Preserving the history of model railroading

I have hunted for a variety of antiques and collectibles over the years. From old phonographs and projectors to motion lamps and of course, model trains. I often wonder about how an item ended up where it was when I ran across it. For example, I have a complete collection of the first two years of Model Railroader, which I found in an envelope labeled for Saskatchewan, Canada. It would have been interesting to find out the journey it took to end up where I purchased them, at a flea market in Hartville, Ohio. 

I retired about four years ago, and the construction of what will most likely be my last large layout was well underway. I began unpacking items that had been in storage, patiently waiting for this final build. In some instances, they had been packed away for more than a decade. One item in particular started me on a path that I hope will encourage modelers, both young and old, to follow suit.

That item was a simple magic marker billboard made by Gil Stovicek, an O scale master modeler from Lyndhurst, Ohio. He operated a large two-rail O scale layout in his basement named the American Central. As a matter of fact, Gil’s layout was featured in the February 1972 issue of Model Railroader. Gil scratchbuilt many O scale locomotives and won awards for his modeling in both the United States and Canada. Although Gil was a serious modeler, he maintained a sense of fun and humor in his hobby, as evidenced by that billboard; “HELP STAMP OUT HO.” To be sure, Gil had an appreciation for all scales and his friends were wide and varied. 

When Gil passed away in 2003, his impressive collection was boxed up and sent to auction. When this happened, I knew I wanted that billboard. As beautiful as his model work was, to me that billboard was Gil! More than a hundred people showed up for the auction. With some help, I was on the hunt during the pre-sale review. Box after box was searched, but there was no sign of the billboard. Although many of his close friends were able to come away with items from Gil’s empire that day, it seemed as though the billboard might have been considered worthless, and had been thrown away.

However, a few weeks later, I received a call from a friend of mine that had been at the sale. He had won several boxes of equipment that day and what did he happen to find buried deep down in one of the boxes? Amazingly, the billboard! As simple as it is, that billboard sits today in a prominent position on my Erie Shore & Ironton layout. It’s there certainly not as a slight to HO modelers, but to pay homage to Gil and his sense of humor.

When I finally unpacked the sign for display on my model of downtown Columbus, Ohio, I got to thinking that although I knew the story behind it today, it might not be the case for someone else in the future. With that in mind, I wrote a small history on the back of the sign,  preserving the history of this item and by extension, preserving the history of model railroading. This then reminded me of other items I had obtained over the years. I have several buildings from Mack Lowry’s famous O scale layout Railways of America, which appeared in the August 1974 MR. I attached a history, as I understand it, to those items as well.

This is what I do now, both with items that I know the history of, and also some of the buildings that I have personally built. I take some white paint and block out an area on the bottom or hidden on the inside. I record where the item came from, what model railroads they were displayed on, the actual city they were in and any associated dates. 

For my items, I record the date built and the model railroads they have been featured on. I keep the writing small, leaving as much room as I can for future modelers. There may be better methods of preservation, but with the fact that these notations will not be exposed, this should be sufficient. You may certainly bring a smile to the face of a modeler some day in the future when they find these notes.

For the most part, I do this with buildings and accessories, as these items are rarely accompanied by their boxes. On locomotives and rolling stock, noting history on the item wouldn’t be prototypical. However, there is a possibility that the box may still accompany it. I would not suggest writing on the box, but rather including a  simple note card inside.

While historical value is often associated with dollar value, that’s not really what we are trying to do here. Rather, we are trying to preserve the history of our hobby and the modelers that came before us. It might be interesting for future modelers to know where a building, locomotive, or freight car came from, and what layouts and cities it may have traveled through. “Value” in this case is subjective. Is there any real value in a simple magic marker billboard that may have taken just a few minutes to construct? My answer to that is a resounding, “Yes!” I have yet to tell the story of the billboard and not have it bring a smile to the person learning it. These items, these people, and in this case, this humor, deserve to be appreciated by future modelers. Let’s help that history avoid the trash bin. Establish that provenance, and let those items tell their story. Preserving the history of model railroading is worth your time!