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 Posted - April 11 2016 : 3:29:50 PM
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I buy old books and review them for you here.
Wm K Walthers, HANDBOOK OF MODEL RAILROADING, 1937
A general guidebook from the early years of model railroading as a popular hobby, when Walthers had been manufacturing for five years. As a whole, it seems to be a fun casual read, but it doesn't reach out and grab me as I am already pretty-well immersed in mid-30s model railroading through old issues of the Model Craftsman and Model Railroader, et cetera. I did find a few gems.
First, the table of signal aspects that Louis H. Hertz put in several of his own books also appears in this one, and may have been sourced from it (or perhaps from the Modelmaker, which corporation was the publisher of this book as well.)
Second, "There are three types of scale rail in common use: steel, aluminum, and brass." The steel referenced is the older type which rusted easily; it was unplated drawn steel, unlike Tyco Tru-Steel which is a galvanized rail. The gem, though, is that Walthers goes on to state that brass is the best of the three, because it oxidizes least, and its oxide is conductive. I wonder at which point between then and the 1950s it was that copper / zinc oxides lost their conductivity... :)
Recommended if you want an introduction to 1937; mildly recommended if you are already familiar with the period.
Frank Taylor, 20 RAILROAD MODELS
and
Stevens et al, 24 EASY TO BUILD FREIGHT CARS
These are both by Kalmbach, the former from wartime, the latter postwar, but there is little or no overlap. Taylor presents projects built up from brass and wood using advanced methods, and includes structures and bridges as well as cars and a cool gas-electric which includes instructions on building a power truck (a simple vertical-motor type with a chain drive coupling the two driven axles, almost a standard for O scale at that time). The trestle that Louis H. Hertz presents in HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR MODEL RAILROAD is a project in this book, and the Hertz book's plans are derived either from it, or from the Model Railroader article where it probably appeared (I think this book is a compilation of articles, and I know the Stevens book is.)
The Stevens book is an article compilation which focuses entirely on freight cars (and some non-revenue cars). Stevens uses less costly materials such as cardstock and wood, and designs his projects for speed and economy. Many of his subjects are unusual: a pickle car, a unique wheel car, a heavy-duty flat. The reason, I think, is to give maximum interest for the investment in time and materials. Boxcars are easy to get, so why make a special time investment in building a slightly different one, when in practice nobody is likely to give it a second look, once it's on the rails?
The Taylor book is recommended for its depth of coverage and broad project range. The Stevens book is strongly recommended for anyone who likes to build things.
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