|
Model Railroader's Catalogue, The By Corey & Ochoa Soft Cover 1991 256 Pages
The Model Railroaders Catalogue By Corey & Ochoa Soft Cover 1991 256 Pages
Model railroading is magic! I'm sorry I'd like to be able to give you a more precise and technical description, but after twenty-five years in the hobby, I find nothing else says it quite so well.
This hobby is many things to each of us who invest our time in it. The model railroader has the opportunity to become a model builder, a collector, an artist in three dimensions, a carpenter, an historian, a traveler in time and space, an electrician, a surveyor, a photographer, a solitary laborer, and a gregarious social animal.
This may sound rather awe-inspiring at first, and, unfortunately, some people are frightened away from the hobby before they've even begun for fear they must be an expert in all of these fields to succeed. Nothing could be farther from the truth-many people get their start at a very tender age after discovering a train set under the Christmas tree! You can have a great time with this hobby without taking it any further. The possibility of a deeper involvement, however, is what allows model railroading to become a lifelong hobby-not just a great children's toy.
A large part of the attraction of model trains is the fascination with real railroads. They are very much a part of America-our social history, our industrial technology, our mythology. The brave engineer with his hand on the whistle and the punctual conductor consulting his watch are images as bright in our collective imagination as the powerful locomotive and the little red caboose in which they ride.
But modern railroads are not simply antiquated relics of a previous age. Today's locomotives contain sophisticated electronic controls that raise their price to a million dollars and more. Amtrak, the government-owned corporation that operates nearly all passenger service in the U.S., has carried more people every year since it began; and, despite competition from trucks and airplanes, rails still carry over a third of all intercity freight-including many trucks carried "piggyback." Satellite communications keep dispatchers informed of train locations, and one of the largest computer systems in the country keeps track of every freight car and shipment in North America twenty-four hours a day.
While modelers don't use satellite communications for their model railroad, they do use just about every other tool and technique imaginable-including computers-to enable and enhance their enjoyment of the hobby.
Whether you want to build an up-to-the-minute replica of a modern transportation network or run a fanciful toy train around a miniature "Big Rock Candy Mountain," model railroading has the range and variety to keep you busy for a lifetime. The careful historian who struggles to get every detail correct can find just as much satisfaction in the hobby as the collector who finds a train just like the one he had as a child or the freelance modeler who lets his imagination run wild.
If I had to pick one aspect of the hobby that makes model railroading special, it would have to be its social side. Model railroading, by its nature, is a group activity. Just as a real train employs an engineer, a conductor, brakemen, tower operators, station agents-an entire crew-model trains can employ the talents of a group. A gang of modelers can all work on the same railroad, passing each other's trains, picking up passengers, and all the while remaining in contact with the others.
Now this book isn't going to take you from blissful ignorance to master craftsman in a single step. A whole shelf of books couldn't do that, though there are plenty of instructional manuals mentioned herein that will help you along the way. In this volume the authors will give you an appreciation of the scope of the hobby; they consider each of the many facets of modeling trains and discuss a range of related activities. The text will also help you to select good basic products from the wide variety available, and point to ways you can get involved and learn more.
The authors explain the hobby in understandable terms-keeping the jargon to a minimum-and include a glossary to explain the special language that you just can't get by without. Furthermore, the text has been carefully reviewed by several expert modelers to verify the accuracy of the wealth of detailed information and the availability of the products mentioned.
Experienced model railroaders can also benefit from this book by using it to review their hobby. You may well find some new products discussed-or even some old products you missed when they first came out-as I did. Has your enthusiasm been slipping lately? Why not try a different aspect of the hobby? From modeling to collecting to railfanning, the possibilities and the challenges of model railroading are as boundless as your imagination.
You don't have to join a club to enjoy model railroading, and you don't have to belong to the National Model Railroad Association before you can buy a train. But it's too much fun to keep all to yourself, so gather your family, your friends, draft your boss if you have to! This book, large as it is, can only give you a good start in model railroading, but that's a start on something very special indeed.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
