Yesterday, while driving around, I stopped into a Barnes & Noble to see if the last issue of RMC was on their shelf. It was, so a copy came home with me.
I read through the issue when I got home. There is a very nice article on Great Northern’s Plywood boxcars in there and some good coverage of the Spring Prototype Modelers meet in Malvern, PA.
It is with regret that Carstens Publicatons, Inc. will be closing permanently at close of business on Friday, August 22, 2014. Carstens Publications, Inc. has been a leading publisher of leading hobby magazines for over 50 years. Unfortunately the current economic climate has placed us in this position. Discussion is continuing with several parties who expressed desire to take on the continuance of the magazines. At this point there is still hope that all three titles will remain in existence. But I can offer no guarantees. We thank you for your patronage over the years, and wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
Henry R. Carstens, President Carstens Publications, Inc.
The cover above is from the February 1983 issue of RMC. It was the first time my name appeared inside an issue. I supplied photos for Eric Neubauer’s article on the PRR G32c gondolas. That started my relationship with RMC. They later published multiple modeling articles and prototype drawings of mine. I also drew illustrations for other people’s articles over the next few years. They really helped me when I was fresh out of art school.
One of the things I liked most when doing the illustrations was taking the ride up to Newton, NJ to drop off some drawings. I’d meet and have lunch with Bill Schaumburg. He would talk about all kinds of stuff, not just what was happening in the hobby but that always came up. When I first read the news, those visits is what first came to my mind.
I will miss the magazine, but I will miss the people and the conversations more.
Mother nature provided a spectacular day for a train show and it turned out to be one of EOS’s best Strasburg train shows. They had 65 different dealers filling 105 tables full of O scale models and materials. They had 115 attendees (a new record for the show) walk through the doors looking at the merchandise.
Now what about the stuff on the tables? There was a nice selection of older brass models out of personal collections, as well as new brass models on a couple of the dealer tables. The parts and decal supplies were enlarged over earlier shows with a couple of new returning dealers. We also had two magazines in attendance, The O Scale Resource and O Scale Trains.
On Bob Heil’s table he had a sample of the new Golden Gate PRR P70 FAR’s modernized coaches which looks very nice. He also had a model of a B&O Baggage car, with a sign asking who would like to see that model made in brass by Sunset. I’d like to see it made, but it would be another slip towards modeling the Trenton-Bound Brook line.
The Berkshire Car Shops also had a nice display of trolley cars and parts on the tables. I really like the Pacific Electric cars on their shelf. I have a soft spot for the Pacific Electric since my dad’s uncle worked for them.
Fran Pfeil’s table had a nice selection of models for sale.
