| G-Gauge Gnus Editor: Ross Crain, Bx 29 Site 3 RR 2, Rocky Mountain House, AB, T0M 1T0 phone: 403-845-2527 email: ercrain@telusplanet.net Summer/Fall 1998 President's Message Welcome to this edition of the "new-format" RMGRS Newsletter. I hope you like it. We'll try for more and better images in the future. The RMGRS has been very active and has a number of new members. We are also slightly more formal with (sort of) regular meetings and dues of $5.00 per year. Some of the activities were the Supertrain 98 Show at Mewata in Calgary plus several open house meetings which included a scratchbuilding session, train runs, planning, and social hours. Please take time to attend some of the summer meetings, see the trains run, and meet new people. Bring potential new members, but please alert the host as to the number of people coming. Thanks to all the hosts for our regular meetings. Coming Events Editorial At shows and at home, the most common question, after "How much did it cost?", is "What do you do with model trains"? The answer is not simple. Some of us are collectors and seldom run the trains. Some are train fans who want models to remind them of the real thing. Some are model train operators who love to see models run, sometimes realistically, sometimes not. Some are modellers who scratchbuild or kitbash faithful or whimsical miniatures of their choosing. Others run trains straight out of the box with more or less attention to realism. A rare few in our climate actually run their trains in the garden - hence the name of our Society. With all this variety, there is little wonder that each of our members has a different slant on the hobby. There is room for all large scale enthusiasts in RMGRS. Large Scale on the Internet If you can't run trains due to the weather and can't afford to buy your next Shay, you can at least browse a magazine or cruise the information railroad - on the Internet. To do this you need a reasonable computer with Windows 3.x or Windows 95/98, a modem, an Internet browser software package, and a subscription to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Cadvision or Telus. Here are some of the things you'll find on the Internet: Large Scale On-Line Rating **** Great site, links to Garden Railway Magazine, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains, great classified ad section, club listings (including RMGRS), personal layout listings, links to a few manufacturers. Aristocraft Rating ***** Fabulous site with history, tech hints, complete catalog, links to hobby shops, lots of garden RR pictures, special offers, much more LGB Rating **** Great site, links to LGB (German and American branches), Telegram and Depesche magazines, complete catalog, pictures, new items Bachmann Rating * Poor site, out of date, no pictures, no links USA Trains Rating **** Great site, complete catalog, many pictures, new items Watt's Trainshop Rating ***** Fabulous site, complete catalog for 2 dozen manufacturers, lowest prices, best service, large scale only, pictures, sound system demos (requires free RealAudio software) Caboose Hobbies Rating *** Good site, enormous catalog for all scales including large scale, no pictures, not so low prices, but great service, links to rail fan sites (incl CN, CP) Diecast Car Club Rating ***** Want 1:24 cars and trucks for your large scale RR - here are pictures and listings for Franklin, Danbury and others, links to car fan clubs, other model sites and magazines Playboy Rating ** Some reasonable models but darn few trains Ratings by RC: ***** Fab **** Great *** Good ** Fair * Poor, based on content, ease of use, utility, appearance. There are 100's of hobby sites in the ** and *** catagory More Pictures There are lots of photo galleries on the Internet. Corel has over 60000 photos, of which 1700 are of railway themes. You can search for a topic, preview postage stamp sized versions quickly, download a "watermarked copy full size, then order a clean copy with your credit card. Help Needed To keep a meaningful newsletter, WE NEED news, reviews, articles, ideas, drawings, plans, and pictures from YOU, our members. Contact the editor with your contributions. |
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