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The Model Railroad History Quiz

1. The "battle of the gauges" was a dispute between fans of which two scales?
   1. HO versus N
   2. O versus S
   3. O versus HO
   4. HO versus OO

2. The company that popularized S scale was better-known for what long-lived toy?
   1. Erector Sets
   2. Tinker Toys
   3. Legos
   4. Lincoln Logs

3. What is the correct pronunciation of Gorre & Daphetid?
   1. Gore and Daffy-tid
   2. Gor-RAY and dah-FEH-tid
   3. Gaw-REE and DAP-heated
   4. Gory and Defeated

4. Why is N scale called "N"?
   1. N comes before O in the alphabet, and N scale was expected to come before O scale — that is, to become more popular.
   2. The rails are nine millimeters apart, and the word "nine" starts with "n" in most European languages.
   3. It meant there could be "n"othing smaller. "N"ever!
   4. It was an abbreviation for the prefix "nano," which means "very small."

5. One of these things is not like the others:
   1. X2F coupler.
   2. Baker coupler.
   3. Horn/hook coupler.
   4. NMRA coupler.

6. The "Old Lady" was a Varney kit for what kind of steam engine?
   1. 4-4-0
   2. 2-6-0
   3. 4-6-0
   4. 2-8-0

7. In addition to founding Model Railroader magazine, Linn Westcott pioneered several important techniques in the hobby, including which type of benchwork?
   1. Deformed plywood
   2. Open-grid
   3. L-girder
   4. Modular

8. The NMRA (National Model Railroad Association)'s most significant creation was...?
   1. a set of standards to make rolling stock and track consistent and interchangeable.
   2. the little metal track gauge.
   3. national model-railroad conventions.
   4. a means for model railroaders to meet and share ideas.

9. Which scale was invented in 1945 by Hal Joyce?
   1. N scale.
   2. TT scale.
   3. HO scale.
   4. S scale.

10. Which of the following was a real railroad?
    1. McCloud River Railroad
    2. Alturas & Lone Pine
    3. Canandaigua Southern
    4. Virginian & Ohio

Answers:

1. c. It was a dispute over which scale was best; it seldom got worse than name-calling before both sides decided they could co-exist.
2. a. The A.C. Gilbert Co. was making Erector sets long before they created the American Flyer brand for their new scale.
3. d. The name of John Allen's famous pike was supposed to reflect a modeler covered in plaster dust and bandages from X-Acto knife accidents.
4. b.
5. b. All are couplers for HO scale, but the other three are different names for the same coupler.
6. d.
7. c.
8. a. They were all important, but the standards allowed the hobby to grow.
9. b.
10. a. It ran in Oregon and northern California. The other three belonged to Whit Towers, John Armstrong, and W. Allen McClelland, respectively.

Train MIDI's

I would be remiss if I didn't put in a plug for my favorite hobby shop, even though they aren't on line:

• Hobby Emporium
• 440 Middlesex Rd. (T.J. Maxx Plaza)
• Tyngsboro, MA 01879
• (978) 649-5055
• Hours: he keeps changing them, so call first
• Great selection of N scale, much HO, lots of paint & supplies.
• ask for Arthur; tell him Mike the BN modeler sent you