From the Dome Car: Train 10 Track 4 (February, 2001)

 

The previous issue, with its feature article about Dave Winter’s G scale layout, prompted a lot of feedback about that scale—something Morgan notes in this Dome Car. And he also notes that CRM is coming near the end of its tenth year, which he is looking forward to celebrating. One thing that caught him by surprise was the number of subscribers from other countries who model Canadian railways. That was unexpected! We were able to feature a couple of them in the magazine. 

We had some very positive feedback to the article about Dave Winter's G scale layout in Train 10 Track 3. It seems there are a lot more G scalers out there than we had anticipated. One fellow called to tell me that the entire back yard of his home is one great big outdoor layout. Now that would be something to see! He told me that it frees up his basement, something his wife is happy about. 

It's not surprising that outdoor railroading is so popular. The nice thing about it is that it gets one outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and in many cases, the hobby of gardening, too. (I'm astounded at the number of modellers who are also gardeners.) The larger size of G scale also makes it very easy to handle. 

And it looks good. G scale manufacturers are coming out now with very authentic-looking models that closely resemble their smaller scale brothers. The recent surge of G scale products in the marketplace has helped increase the popularity of the garden railroading hobby. 

In a recent issue of Gardens West, published by Cornwall Publishing Company Ltd., the magazine featured several garden layouts from the Vancouver and Calgary areas, complete with some great looking photos. And, just like in the smaller scales, garden railroading clubs are beginning to spring up everywhere. 

Some of the topics discussed at their meetings are a little different though; at a typical meeting of the Rocky Mountain Garden Railroaders of Calgary, members discuss not only trackwork, locomotives and rolling stock, but also woodworking and what plants to use in their gardens to better simulate the correct scale of their trains. New varieties of dwarf plants are being introduced at some garden centres that are targeted specifically to the railway gardener. 

And scratchbuilding rolling stock is also a popular topic. We hope to bring some of these garden layouts to our readers in future issues. And, talking about the future, this magazine is approaching another milestone: Train 10 Track 6 will complete the 10th year that we've been able to bring our readers this Canadian publication! 

A lot has happened in those ten years, especially in the development of models that are specifically directed to Canadian modellers. New companies have formed; more and better products have been developed by existing companies; and Canadian modellers have been much more informed. 

I think what has surprised me over the past decade is the number of modellers interested in Canadian modelling that live outside Canada. We have a large contingent of readers living in the United States and overseas that are regular subscribers and readers. (It takes up to two months sometimes for the current issue to reach some overseas readers.) Our thanks go out to every reader; without you, we wouldn't still be here today. 

And so, as the year quickly unfolds (Groundhog Day sure went by fast this year, didn't it?), the folks here look forward to continuing with the presentation of your material to our readers. Whether it be in the form of articles, prototype photographs, modeller' s photos, club shows and events, new web sites, book reviews, new products, new manufacturers or hobby shop advertising and marketing, we'll continue to do our best to bring you, our reader, the information and kind of reporting that we've all grown to expect from the magazine. Thank you for your valued support; we'll catch you in the next issue.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From the Dome Car: Train 3 Track 3 (February-March 1993)

Image
    A price increase! And not the last time. Prices for everything kept going up; finding a way to balance costs and revenue was an ongoing challenge for Morgan. And we get a report about his plan to give a train set for Christmas to some neighbour boys. New collector cards are coming, and we hear the common refrain again for more articles. Journalism, it is said, is either an act of commission—going to get articles—or collection—waiting for them to come in. The latter approach is less expensive but riskier; that’s the approach Morgan took. Later, when I became involved, I would search out articles and work with authors, trying to keep the hopper full. It was always a challenge. With Groundhog Day behind us, it's only a matter of time now before the snow will be gone and I can drag the BBQ out of the shed and burn up a steak or two! We've had our share of the white stuff this year. On the plus side, the railfanning in the snow and cold was great! Our plans this year in...
Read more

From the Dome Car: Train 3 Track 1 (August-September 1992)

Image
  It’s sounding like a broken record by now: Morgan defending the tardiness of the magazine. Sure sounds like model railroaders had high expectations for getting CRM on time! Through it all, he manages to keep his cool, although I know the criticism weighed on him—he was doing his best at something he had never done before and with many things beyond his control. Like he said in the Dome Car below, it’s significant there’s any Canadian model railway magazine at all.   I've had some interesting mail lately outlining concerns regarding the type of letters we publish from our readers and about CRM publishing late.   To those few questioning our tardiness, I suggest they read some of our past editorials and letters on this matter of being 'behind'. In reality, we aren't behind. Prior to Train 1, Track 1, our Premier Issue, there wasn't a four-colour, glossy, Canadian content, model train magazine published exclusively for those that model Canadian roads! And, it...
Read more

From the Dome Car: Train 7 Track 4 (August-September 1997)

Image
Remember when collecting  President’s Choice trainsets was all the craze? Maybe some of you still have them in your basements or attics! When we cleaned out Morgan’s basement after his death, I think he had two of each set there. (Sold to support his widow, along with the rest of his model railroad collection.) Morgan was a big booster of Boris Polakow and his trainsets for Loblaws, seeing them as a way to introduce kids to the hobby.   When we think of manufacturers of model railway products, names like Walthers, Model Die Casting and Athearn quickly come to mind. Chances are you wouldn't include Loblaws in that group, but since 1992 the grocery chain-giant has been one of the largest retailers of model trains in Canada, selling 60,000 specially-produced train sets.   It all started with an idea by Boris Polakow, Vice President of Canadian Sales Development for Lob law's Private Label. As a kid, Boris was fascinated by trains, building three HO scale layouts with his...
Read more