US $5.95 • Can $7.95 - O scale trains

BOOK REVIEW:Faces Of Railroading: Portraits Of America’s Greatest IndustryBy Carl A. Swanson.Kalmbach Publishing Company. Hardcover; 160 pages;160 b&w photos; $29.95.P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612, 262-796-8776, www.trains.com.reviewed by K Jeb KriigelOne of the goals of famed railroad photographer O. Winston Link wasto photograph not only the machinery of the railroads, but to capture thehuman side as well. Faces of Railroading does just that by providing 160images of people with trains. This collection of photos features the work ofLink, Steinheimer, Wood, and others. Images by professional railroad photographersand creative amateurs are presented side-by-side. But, these arenot the usual photos that appear again and again in other railroad books.Author Carl A. Swanson has done an outstanding job of gathering veryunique and interesting images that portray the people behind the greatestindustry America has ever seen. He provides brief, but thorough, commentaryon each page. Many of these photos I have not seen before. Theseimages show the faces of the humans who made this thing work from allsides of the track: stations and depots, locomotive facilities, backshops, andyard offices. Railroad work was not pretty, but it represented the efforts of aprofessional group of laborers who were not afraid to get their hands dirtyand apply their skills to do whatever it took to get the job done.The faces shown are quite literally the unsung heroes of railroading inAnimated ‘Neon’ Signs: $32.95Miller EngineeringPO Box 282New Canaan, CT 06840203-595-0619 www.microstru.comreviewed by Ted ByrneMiller Engineering, under the name “Light Works USA”, produces animatedscale size “neon” signs for model train layouts. They have a widevariety of signs that would be seen on a business street in the Neon era, forexample a sign for a hotel that lights up: H, HO, HOT, HOTE, HOTEL.They call them “neon” signs because that is what they mimic, but theyactually use electroluminescence. Electroluminescence is defined as “thenon-thermal conversion of electrical energy into light”. In other words, youcan create light other than by heating a light bulb filament until it glows. Aplastic sheet is coated with chemicals that will cause light to be given offwhen a voltage is applied between the chemicals and the sheet. Electroluminescencehas been available for years, but only now is it slowly makingits way into mainstream applications.A unit from Miller consists of the electroluminescent plastic sheet, a batteryholder for AAA batteries, a small control module, a multiwirecable, and a connector that fastens onto the edge of theplastic sheet. The plastic is about 0.020” thick, about the same assix sheets of paper.The model I tested consists of text and firecracker burst patternsin five steps, six colors and two brightness levels. Colordisplays in 46 different sequences can be selected. Some areinappropriate for this particular pattern, but many are quite dramatic.It really draws attention to an urban area of a train layout.It is described as an HO/O billboard and is designed withthe wire patterns at the bottom of the plastic sheet simulating thestructure that holds the sign upright. It is 3 1 ⁄2” wide and 2 1 ⁄8”high, with another 3 ⁄4” as the simulated support. This would be,in O Scale, 14’ by 8 1 ⁄2’ with a 3’ high support. Typically, it wouldbe mounted on the roof or wall of a building with the connector,wire, control module and batteries placed inside. The brightnessof the displays is quite adequately, but they are more effective ifused in a shadowed area. It only glows on one side, but two canthe mid-20thcentury whentraveling meantgoing by train.And the trainm e a n t g o o djobs for thousa n d s o fAmericans. The country was held in place by the railroads during theGreat Depression. As America entered World War II the railroads werecalled upon to rush train after train of troops and supplies to the front. Withthe post-war industrial boom, the railroads again provided the link thatmade it all happen. Behind it all were the dedicated railroad people whowere always at their posts of duty.If you are interested in railroad history, railroading, or just enjoy lookingat railroad images, this book is sure to please. If modeling railroads isyour cup of tea, the unique images presented here will provide behindthe-scenesideas for projects, as many of the photos are unique andnever-before-published. The ultra-high resolution images are printed onsuperior paper and make this a very attractive book that is easy to look atand enjoy.be installed back-to-back for light in both directions. In fact, the modelswith vertical text are made with connections available on both the left andright side, to enable a double-sided sign to be created. It is very realistic.In use, the unit consumes about 0.05 Amperes of current, so batteriesshould last a while. You can also use 3 to 4.5 volts DC from your layoutpower supply instead of batteries. Then, the power to the sign turns on andoff with your layout power, or can be wired to go on at “night” as you wish.You cannot power it through a resistor from a higher voltage DC supplybecause the current varies depending on how much of the plastic is lit atany given time. Instead, a voltage regulator should be used (e.g. a LM 317and a resistor). Internally, the Miller unit steps up the DC power to a highfrequency AC voltage about five times the input DC voltage. This is still alow enough voltage to be safe.To see the full variety of animated signs (at different prices) checkMiller’s website or call them for a catalog. The company also makes laseretched scale model buildings, but almost all are for HO or smaller scales.The items are also sold through the Walthers Large Scale catalog.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 49