Should it stay or should it go? Model Railroader magazine editors Eric White and Bryson Sleppy talk about the reasons to keep or discard rare, unique, special, irreplaceable model railroad “treasures”. From rolling stock to tools to modeling supplies, if you question whether or not you should keep something in your collection, they have answers!
Trains.com Insider Exclusive | To hoard, or not to hoard
By Kent Johnson | July 15, 2024
Even the editors struggle with what they should really save or send to the trash pile!
I can’t help it. As the new guy, Bryson appears to not appreciate all that has gone before. Now is not the time to sort stuff into keep or throw away. Now is the time to take EVERYTHING and sort it later. Get out of the bleeping building and get set up in the new space. Then take a look at what’s needed.
A BIG concern my friends and I have is: What about the Library? What happens to that? Inquiring minds want to know.
Soooo…. the next day/week after throwing out “stuff” along comes a need that the thrown out “stuff” could have easily fixed!! Off to E-bay or what ever……………..
I vote for saving, now magazines are a different story since digital can bring articles back to like
The other problem you have to face when storing old items that you
“may use someday” is… when you need it, could you find it? If it’s in a box somewhere and you’re not sure what you have or where it is, keeping it does no good.
I kept my paper copies of MR for four or five years before I realized how unsustainable that was, given the limited amount of storage space I have. So, now I only keep GMR and MRP, and I toss regular issues after I read them, but I download the PDF version each month so I can still refer back to them later. When the sale to Firecrown was announced, I sort of panicked a little and started downloading every past issue, starting from the first!
Younger people are more apt to minimize than older folks. Some Day may come one day or not. That is why sometimes estate sales bring great bargains.
Bryson sounds like my Daughter when she comes down to my train work shop.
You always find that you need something until after you through it away.
Sounds like the first project layout in the new offices — the Someday Central. Use the old cars and hand lay the track. Which I think more building articles like hand laid track and scratch-built structures and cars are part of what MR needs to bring back to the magazine.
But a serious thought on getting rid of paper magazines. The last few years I’ve been digital only. However, this whole change in MR brings up the question: What happens to the digital archive if the company goes out of business?