Prototype modeling - how far can you take it?

[nachoman]

Haha! Now we are discussing semantics. I love it!

Since proto-lance or proto-freelance is a bastardized word - its meaning could always be disputed unless one was to find who first coined the term and find the meaning attached to the first reference. Or perhaps its meaning is a reflection of how the term is used in the present. We know the term probably only applies to model railroading, and probably became widespread through print magazines. Of course, I have simply heard the term used from time to time and likely never read or heard the original usage. From the way I have heard the term used, I have always considered it to mean something between prototype and freelance, with the specifics undefined. A google search of "proto-lance" gets about 3000 hits, not all of them train-related . "Proto-freelance" gets about 10,000 hits. Browsing the results of both searches, it seems the definition varies. Here is a page from a "proto-freelance" modeling group that explains a definition:

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