Re: Preservation at less than 12"=12"

pmc,
---"Just think of all the money and time spent on shadows when so much could of been preserved, rebuilt, and operated. Too many take the easy way out, don't get their hands dirty, and it's all gone (like John Allen's) at their passing."
I am a modeler. I agree with you, as a general rule. I avoid the model discussions and find them distracting. Now for the exception to the rule.
Some of the best and most detailed research into railroad technology & history is accomplished by high-quality model makers. These are the guys/gals that will measure dozens of photos to accurately recreate buildings that are long destroyed. It's because of modelers that hundreds of original blueprints have survived so long past then end of steam and the heyday of narrow gauge. It's because of
All these modeling making companies have incredible amounts of detailed information accumulated on the prototypes they model. They have to be detailed of they win "Worst Brass" awards and such, and should be held to high standards.
Personally, I'm a live steamer, none of that little brassy stuff. My first project is a Carson & Colorado 4-4-0 (1881 Baldwin 8-22-C). I've spent the past five years researching this thing and have gathered together information that I never would have guessed existed. All of which is going to be reflected in my model. It will be a rolling history lesson in standard Baldwin design practice of the 1880s. I assure you that this research was not easy, and my hands were dirty quite often crawling all over existing equipment (including the "Eureka" -Thank you Dan!- & "Sonoma") talking photographs and measurements.
Robert J. Church, who wrote all the books on the SP, has an HO layout of Dunsmuir, Ca. of the 1930s that is unbelievable. And historically correct down to the simulated rivets on the tenders.
Jack Burgess, has an HO model of the Yosemite Valley Railroad. When he built the Merced Falls portion of his layout he modeled everything down to an outhouse. You can measure his layout and pace it off at the actual site and be dead on.
Richard Ulin, builder of DSP&P 2-6-6 models in 2.5" scale live steam. These are highly accurate museum quality models.
I'm also working on the designs for 2.5" scale models of the cars built by the Carter Bros. of Newark, Ca. These will be pieces that I hope museums will use for displays. They will be heavily detailed, a small easy to handle size, and representative of equipment that no longer exists. Not to mention that a portion of any profit I make from them will be donated to the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources. Yes, I've spent a couple of thousand dollars working on tooling and design issues to make these. Yes that would have made a nice donation to the Friends of the 483. But the memory, history and technology of Carter Bros. would have slipped farther into the shadows. There has even been talk of using my research into these models to build full-size replica equipment. I've worked up a sweat and gotten a lot of dirt under my nails doing the research for this stuff too.
What I'm trying to get at is, modelers (the good ones) have a place in railroad preservation just as much as the people who preserve the real thing. If you want to get upset at wasted money how about the model making companies that make nice profits and don't donate back to the community they are making models of. Or of the modelers who do the same. When I go to Ardenwood Park to measure equipment I can get into the park for free as I'm a member of the Carter Society, but I always pay. If I travel somewhere to a museum to take pictures or measurements I always buy admission tickets (even if I'm not going to go inside) and if they have a ride I'll buy a ticket (even if I don't go on it.) Get upset at the people who call themselves modelers and don't model anything or don't try and get it wrong.
However, please don't blame modelers in general for the current state of affairs in preservation & operations.
Just my $0.02
Curtis F.