It must have been a slow month when the May 1954 Model Trains Magazine went to press. To wit, this helpful tip on how to model an HO turtle. Cover price was 35 Cents.
Pricey. Hey. That quarter and that dime were made of 90% silver. It takes at least $5.28 in this Monopoly lettuce we're forced to use to buy those coins today.
< What would you use those things for? I was only 4 years old and in the north woods at that time. > I'm looking through my old modeling magazines from the '50s through the '80s. Some pre-date my birth and most are no longer of interest to me. It so happens that there's a local train show this Saturday. I contacted the local train club and they said they'd be happy to take them to give them away to people who stop by their table. I'll probably have at least 100 issues by then. I'm happy to not have to trash them.
That's a great thing to do with them. I've tried that with auto and motorcycle magazines but, the only interest was in maintenance manuals. I do see old modeling mags at the charity stores and they sell well.
Brought my boxes of old magazines to the train show today and it worked out great. They were pleased to have them and offered them free of charge to all. Later on, one of the club members told me that the magazines were especially popular with the children and young modelers. Most of us fondly recall the first magazines we had and I'm glad to carry that happiness on to a new generation.
There's some truth in that. The hobby was blessed with some excellent contributors back then such as Wallace Abbey, Linn Wescott, John Armstrong, Chuck Yungkurth, Jim Shaughnessy, Allen McClelland, Jack Work, Whit Towers, Paul Mallery, Frank Ellison and others.
