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	FMIG Lines Reprints: Newsletter 21 continued

Doug's Sounding Off

Charlie has started an interesting experiment of mapping all our model railroads on a map of the Midwest. Each member railroad is color coded. It is really starting to grow. Let him know the starting and ending points of your road along with its route. We all drooled over the diagrams Charlie has been able to collect from Frisco sources. There is another entire class of depots that I knew existed but didn't know had diagrams. They are the gableless designs found mostly on the lines between K. C. and Birmingham. He also has the standard Section House drawings. One was located half a block from my home in Dixon, MO. It has been long gone. Ail will eventually be shared.

The NW-2 article will be featured in Newsletter 22. It is presently in the hands of the author and reviewers. As soon they approve of it, Newsletter 22 will be mailed out. This brings me to my main subject of this Newsletter set of comments. WHERE DO WE GO FROM Here? The list on the next page is too big for me to handle. If each of you receiving this issue wish to continue with the group, I need to know so I can decide what to do. We obviously need two groups at this time. I am pleasantly pleased with the SECOND SECTION results gained by Dave, Glenn, and Dan. Will you fellows agree to take half of the group on as a project and I will continue with the other half? The leader of the SECOND SECTION and I can exchange Newsletters and have no additional duplication in the mail outs. That wag the best of each Newsletter may be duplicated in the other at the leader's discretion. I know of no other way unless I have the things printed professionally and charge somewhere between $2.75 and $3.00 per issue. Please let me know your druthers!

I have not put one of these things out in quite some time due to work and PROTOTYPE MODELER efforts. I seriously considered not mailing this one out until I saw how much response I would get from my last requests for information from you. Well, I didn't get very much. I then looked back over past Newsletters at my specific calls for help and did an evaluation as to just how helpful you each have been. I confirmed something, and I think that I have my preferred mailing list should we decide to split. It consists of the 22 members who HAVE responded to my specific requests to: Host a meet, Supply model locomotive photos for articles, Supply me with a photo of yourself for the Newsletter, Supply a caption for A. W.'s GP-7 photo of a few Newsletters ago, Supply me with information and photos on the 87000 and 88000 hoppers, Supply measurements of steam locomotive models (exactly ZERO of you came through on this one - it was really encouraging!!!), and supplied either a PROTOTYPE MODELER article or photos in support of one. 

The list on the previous page has been expanded mostly as a result of the March meet in Springfield. There were many Frisco modelers in attendance who I did not know previously. Several are obviously of the caliber that would aid this group. For your benefit, fellows, the FMIG has been going since the summer of 1976 and is an information sharing group with a basic membership requirement of support. Deadwood simply can not be supported since I have been doing it mostly on my own and dues are not charged. Stamps are, however, greatly appreciated. You are invited to join in on the fun if you feel that we would mutually benefit by the association. If you are not a letter writer or if you are reluctant to share your hard-earned Frisco modeling knowledge, then you would be best not to join. 

Another area where help has been requested in the past but has not materialized has been in the area of aid with layout designs. I am guilty too. Jerry says that none of us came up with a suggested layout from his earlier request. Keith's room size and drothers are listed in this issue. It should be fun as his space is large enough to do some serious layout building in and he knows the area he wishes to use as a prototype. It is the AT&N. Spend some time with your compasses fellows and send your designs to Keith Davidson at his listed address. I plan to. 

Bob Longo visited with me one Friday evening in May. His main purpose in visiting was to chose NW-2 slides for the cover of the December issue of PROTOTYPE MODELER. He did not chose one, but two. Charlie Dischinger had taken some beautiful ones of 263 right out of the paint shop. Two were high-angle shots in the yard, one of the front and one of the rear. Bob has already had the cover made up and it really turned out super. The NW-2 article will be the feature of the December issue. My thanks to Keith, John Dakin, Lee, Ray, A. W., Charlie, and Glenn for their aid in this long-duration project. 

Dan Overbey's model of Manufacturers RR S-2 diesel #? was featured in a recent Newsletter It used the AHM plastic model as a basis. I have seen this model many times, and in fact have three, but have never been very impressed with it. I am now! Dan brought his model to Springfield and I could not believe it had an AHM heritage. You did a great job Dan! More of us should duplicate this effort and add a few 290's to the model roster. 

Several of you should have recently received letters from Wayne Porter. Wayne is the Frisco Shop Safety officer that addressed the Group members at Ron Williams' home Friday night before the March meet in Springfield. Wayne is serious about doing a diesel railfan's book on the Frisco. I understand that he has progressed quite well. If you have favorite photos that you feel are good enough for such a book, let Wayne know. His address is listed on the previous page.

I have set a goal to have a detailed steam roster on punch cards by the summer of 1980.  The start will be coding up Mr. Smarts' roster as loaned me by Ed Heiss.  I am 25% done.  I may not be able to return it this August, but will soon afterward. I hope to augment it with the roster that Keith supplied and the one in Mr. Stagner's book. Conflicts will be resolved once I can schedule a trip into the D.C. offices of the ICC so I can do some research in their library. Tim, do you know where locomotive disposition records are kept at the ICC? 

Lee Buffington loaned me the four motor car diagrams you will find copied later in this Newsletter. They were either missing or poorly copied in Newsletter 20. Who, other than Ray, is actively trying to model one? Dan Overbey supplied copies of several newspaper articles concerning the prototypes when new that he found in the Frisco's St. Louis museum. I will include them in this issue if there is enough room. I was able to tour the Frisco St. Louis building with Dan as guide in April during a business trip I had to St Louis. 

4300 Models
On that same trip, I got by to see Don Wirth. That was the evening of 24 April and Don had just received the 4300 pilot model in the mail for inspection. He was also very busy packing for a move. He and Rosy have bought a bigger home and now live at 723 Dallwood, Crestwood, MO 63126. His new phone No. is 314-821-8709. He asked me to get information out on the 4300 and 4400 models but I fear that I have delayed too long. There were only 100 of the 4300's and 150 of the 4400's imported. I assume those of you who are serious about brass models have either stayed in close touch with Don or your favorite dealer and already have the models. Don reports that there were 350 reservations for only 100 of the 4300 models. I hope you each got one if you wanted one. Don gave a very good discount to his regular FMIG customers. I doubt that it will help, but get in touch with Don if you want one and didn't get one. 

Frisco 4-8-2 No. 43301 St. Louis, MO October 1943.  Originally Baldwin 49231 1918 2-10-2 No. 55.  rebuilt by SL-SF.  John B. Allen photo.  Photo No. 6647.

This must be my time of the  year to be nasty because I just thought of another request I issued in a past Newsletter to which I got only one response. That was the one requesting your favorite issue votes so I could tell our likes and dislikes. Only Lee responded. Maybe I am asking too much or maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed, but sometimes I feel that the support for the group and Newsletter is a once-a-year thing from a few of you and only then if you think of it. PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP!