I was looking forward to the December issue of Garden Railways because
the previous issue had announced that a new regular column devoted to small
scale live steam would debut in the December issue. What a disappointment.
The first topic in the column "Raising Steam" (p. 110) is "Radio controlling
the Ruby." The column got only one (1) page; two-thirds is text and
one-third is two photographs, one of the radio rig and one of the Ruby sans
cab with the radio rig in place. While the column discusses the process, it
is short on information that is needed to make it relatively simple for
readers to benefit from the column. There are no drawings or specs even for
thickness of the brass sheet. There are no specific brand names for
components used in the project. There are no drawings or specs on the
linkages. There is no gauge given for the wire in the antennae. As an
encouragement for someone's *first* project in installing radio control on
"a popular choice for a first live-steam locomotive" the information is too
sparse for a first-timer who has never purchased radio-control equipment let
along figuring out how to assemble and install it in the confines of a Ruby
cab. It shows that it *can* be done but is too short on drawings to show
*how* it is done. Jeff Young writes the column, and the problem seems to
be more in the editorial distribution of space than with his know-how. For
examples, while the Ruby project got only one page and no drawings
whatsoever, the same amount of space, one page (p. 86), was given to "Build
a G-scale [just what is G "scale" anyway?] bumper," and three pages (pp.
74-76) were given to an article on using an old radio to cause flickering
marker lights, and two-thirds of page 74 is a picture of a caboose with
marker lights. I've seen more cabooses with marker lights than I have Ruby
locomotives with radio control in the cab. Furthermore this marker article
contains manufacturer and part number for the marker lights. The real
killer is a two page article on "Quick-and-easy ore cars, Kitbashing for
beginners" (pp. 78-79) that includes almost two-thirds of a page devoted to
drawings that illustrate how to glue two boards to three boards to get a
side that is five-boards high. Again, this article makes reference to
specific brand names for the components to be used. Yes, the magazine
includes a regular column of musings by Peter Jones and an occasional review
of a small-scale live-steam loco, but it's pretty clear that when it comes
to dividing up the pages in Garden Railways small scale live steam is at the
bottom of the list.
Bob Blackson
