Hi guys -

I just wanted to let you know, for those of you who are interested,
that I have started a new Yahoo Group dedicated to steam and early
diesel era weathering subjects at -
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steameraweathering/

I have had this idea for a while now, since my favorite on-line
weathering resource, modeltrainsweathered.com focuses primarily upon
modern equipment, and I wanted somewhere to discuss and focus upon
equipment from an earlier time frame, which I have designated as
between 1860 and 1960.

I was inspired by both the above mentioned website, as well as the
main focus of this group, though not as much upon the proto-specific
details as is done here - I believe that "close enough" is "good
enough". I am more concerned about realistically representing the
look of equipment and other railroad items that see the wear and tear
of daily use, than I am on specifically modeling an exact car or
stucture. Weathering, while it is certainly bound by the laws of how
certain materials weather, is, in my opinion, more of an art than a
science.

I hope that those of you who model in the pre-1960 time frame and who
share my subjective outlook join me, and together we can all share
what we know, and hopefully learn something along the way together.
The exchange of information is what I hope will be the basis for the
group.

Ralph Heiss
S. Plainfield, NJ

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steameraweathering/