Assistant Editor’s thoughts
by Don Hanley
Thanksgiving season
Appreciating our great hobby
H
ere in the USA, Thanksgiving is approaching again,
and so I have been thinking about the different
aspects of the hobby for which I am thankful. As I
see it, there are two primary parts to the hobby; one the hob-
byist, the other the products. Both are equally important; you
can’t have one without the other.
I recently attended an operating session at a friend’s layout.
A regular group of five or six of us get together, along with
others who attend on an irregular basis. At the last session I
had the opportunity to meet someone new, as well as renew
some acquaintances. In addition to running the trains, I enjoy
the fellowship with the guys.
Part of the session is sharing work that we have completed on
our models. As a transplant from the Midwest to the West,
I get some good-natured teasing about modeling “that road
that begins with an E, Erie,” or when I bring some of my mod-
eling work to share I am asked if it has “the ‘E-word’ on it.”
Another common question is, “what have you accomplished
on your layout?” For me, it was “I finished scratchbuild-
ing two skewed through-girder bridges, but not much else.
Assistant Editor’s editorial - 1
