----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Hendrickson" <rhendrickson@...>

Bottom line: despite our best efforts, there are still a lot more toy
train bozos in the hobby than prototype modelers. The bozos will buy
anything if (1) it's painted and lettered, however incorrectly, for
their favorite railroad(s) or (2) it catches their fancy, especially if
it's colorful (e.g., Boraxo covered hoppers). Even prototype modelers
are not entirely immune from these tendencies, as we have seen in
recent exchanges on the STMFC list. So it's pointless to blame the
manufacturers for making what sells. While we may feel that they're
pandering to the bozos, they're in business to turn a profit so they
can stay in business and (if only occasionally) produce something
that's prototypically accurate.

While I concur, I think there may be a lot of folks in a middle ground. They would choose something accurage if they knew it was there, but have not taken the time to learn enough to know. As a newcomer to this list, I keep learning things, that changes my perception and choices!

Search the web and you will find sites that provide a list of models for a chosen roadname. Many of these models are wrong for that prototype but the people just know that it is lettered for a road they like. Yes there are some good references out there, but without searching the archives of this list (and lots of time even if you do), many a modeler will have no idea if the model is correct at all, whether the prototype had such a car, and whether the paint scheme reflects reality.

Don Burn