can’t believe you’re all ‘rivet counting’ a comic strip…LOL

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Yeah, me neither![(-D]

EDIT: It’s a GE B-something, I realized the blister I thought was the dynamic brakes is actually the large radiator on the back. My mistake.