Hear, hear, Ben! But honestly, the "gains" are mostly illusory -- just
us really, and handfuls of other people... The real "prototype modelers"
at my club are almost all the same people they've always been, countable
with the fingers of one hand. The "progress" of better models seen on
the modular layouts at train shows is almost entirely due to the "RTR
revolution" (for which many people here made great contributions) and
most owners of such models can't tell you any more about them than they
could 20 years ago... Just my opinion, but I don't see much change. I've
given up on the Gilbert-Nelson approach at the club -- only in our minds
and private basements can model railroads live up to that standard.

Tim O'Connor