From the pages of Canadian Railway Modeller: Morgan Turney, in his own words

  CRM to the rescue! With the demise of Trackside Modeller, subscribers to that publication were given a subscription to CRM. (Does anyone have any back issues?) And Morgan muses about buying an abandoned rail line and creating a short line—no more just model railroading! He also writes about the importance of clubs. The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club, where he was a long-time member, celebrates 70 years this year. I don’t know if that makes it the oldest club in Canada, but it is one of the oldest for sure.   This issue brings you our first feature on Canadian model railway clubs, the Erin Mills Model Railroad Association.   Model railway clubs play a huge role in our hobby, especially to a beginner. They are a place where beginners can begin to get a feel for the hobby and get some answers to the many questions that run through their minds. Veteran's can also get satisfaction from belonging to a club, as is evident in the article.   Of course, belonging to a cl...

“If you have Internet access, take a look at our site and let us know what you think.” That’s what Morgan wrote in 1996 when CRM’s new website was created. Do you remember a time when most people didn’t have access? It wasn’t that long ago—just 29 years. The world sure is a different place today! Morgan also pays tribute to Jack Work, a Canadian who was considered by many to have been a pioneer in the hobby of model railroading. This issue contained an article about Jack by Stafford Swain, himself accomplished model railroader. And Morgan notes the closing of Canada’s other model railroad magazine that year. Yes, there once were two in this country!   In this issue, we pay tribute to one of Canada's exquisite modellers: Jack Work. Jack, who passed away this summer, was well known for his fine modelling skills. His numerous scratchbuilding projects appeared in Model Railroader magazine during the 1950s and '60s long before anybody was producing any models that resembled Canadi...

  In this Dome Car, Morgan provides information about a little-known feature of Canadian railroading: The tree planting car, which he visited that summer. And big news: CRM will soon be on the Web. In 1996, there were an estimated 257,000 websites in the world, so CRM was certainly on the leading edge in that area. Looking back on it from today, it’s cruelly ironic to read how excited Morgan was about that development; it was the Web that contributed greatly to the death of the magazine. Just like you don't need a tree planting car anymore, since everything is online.   Ah, the good old summer time! If you like to haunt the odd railway museum like I do, now's the best time of the year for it.   I heard from our magazine designer Debbie at DM Desktop that she and her family happened upon a 'tree planting car' while camping in the Sandilands area of eastern Manitoba. It sounded like a very interesting car, one of which I'd not heard of before.   So when Jim Mart...

  Along with publishing CRM, Morgan was active in the local Winnipeg Model Railway Club for many years, including helping organize and run train shows. That experience prompted him to find ways to promote other clubs across the country. He puts in a plug for advertisers, and adds a bit of prototype news—some years later, that would become a regular part of the magazine, with yours truly responsible for collecting and writing it.   One aspect of our great hobby that personally appeals to me is participating in our annual Winnipeg Model Railroad Club show here in Winnipeg. Sharing the work load, entering contests and generally helping the public understand what railway modelling is all about is very pleasing.   Naturally, putting on an annual show is not an easy task. Arrangements need to be made for space (assuming your club doesn't have a permanent residence) and members have to coordinate their efforts through an organizing committee to ensure a successful exhibi...