Model Railroad Hobbyist | February 2016 | #72 Joe Fugate R REVERSE RUNNING commentary Stop wasting time detailing I’ve spent countless hours detailing my locos and my rolling stock, but not any longer. I’m wonder- ing if all that detail is really needed. Today’s ready-to-run models are so nicely detailed I can just apply a little weather- ing and put them on the layout. But is all this detail necessary? Maybe all I need is just a notch above the old Blue Box, what I might call Blue Box+. In this hobby, the models move. Have you tried to count louvers on a loco hood when the loco is moving? Or count the weld seams on a boxcar that’s in motion? It’s really difficult! I’m big into realistic ops, and that means a lot of rolling stock and loco maneuvering in a typical op session. We’re constantly making up and breaking down trains, or switching cars at industries. XX STEPPING OUTSIDE THE BOX WITH A CONTRARY VIEW • INDEX • TABLE OF CONTENTS