I was just remembering some of the indignant dustups of the past in model railroading.
The first one I remember was Walthers' Penn Central Tender decals. Someone was claiming fraud because PC never lettered any steam loco tenders. MR's final word was that if you ordered them and WKW sent you decals (as per the photograph) it wasn't fraud. Authenticity had never been claimed.
Any other big issues you remember?
(I don't mean couplings!)

Yeah..One of the best in my opinion..It was a letter lamblasting MR because the project layout was a mere "switching layout" and a waste of magazine space..That project layout? kinkinconic (sp?) Dock & Navigation Railway in 1970 (71?)...Oddly it was a advance design switching layout plan for its era.

....and it was the primary reason for cancelling my MR subscription.
I had brought my newly finished kitbashed BL20-2's up to Waukesha. The very first comment from the Klambake staff was,
" Oh you didn't use "Q"fans".
Within two months, MR published a "Good-ole-boy" "construction article for the BL20-2, which had 13 major detail errors, many of which could be clearly seen on the page that had the prototype photo, and a photo of the model.
I had not seen a photo that showed what type of fan was used........well excuuuuuuse me, but I'm no longer a fan of MR.

The one that seems to crop up continuously is "if you don't (xyz), you aren't a real modeler". "xyz" has been a number of things over the years. In the 1950s it was "scratchbuild" or "lay your own track", and now it is "if you buy RTR..."

But the argument has been used at any given time in this hobby and in every model railroad circle to determine what is a true model railroad and what isn't. At certain times and places, a 4x8 is not a "layout", and anything with a continuous loop is not a "serious layout". Sometimes such arguments are printed in the letters section of Model Railroader, and are good for a few laughs when read a decade or more later.

Brakie Wrote:That project layout? kinkinconic (sp?) Dock & Navigation Railway in 1970 (71?)...Oddly it was a advance design switching layout plan for its era.

Wow! You sure brought back the memories with that one! Wish I still had that issue of MR (from the good ole days). I actually considered doing that one myself, as I thought it was one of the best thought out and most realistic project layouts they had ever come up with. If memory serves, I think Linn Westcott was still running the mag then. MR has gone down hill ever since Mr. Westcott departed.
Wish I could remember the spelling too - something like Kinnickinnic is what I recall. Of course you can't get that back issue from MR now.

The discussion from the past with which I take umbrage is the "Unless you model a specific prototype, you are not a serious model railroader."

It seems to me that if you study 1:1 scale railroads to the point where you've developed a ficticious road that is so convincing in name, color scheme, locomotive and revenue rolling stock classifications and numbering systems, geographic route(s) traveled, geography/terrain modeled, cities/towns/villages represented, and then taken the time to study the weathering patterns and colors of the 1:1 scale world and taken the trouble to paint your models accordingly, you are, in fact a serious model railroader!

In my book, if you run pristine models of a specific prototype railroad, "brand new right out of the paint shop" models behind beautifully detailed, rivit-counted prototypes that resemble builder's photographs, you are a serious collector of scale models of "Whatever" Railroad's equipment, that you happen to run on rails through a representation of an unrealistically clean and manicured real world!

There!

TAKE THAT!

I remember reading those articles and comments, and it always gave me a little chuckle. It's a hobby, if you like it, great. Run 4-4-0 generals at the point of a stack train in outer space for all I care. It's your time and $, do what you want.

I know what you mean Sumpter250, I really think there is a "good ole boys club" as far as article submissions go. I've tried several article submissions to MR & RMC without any luck of getting one printed.I no longer subscribe to MR because it seamed to be the same people and stile of articles over and over. Ive stuck with Craftsman , I like there how too articles and general subject matter more.

Some time around the Walther's PC Steamer decals flap in the 1970s there was also a controversy in Model Railroader about paint for steam locomotives. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think there was a recommendation in the magazine about using stove black paint that annoyed one of their advertisers who made model paints. The advertiser didn't take kindly to the suggestion that a less expensive, easily obtained product might be a better option than their fine paint.
It raised an interesting conflict for the magazine. Do they make the ad guys happy or the modelers?

Ralph

I just remembered , I think it was Walther's that also offered a set of CNJ decal's for an E-8. They never had E-8s, F-3s and baby faces, but not E-8s. As a CNJ fan I thought it was silly, but never took any offense to it. Like I said It's just a hobby.

Well, the ads provide the capital to publish the magazine that the public buys and provides the income with which to pay the employees who write the articles and run the presses to produce an issue of a magazine that the editor sends out the advertising sales staff to show to prospective advertisers to entice them into buying ads based on potential readership of the next issue and ...

... round and round she goes ...

It's called Capitalism! It's what made this country great!

The rivet counters and the self-righteous will always be with us,.

MountainMan Wrote:The rivet counters and the self-righteous will always be with us,.

I suppose that is, in many ways, not a bad thing....without them, we'd all be saying,

"Oh, isn't your life extremely flat
With nothing whatever to grumble at!" - Gilbert and Sullivan

Check out the latest blunder here:

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They've gone and done away with the Model Train Magazine Index. Let's hope somebody picks it up soon.

Galen

The sign next to my trainroom door says "THIS IS MY RAILROAD".If you don't respect that go away. :mrgreen: