Reader Feedbackshelf), or offered something the Internetcan’t, they might do better. I’ve gone intomany stores, not just hobby shops, lookingfor something, and first words out oftheir mouths are “I can order it and haveit in a couple of days.” Right! I used towork in a train store. We’d order onMonday. If you came in on Tuesday andordered something we didn’t have(which was highly unlikely), we wouldn’thave it until a week from Friday,assuming the local distributor had it instock. If we had to order it fromWalther’s, it would take an extra week(you know the mail).Have your local dealers thoughtabout selling their products online? Mostof the shops I do business with haveInternet sites. I may not buy from theirsite, but I know what they carry and cancheck what’s in stock, or send them anemail, so they’ll have it when I stop inthe next time. The Internet isn’t infallible.I ordered from a dealer who said theyhad an item in stock, and didn’t find outuntil the order arrived that they reallydidn’t. Had I known, I could haveordered that item from someone else.Mr. Shuster writes: “The term ’snailmail’ also makes me bristle”. Well relativelyspeaking, the U.S. Mail is slow. Joe[OST’s Editor] sends me an email sayingthe next issue of O SCALE TRAINS is inthe mail, and three weeks later it stillhasn’t arrived. I order electronic partsfrom a major distributor in the Midwest. Iknow what’s in stock, what the price is,how much shipping is, when it will beshipped, and I get a tracking numberwhen it actually is shipped, so I’ll behome to receive it (I’m retired). Andsometimes it is shipped by Priority Mail,if it weighs less than 8 oz. Over 8 oz.,and it’s cheaper to use FedEx or UPS. Ifone distributor doesn’t have somethingin stock, I can order it elsewhere, and Idon’t have to wait for the Post Office todeliver my order to them, wait for thePost Office to return the letter sayingthey are out of the item, and then repeatthe whole process again with the nextdistributor.Now maybe you like to write letters; Idon’t. I can type much faster than I canwrite, and everyone can read it. If I makea mistake, I don’t need a bottle of White-Out or an ink eraser. I just back spaceand try again. And I really don’t likespending 37 cents each time I send a letter.Yes, I know, 37 cents is a lot cheaperthan $600 for a computer or $99 for a settop Internet box, but I don’t expect to bearound in 50 years, so I don’t want towaste a lot of time writing letters.No doubt you’ve noticed that JohnSmith is getting out of the hobby business,so you won’t have to worry abouthow much “clout” he carries. And in 20years, 90% of the U.S. will have Internetaccess; there will still be that last 10%who don’t have telephones, TVs, indoorplumbing, or computers without Internetaccess.To Mr. Sunderland of East Gary CarCompany (Letters, OST#13): You complainyou can’t make a living in O <strong>Scale</strong>.So where is your ad in O SCALETRAINS? In fact, I looked in some of myother model railroad magazines andcouldn’t find an ad for your company.Now, I must admit, I seem to rememberseeing an ad somewhere, but I don’tremember what it is you make. Andsince you don’t have a web site, I can’tgo look at it and see if there is anything Iwant. It’s no wonder you can’t make aliving In O <strong>Scale</strong>.Bob Hayes (via email)(Editors note: Current estimates say75% of the U.S. population has Internetaccess.)Looking For Helpful InfoI am a new subscriber looking forwardto my first issue (May), although Ipurchased several back issues andenjoyed them very much. I was a Lionel3-Railer as a young boy and now manyyears later working in building an O<strong>Scale</strong> (in the very early stage). The magazineis very informative, helpful, enlighteningand enjoyable.At this stage of my planning the followingis very helpful: layout design(would like to mix in a short line of On3with O <strong>Scale</strong> the primary), comparisonof track (suitable radius) and track bed(advantages of each type), types of ballastto be used (including size, color,etc.), more info on DCC (TMCC) withsound, power supplies recommended,(names), turnouts recommended, sceneryis always enjoyable (especially water), aspecific article on new O <strong>Scale</strong> trainsavailable (include picture if available,companies web site and possibly areview - its difficult to hunt for all companieswith O <strong>Scale</strong>), wiring under thetable, web sites handling O <strong>Scale</strong> vehicles-trucks-people.One thing I would really like to see isa continuation of your article on thebuilding of your layout. It would be niceto track a layout from beginning to end.Please give us more detail about howyou are doing something, advantagesand disadvantages of your selections,track and bed selection, frame designand materials, wiring, power supplies,etc. Actually, an additional more detailedarticle (for subscription members only)on your web site would be a greatencouragement