This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Stucco and Pastels is a photographic journey through a sliver of America's Casablanca - Miami's western river district, produce district, and Allapattah neighborhood. Tour by faded pastel art deco structures surrounded by palms and live oaks, rail branches running through narrow, cracked streets, open air produce markets, and shipping channels reminiscent of a bygone era.

If a model of your favourite steam locomotive isn't available, you have two choices - build it yourself from scratch or wait for a manufacturer to produce one. This text presents an alternative by taking an existing similar ready-to-run model and transforming it, by a series of selective modifications.

Why do grown men play with trains? Is it a primal attachment to childhood, nostalgia for the lost age of rail travel, or the stuff of flat-out obsession? In this delightful and unprecedented book, Grand Prix legend Sam Posey tracks those who share his "passion beyond scale" and discovers a wonderfully strange and vital culture.
Posey's first layout, wired by his mother in the years just after the Second World War, was, as he writes in his Introduction, "a miniature universe which I could operate on my own. Speed and control: I was fascinated by both, as well as by the way they were inextricably bound together." Eventually, when Posey's son was born, he was convinced that building him a basement layout would be the highest expression of fatherhood. Sixteen years and thousands of hours later, this project, "the outgrowth of chance meetings, unexpected friendships, mistakes, illness, latent ambitions, and sheer luck" was completed. But for Posey, the creation of his HO-scale masterpiece based on the historic Colorado Midland, was just the beginning.
In "Playing with Trains," Sam Posey ventures well beyond the borders of his layout in northwestern Connecticut, to find out what makes the top modelers tick. He expects to find men "engaged in a genial hobby, happy to spend a few hours a week escaping the pressures of contemporary life." Instead he uncovers a world of extremes-extreme commitment, extreme passion, and extreme differences of approach. For instance, Malcolm Furlow, holed up on his ranch in the wilderness of New Mexico, insists that model railroading is defined by scenery and artistic self-expression. On the other hand, Tony Koester, a New Jersey modeler, believes his "mission" is to replicate, with fanatical precision and authenticity, the way a real railroad operates. Going to extremes himself, Posey actually "test drives" a real steam engine in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in an attempt to understand the great machines that inspired the models and connect us to a time when "the railroad was inventing America." Timeless and original, "Playing with Trains" reveals a classic, questing American world.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Model Railroader Associate Editor Cody Grivno compiles insider tips and projects from Model Railroader as well as favorite projects from his 'Cody's Office' online feature into one exciting volume. Easily recognized as an expert in the model railroad community, Cody covers tools, painting and decaling, weathering, track and wiring, structures, scenery, locomotives, and freight cars in his friendly, knowledgeable style.