Page 16 - NMRA Roundhouse January-February 2020

Photo: A bit of California NG: West Side Lumber#2 Heisler and Southern Pacific #1. (Mick Moignard)
Of course you may have a specific prototype or scene in mind that you want to emulate. In my case, that is the D&RGW and the RGS, as they were in 1951. Your choice of prototype will then override almost everything else.
Photo: A dramatic scene – the Georgetown Loop in the Colorado Rockies, as modelled by Harry Brunk on his HOn3 “Union Central & Northern” based on the Clear Creek District of the Colorado & Southern. (Mike Arnold)
Finding Out More
You’re going to need more information, depending on how deeply you plan to get into the subject. First choice is the obvious one these days, and that is to Google. Search for specific railroads and read about them, and follow links to find out more. There’s lots of basic information on Wikipedia about almost everything, and then there are myriad specialist web sites that cover specific railroads in great and even greater detail. One great example of this is Steve Hatch’s RGS site at http://www.rgsrr.com/rgs/model-list.html but there are many, many more.
Secondly there are books and magazines. There’s a number of specialist booksellers such as Linda Tinker and John Sutton who come to NMRA and related events; search what they have. In the magazine front, Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette is the leading publication, covering all sorts of prototypes and models in all scales, not just HOn3. Publisher White River Productions also offers the excellent HOn3 Annual. Both are available from dealers over here, or are easy to get direct. These days, NGSL Gazette subscriptions make sense to source direct, too - see http://ngslgazette.com/ (now owned by White River Productions).
Photo: Courtesy of Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette
Photo: ‘Up Clear Creek on the Narrow Gauge” by Harry Brunk details how he built his layout the “Union Central & Northern”, previously serialised in the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette 1985-1990. (Benchmark Publications)
Lastly there are societies and self-help groups. Start with NMRA Member Aid – details of that are in the Directory. You’ll find me
ROUNDHOUSE - January/February 2020
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