Nutgraf

And now, proudly presenting Part II of interview with Mr. John Rotsart, Executive Director, San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park.

To refresh:

• Here is Part I, where we learned the phases of a model railroading project.
• The San Diego Model Railroad Museum
• Balboa Park

I know that often aerial photos of railroads and cities are used. Has accessibility to these resources changed in light of increasing homeland security concerns?

Aerial photography has gained a wide following among those who model a particular railroad.  Because this is the era of mega-mergers, rail fans are often chased off the best hiking and photo locations by railroad security. However, in my own experience I haven’t noticed any aerial security changes. The advent of satellite photography enhances a modeler’s understanding of the terrain, physical features and watersheds one is modeling.

How did you get started with model railroading?

My start in model railroading dates to a time I was six years old and my Uncle Ray gave my brother (his godchild) a Lionel 027 “Scout” train set for Christmas. He soon grew tired of the trains, but I had an interest, and our Dad bought some used toy trains rolling stock for us. When I was 12 Dad bought a box of HO (1/87 actual size) train stuff and we changed scales.  With Dad’s help building a 5X9 fold down HO layout, I created scenery out of papier-mâché. My cousin, who lived two blocks away, got interested in HO narrow gauge and I followed with a new shelf layout in our two-car garage. I soon was stymied by trackwork and electrical challenges.

My model railroading then had as turn for the better when six boys on Central Avenue in Lemon Grove decided to organize a model railroad club. Three other boys joined us for the first meeting in October 1961.  In time this interest group mutated into the La Mesa Model Railroad Club.  The father of one of the boys worked for Ray Fellows, the then Mayor of La Mesa. Ray arranged for the club to occupy the upper floor of Nebo Hall, the old La Mesa firehouse and jail as the teen club space.  Another attorney friend of Mayor Fellows incorporated the club as 501 (c) (7) in November 1962.

What is the most incredible thing in the museum that visitors should not miss?

Our museum features scale model railroads of San Diego County and Kern County, CA.  The most exciting structures in the museum mimic one another.  The high timber trestle in Corrizo Gorge is still out there in east county. We have both an HO version and an N scale (1/160 actual size) version.  The HO version was made from scale lumber during World War II.  The N scale used a CAD computer program in 1989 with plans furnished by the actual railroad. It’s all styrene plastic.  Two other sights to see are the marvelous 1,600 sq. ft.  3-rail toy train exhibit, and the world famous Tehachapi Loop on the La Mesa Model Railroad Club. If the Tehachapi Mezzanine is closed when you visit, just ask a La Mesa Club operator to give you a guided tour.

There are a several different scales of model railroads. There must be a reason people choose to work with one – what’s the advantage of one size over another?

Choosing a scale in model railroading is often based on available space for a layout.  Sixty years ago before World War II the most popular size of model railroads was O scale (1/48 actual size) same as Lionel trains. After the war, HO scale (Half O) became enormously popular and by the early 1950s overtook O scale in popularity among hobbyists. That contrasted with to toy trains where Lionel O gauge still reined as most popular.  Basically one could cram much more railroad in HO.  By the 1970s an even smaller size “N scale”  (1/160 or nearly half HO) on the model railroad scene, again imported from Europe at the beginning of its marketing career.

Over the years, the performance of the operating scale model trains has improved tremendously. Going from brass to nickel silver rail helped continuity problems. Switching to Digital Command Control (DCC was perfected in the 1990s but dates from the 1970s) from old analog electrical control systems helped make modern model railroads much more realistic (and much more expensive). Lastly, in the late 1970s size moved in the other direction with large scale garden model railroading where enthusiasts could combine the best of both hobbies—model trains and gardening into an single outdoor experience.

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