Diesel Modeler’s Guide, Volume 1

Diesels first began appearing on American railroads over 65 years ago. And it wasn’t long thereafter that they began to appear on model railroaders’ layouts. Although frequently prized as collectibles today, those early replicas of diesel-electric locomotives are quite crude by today’s standards. The tide began to turn in the 1950s with the growing use of injection-molding techniques that made it possible to offer fairly accurate models at a reasonable price.

But for most modelers, diesels continued to be considered “all alike” for at least another 20 years. Oh, to be sure, modelers recognized the differences between E and F units and Geeps and SDs among EMD products and FAs, PAs and RSs for ALCo products along with other less-common, but very distinctive, units from other manufacturers, but many, if not most, would have been hard-pressed to recognize the difference between an F3 and an F7. And you could virtually forget any modeler knowing about phase differences.

But time marches on, and modelers have become far more discriminating. Working hand-in-hand with modeler's demands and expectations, the manufacturers that supply us with the model products we need have continued to improve the quantity and quality of models and detailing parts to make it possible for us to create as accurate a model as each of us sees fit. Whether our interests lie in first-generation or contemporary diesels, the models and parts necessary to recreate a prototype in HO scale are available more often than not. And new products continue to appear, further expanding the possibilities.

As depicted by the cover, Volume 1 of the Diesel Modeler’s Guide starts off with a look at the NW2 and the roads that used them. The pages that follow provide the reader with useful prototype information as well as tips, techniques and insights from noted modelers on a variety of locomotives from roads across the continent. All of the articles were originally published in 1994 and 1995 issues of Model Railroading magazine. The articles have been grouped by railroad and compiled to provide a handy reference guide for the diesel modeler.

The cover photo of Western Pacific NW2 608 shows the prototype locomotive as it has been restored and preserved by The Feather River Rail Society for display at the Portola Railroad Museum in Portola, CA. The efforts of organizations like these play an important role in the preservation of railroad history. But they are not alone. Modelers who recreate these locomotives in miniature are also doing their part in preserving the heritage of the rails.

Randy Lee
Editor/Publisher