Page 3 - All Scale Rails Magazine Issue 20 May 2018

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Editorial
As many of you know,
we’ve recently asked for con-
tributions to help us to ac-
quire photos from a
collection so I wanted to
touch on this topic briefly, if
you will. Every collection is
unique, just as the collector
who gathered them is. The
way the photos are taken, the
camera used, the lighting, the
grab shot or happenstance of
the photos or videos. Item
collections are no different.
Some are nostalgic of indi-
vidual memories, some are
localized. I’m sure we all
share the same belief that
these items need to be pre-
served through history.
But sometimes things
aren’t always that simple.
Just as each collection is
unique to the individual that
holds it, it means that if or
when the time comes that the
collection becomes available
to others, it needs to find a
home as unique as it has been
created. That’s where things
get tricky. Ask yourself,
would you bring home a col-
lection generated for an en-
thusiast of Santa Fe steam if
Announcement
As of this issue, we are going to a slightly new format. Each issue will be shorter in length,
but will be released monthly instead of bi-monthly. This decision was made to enable us to
bring you the train articles you love more often and to allow for easier and quicker downloads.
Issue # 20
you are a diehard Northeast
Corridor electric fan? Per-
haps. Perhaps not.
Sometimes these orphans
travel from show to show,
thumbed through and left,
bound for the next city. Oc-
casionally they are brought to
a new home where they will
be cherished and loved as
much as the original creator
meant them to be. We have
all heard the horror stories of
an entire life’s passions being
tossed into a dumpster after
the owner passed away. We
try not to think about it, but it
still happens because people
are ignorant to the history
that they are depriving the
rest of the world.
The wonderful thing about
the platform we have here is
that we are able to reach so
many different types of peo-
ple with a wide spectrum of
interests. If you are a model-
er and see a photo or item
collections, don’t just sit back
and think “that doesn’t per-
tain to me.” Reach out to
someone who may be able to
rescue it. Likewise railfan-
ners, think of those who col-
2018
lect model trains or
railroadiana. This idea
doesn’t just apply to paper
photos or slides, but to digital
images that are getting lost
by the thousands every day.
I’ll admit, when I go to a
show, I often look only for
things that I am interested in
and skip over that which
doesn’t interest me. But
maybe this is a wake up call
for all of us to do our part to
not only help save the snap-
shots of history of the indus-
tries we hold dear, but to look
into long term plans for our
own collections. Does your
family know and understand
what your wishes are for your
collection? Your models?
Your slides?
As always, our mission
here at All Scale Rails is not
only to inspire you, but to
preserve the hobby and ev-
erything associated with each
unique perspective that it en-
tails.
- Bonnie
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