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Post by Brakie on Mar 12, 2017 17:30:14 GMT -8
The difference between yesterday and today is that knowledge is easy to get.
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Paul, Another source of "rivet counting" started in the mid 60s with Extra 2200 South and that became the go to magazine for diesel phases and details. A simple GP9 became a phase 1,phase 2 and phase 3 no longer would a simple "Its a GP9" reply work in a group of advanced modelers. The old steam heads just shook their heads in disgust with a smirk and a "Why bother? Its just a stinking diesel".
While I never entered the "finesse" modeling style I always added some details like visors, upgraded the horns, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2017 19:13:24 GMT -8
....I lived in that era and modeled in that time frame, I remember it well. What do I miss from that time. Undecorated models and the availability of parts from the DA's and to a lesser extent DW. Athearn must know that people want details or they wouldn't be offering detail parts found on their Genesis models. Anytime any of you want to disparage us "rivet counters" of the 70's and 80's, just think how you'd like to still run the blue box Athearn SD45 with a roof so wide you could land aircraft. Scale-width hood was the type of the prototype modeling iceberg, correct horns, bells, doors, etc. were always part of the hobby. The days of wood cars and spaghetti layouts... I remember an article in an old modeling magazine*, probably 1940s, about building a "streamline" diesel loco. It looked like an EMD Rock Island TA unit, maybe. The shell was constructed by layering glue-soaked paper strips on a wooden form. You had to carve your own form. When the glue had cured, you "sanded" the shell by rubbing it on a concrete floor. * WAY before my time- the mag was "historic" when I saw it in the '70s. |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Mar 12, 2017 19:15:26 GMT -8
Brakie, Usually, the steam heads called 'em "disease-ls".  Well, as was related once by an old timer, "The only people who like steam are those who never worked on one!" There's something to be said for being able to go to work on a loco and come home with clean overalls... |
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Post by edwardsutorik on Mar 12, 2017 20:13:48 GMT -8
On a related:
I once asked an elderly relative if he missed using horses on his farm.
Nope.
Ed
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Post by artfulldodger on Mar 24, 2017 9:26:16 GMT -8
The best for me is the Altas yellow box era with the Kato silky smooth drive. The lack of lots of extra details on the body is a god send for me, being autistic, I will more often jab my fingers in to the darn body when trying to grasp and pick it up due to body/space judgement issues and hand cordination issues. In analog DC they have the best headlights and to me, the smoothness of the Kato drive has yet to be achieved by the Chinese. They get close but do not equil it yet IMHO. The old Kato drives are also more affordable if you shop wisely. I got my last one given to me, was in pieces at the bottom of a box of junky HO stuff at the local shop for resale, otherwise its perfect and in the beautiful Boston & Maine colors. Cheers Mike
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Post by dsertdog56 on Mar 24, 2017 10:25:58 GMT -8
I had an enjoyable time reading this. Actually I learned quite a bit. I grew up in this hobby, and inherited the love for it from my father, who switched from O to HO when he returned from WW2. I don't remember my father and his cronies discussing prototypes with such vigor, but they could have. My father seemed to have an amazing supply of brass castings and the like when he died, along many half built or busted pieces of brass engines whittled out of scrap braas by his end mill or lathe. These he bought before meeting my mother.My dad was a rivet counter, but only where with his stuff. There were times though, where he made exceptions. I digress, but a post mentioning the AHM RS-2 reminded me of the one my father purchased back in the '70s, probably because it was painted Monon Black and gold. I still have that crude little bugger, and a dummy version I renumbered. I doubt you pull more than 6 cars with it, but I don't care. No one mentioned the Roundhouse/MDC RS3 either. Wow! I heard y'all groaning like someone collectively passing a kidney stone... but I bought one back in the 80's and painted it Rock Island red. Compared to Atlas and the ilk, I'm sure it's all wrong.I know the windows are different since Atlas glazing is too short. But it's mine and with the added weight it's likely the best crawler in my fleet. I'm sure that in some other life I'll be able to afford an expensive and accurate engine. Until then...I'll have to compromise a bit. And never post photos of the AHM diesels here...or won't I...  |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Mar 24, 2017 21:13:18 GMT -8
dsertdog56,
FYI: the Athearn RTR RS-3 uses most of the MDC/Roundhouse tooling, with some improvements to the grabs, stack, and lights, etc.
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Well, as was related once by an old timer, "The only people who like steam are those who never worked on one!" There's something to be said for being able to go to work on a loco and come home with clean overalls...