to purchase the magazine.I haven’t seen anybody tell the lifecycle of their layout in detail. It would bevery helpful and meaningful to be ableto follow all that happens. You couldexpand upon this with others advice,why you chose this over that, etc.Thanks again for a wonderful magazine.Ed Piccolienpiccoli@msn.comJoe G responds: Ed, some of what youare looking for is included in our book“A Guide To Modern O <strong>Scale</strong>”, somewill be in future articles. The restdepends on our readers contributing thematerial. As for my layout, I do intend toinclude as much of the development andconstruction process as I can. The truth isI have the benchwork up and that’s allI’ve accomplished since January. I have,however, been laying in supplies. I’mgoing to use AtlasO code 148 track onCalifornia Roadbed’s Homabed. Switcheswill be a mix of AtlasO and handbuilt.I hope to have a twice-around loopcompleted before the summer is over.Keep watching the magazine for news.Geep UpgradeThere are a lot of Red Caboose GPsout there and maybe a lot are unfinished.Mine is at least 8 or 9 years old whenKarl Geffchen made a special run paintedfor the Erie. Now I see the unpoweredkits offered at quite reasonable prices.For those who are not aware, CliftonBackshop makes a brass replacementfloor/frame that is milled out of heavybrass. I bought mine from Des PlainsHobbies. It’s almost a straight forwardreplacement for the plastic frame.I also replaced the drive with a P&Dset of trucks which are absolutely gorgeous.They look like they came from ajewelry store.The Clifton Backshop floor is milledand drilled to take the original motormount and truck mountings. It’s not thatdifferent for the P&D drive. The biggestitem is the coupler mount that needs tobe cut from the original floor andthinned until a 2-56 screw fits throughthe coupler box. The piece cut from theold frame holds the whole mess together.It ends up ready to take the superstructureas a very substantial assemblyand adds the weight of the brass to thefinished locomotive.44 • O <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> - July/Aug ’04
Bob Garrelts, Tarpon Springs, FloridaUpdate on Lionel O <strong>Scale</strong> milk carI have had a few derailments of theLionel Milk Reefers after converting themfor 2-Rail operation per the article I coauthoredin O <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> #7. I foundthat the buffer springs were too stiff. Ireplaced them with Kadee couplersprings, the small ones. Presto... no morederailments.The best way to get to these buffersprings is with the roof removed.Straighten out the two round tangs onthe buffer plate with a long thin pair ofneedle nose pliers or similar tool so thebuffer can be removed to replace thesprings.After replacing the springs, insertbuffer and bend the end of each tangslightly to retain the buffer plate in it’smount.Dick Bregler (via email)back of the cylinder to the AB valve (where it islightly glued).Jace Kahn (mostly Fairbanks, Alaska) by emailWhat in the World?Dear Sir,Enclosed is a photo of some sort of M.O.W.unit. The back end folds down and trails 10yards in the back of it. Can you tell me, please,what this M.O.W. unit is?I enjoy your magazineMarvin G. Weber754 Winn RoadMooresboro, NC 28114-8228Anybody know what this is? Write Marv.◆50 Mile TrekI modeled in HO <strong>Scale</strong> for a little over30 years and then turned 50 years old.My eyesight went and I had to switch tothe bi-focal gauge. I attended a trainshow and obtained a copy of your book“A Guide to Modem O <strong>Scale</strong>” and read ittwice the same night. I wish I’d had it inthe very beginning; it would have savedme quite a bit of work on my present layout.I didn’t allow enough room forcurves and ended up moving a wall inmy basement four feet and tearing out abunch of track. Live and learn.I read in the back of the book that M& S <strong>Trains</strong> in Columbus, Ohio, carried O<strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, a publicationdevoted entirely to O <strong>Scale</strong>. I drove over50 miles to obtain the March/April issue.It was terrific and I’ve enclosed a checkfor a subscription!Please keep up the great work andkeep showing the proper way to modelin O <strong>Scale</strong>.Phillip Rowe, Marysville, OhioWeaver Gon AddendumSince I wrote my review of theWeaver gondola in OST#14, I managedto buy another one, red this time. Ithought I might mention that the underframes(including the brake gear) for allcars should be black. Particular modelersmay want to unscrew the cast underframeand repaint it to match a nonblackcar. It is not difficult, but one doesneed to pry the brake gear carefully fromthe underside after unscrewing the centersill and cross-member casting, payingattention to the airline that leads from theJuly/Aug ’04 - O <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> • 45
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