In this particular year, ABC Sports assigned former Grand Prix auto racer Sam Posey as its analyst on the three week bicycle race. Not a good omen. Surprisingly, this gearhead did a wonderful job conveying the beauty, ferocity and strategic nuances of this 21 stage spectacle. It was evident that he had done his homework and sincerely seemed captivated by the non-motorized event.
Fast forward about ten years. Now who is this Sam Posey with a cover article in Model Railroader? No-one-single-man races at Le Mans, covers the Tour de France and builds a model railroad layout worthy of cover status, right? Wrong!
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The December 2001 issue featured Sam Posey's home layout in a brilliant, but uncharacteristically abstract article for the magazine.
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Various tricks were detailed for readers interested in expanding the perception of their layout space, if they could grasp 'the sensory inputs and visual mechanics,' Sam espoused.
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Dave Frary's photos were easy to understand. Sam's conceptual sketches? ... not so much. I accepted the possibility that he was on an intellectual level that I may not know.
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Fast forward now to 2005. A new book is out about model railroading... by Sam Posey! Boy, this guy is motivated! In it, he examines participants' passion for the hobby and identifies what he sees as two distinct camps within. One is the 'artiste,' or imagineer as Disney would say, characterized by Malcom Furlow and his fantasy-inspired free-lanced creations. The other is the 'pragmatist,' or operator of prototypically-based layouts, best represented by Tony Koester, he of the Time Table and Train Order gang.
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The book is a thoughtful analysis of our hobby and makes for a great summer read. Sam tracks his childhood memories of his first layout to his current observations about the many extremes that modelers exhibit.
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The architectural graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design now spends his days with another love, painting, while unfortunately coping with the effects of Parkinson's Disease.
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I bet that neither Furlow nor Koester were all-that-willing poster boys for the two extremes, at least not to where either believed in mutual exclusivity. But Posey's examination of the two factions forces the reader to assess his own focus. By holding up two of the best known magazine contributors with very different emphases, readers can evaluate their own belief system against that backdrop.
It's a good read, written by a true renaissance man whose mantra has been, 'conceive, believe, achieve,' through a life of distinctly varied personal successes.
Next, 'Friendly Fridays' returns featuring a layout whose creators skillfully combined both artistic expression with prototype authenticity to produce a wonderful re-creation of a Vermont railroad. See you then.
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BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Did you know? The author's only real weakness as a bicycle racer was that he got winded before anyone else which, as it turns out, tends to be a very real impediment to winning races.
I remember Posey's article and how different it was, and I thought that MR was on the path to an intellectual renaissance. That didn't happen, but Posey's book did, and I completely missed it. Thanks for pointing it out!
ReplyDeleteI will admit that my modeling philosophy is also attempting to bridge the two camps Posey discusses. Could be a disaster, but I'm having fun so far. Looking forward to seeing who else is trying to walk that path.
Riley - Most of us are walking that path, although I feel more as though I'm walking the yellow line of a sobriety test just trying to keep my balance... "intellectual renaissance?"... I like it... spoken like an educator and architect!... I've enjoyed your blog and have been meaning to ask for permission to include it on my list... OK?
DeleteJim, I also have Sam's book. And, while it was a pretty good read, I was hoping to get some insight into why I play with trains. I wasn't successful. I guess it will remain one of life's mysteries.
ReplyDeleteWhich edition did you have?... the non-boot-leg version had all the answers to life's questions... it's really good!... seriously, I initially had titled this post, "Playing with trains... and wondering why." ... your comment makes me think I should have gone with my first instinct... good to hear from you again!
DeleteI read Posey's book a while back and don't remember many of the insights into why we play with trains. But I seem to remember that Sam hired someone or worked with someone to build most of that model railroad, and he freely admitted he was on a steep learning curve when it came to modeling. I'd say he did pretty good considering, but it is worth noting that some folks play with trains primarily by building them, and others by buying them. No value judgement here, just another dimension in the spectrum of how we accomplish our modeling visions.
ReplyDeleteHi Galen... thanks for checking in... I guess that if you ask ten modelers why they play with trains you'll get ten different answers including a few along the lines of, " Who knows?... and Who cares?"... I think Posey identified the two dominant themes of artistic expression and operation, and left us to figure out where we fall on that spectrum... and yes, you are right... his helper was a local from the hobby shop in his northwestern Connecticut town... take care.
DeleteLong (well moderate) time reader and first time commenter - I couldn't let this one pass since you hit on a common passion (bike racing) and I also am a big fan of Posey's book. I've lost track of how many copies I've given away and it reads well for folks outside the hobby too. A very thoughtful - and I thought pretty balanced - treatment of the hobby we all love. And then there's bike racing, which as a hobby is an altogether different animal entirely. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for producing such a great blog
ReplyDeleteChris - Thanks... I have just recently discovered 'The Valley Local' and see that we have some similarities in our approach and interests... I am looking forward to going back and reading your blog from day one... I used to trek up to Branford Bike from time-to-time back in the day, which I don't think is too far from where you are... hope you keep following the OML... I will be the VL.
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