I’ve spent some of this weekend perusing the Model Railroader 75 Year Collection DVD. Quite a lot in there!

One of my searches for gas station plans plopped me into the early 1942 timeframe, and as I flipped here and there after reading my article, I realized that the ads by the major manufacturers had some common themes: “Keep ‘em Rolling” and “While They Last!”

Lionel, Varney, Mantua, Walthers… all were converting their machine shops to the war effort, and warning customers that model production was slowing or stopping until Victory. Material shortages were almost immediate. No more brass meant no more track, no more locomotives. Articles appeared on building passenger trucks and metal bridges out of wood instead of metal.

Model Railroader devoted many of its 1942 editorials to what the war effort meant for the hobby. That relaxation provided by a hobby was a better stress reliever for the defense builder than stewing next to the radio, that product shortages meant getting back to the roots of the hobby (a mere decade previous) where scratchbuilding was the norm, that MR clubs were closing because its members were either heading overseas or working double shifts in the factories…

I’m mindful of posting MR content, but ads are a bit different, so I've posted a few below to provide a flavor of the time. It is an interesting experience walking through the months and years of the early 40s issues, watching history wash over our hobby in a way it had not before and probably has not since.









And one sample od-ed from the editorial staff:

One thing I've been reflecting on for a while is how MR and RMC at one time provided a central focus for the model railroading hobby as a community. To some extent, the editors probably built this up out of less than it actually was, but it was a product people consumed. The way MR in particular related the hobby to the war effort is reflective of that overall approach. I remember even in the early 1970s energy crisis, Linn Westcott had at least one similar editorial, pointing out that your average DC power pack didn't actually use much electricity, and anyhow, it also gave off heat!

Somehow, much of the hobby has lost this atmosphere, but then, the national culture has changed as well.

Great post, Paulman!

jwb Wrote:One thing I've been reflecting on for a while is how MR and RMC at one time provided a central focus for the model railroading hobby as a community. To some extent, the editors probably built this up out of less than it actually was, but it was a product people consumed. The way MR in particular related the hobby to the war effort is reflective of that overall approach. I remember even in the early 1970s energy crisis, Linn Westcott had at least one similar editorial, pointing out that your average DC power pack didn't actually use much electricity, and anyhow, it also gave off heat!

Somehow, much of the hobby has lost this atmosphere, but then, the national culture has changed as well.

Prior to the 1960's when slot and rc cars took off, electric trains and flying model airplanes were the "high tech" hobbies for boys and their dads. We now have the various radio controlled toys, as well as computers and computer games to compete with trains. Since the rc toys don't require tracks or a layout to run on, it is natural that they have moved to the fore to the point that many "hobby shops" no longer have train departments or the entire "train dept" is contained in one glass case 6 feet tall and less than 3 feet wide, as the case with the "Hobby People" store around the corner from me!

Thanks for a very interesting posting Paulman.
I spent the drive to work reflecting on how my late Grandpa spent his war, working in the 'new' factory built during the war in Spotswood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Being a Shop Engineer working for the firm started by his Grandpa, [my Great, Great Grandpa] W.G.Goetz and Sons in 1875, he was of more value to the War Effort, making various metal working machine tools, presses and the like. Melbourne was and still is to a large degree the home of manufacturing in Australia including cars and aircraft. I know that over the years he made presses to make auto motive panels, machines to make cake tins and tin cans and machines to slice and dice pineapple for Golden Circle. Some of those machines are still in use today. W.G.Goetz and Sons had such a reputation for excellence in engineering, that if a tradesman apprenticed by Goetz, went anywhere in the Australasian region and was looking for a job, the question was "How soon can you start". Grandpa spent the war working 6 days per week, fitted in some Home Guard time firing a rifle at the Williamstown rifle range and was a crack shot, and then spent his Sunday going to church and looking after his young wife and three children under ten when the war finished. Sadly W.G. Goetz and Sons as it was, no longer exists thanks to a shonky bean counter who diddled the books for his own benefit about 10 years ago, sending a 125 year old company to the wall. He barely got a slap over the wrist for his sleazy efforts. Insert much choice language here.
As you can see, several of the adverts mention of busy machine tools and the like really struck a chord with me.
I also note the interesting way in which the half-track was blocked and tied down to the flat car thanks to the TRAINS WW2 Specials.
Mark