It turned out to be a pleasure to read Steve Barry’s Rail Power, a gift from my sister-in-law. At first glance this looks like nothing more than a downsized coffee-table book, filled with lots of pictures and very little text. What… Read More ›
Model Railroading
Model railroad exhibit at the National Heritage Museum
Barbara and I just came back from a model railroad exhibit at the National Heritage Museum, sponsored by the HUB Division of the National Model Railroad Association. This was the same exhibit that I missed three years ago because of… Read More ›
Model railroad pix
I know, it’s been six months. Several of my sophomores persuaded me to post photos of my model railroad (in progress). So I did so (linked from my home page), but they’re photographically not very good. In particular, they’re too… Read More ›
Baltimore
For April vacation we decided to visit Baltimore — partly because we wanted to see the city, partly because we knew a couple of people there, and partly because it was an excuse to ride on the high-speed Acela Express…. Read More ›
Harry Potter at the Museum of Science
After spending a totally absorbing 90 minutes at Harry Potter: The Exhibition, I still don’t know why it’s at the Museum of Science of all places — what’s the connection with science? — but I highly recommend it nonetheless. The… Read More ›
HUB Model Train Expo
Just went to the Hub Model Train Expo in Marlborough. It was surprisingly popular — I had to park a quarter mile away — but somewhat disappointing. There were lots of vendors, mostly selling similar items, and only a few… Read More ›
The Wenham Museum
What an astonishing museum! “An undiscovered gem” was how the docent at the desk described it on our way out, and she is right. Barbara and I visited the Wenham Museum yesterday — our first time in Wenham for either… Read More ›
Where are my model railroad pix?
One of my students asked me why I haven’t yet posted any photos of the model railroad I’m building. One answer is that it’s still in such an early stage that I don’t have much to show yet. Another answer… Read More ›
MBTA fares steady in real dollars for 100 years
Take a close look at the yellow bars in this bar chart:Much to my surprise, it turns out that subway fares in Boston have remained nearly unchanged for 110 years when adjusted for inflation, especially when you ignore the short-lived… Read More ›
Boston Trolley Meet
Just got back from the Boston Trolley Meet (actually held in Somerville, not Boston). This event, sponsored by the Boston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, offered a combination of layouts, dealer tables, and field trips. The actual exhibit… Read More ›
Countless
I guess Kalmbach didn’t have 100 fingers:
Don’t procrastinate! Goodbye, George, I hardly knew you.
Actually, I never knew you, sad to say. For 15 years now I have been intending to meet George Sanborn and talk with him about the MBTA (since my model railroad layout is based loosely on the MBTA of 1969)…. Read More ›
South Shore Model Railway Club
This morning I went to the Spring Open House of the South Shore Model Railroad Club in Hingham, MA. Despite the excessive number of young children present, it was an excellent layout, with a reasonable but small quantity of vendors… Read More ›
Model railroad show at the National Heritage Museum
OK, so why on earth should you care about a review of a model railroad show? More generally, most of my readers aren’t the least bit interested in model railroading, so why should they bother reading this post? The answer… Read More ›
I'm delighted to learn that I was wrong
In my review of Transit Maps of the World a couple of days ago, I made the following observation: I have to admit that it will appeal strongly only to readers who are fascinated both by cartography and by railroads,… Read More ›
Adults and math: Who needs a formula?
OK, this is just one example. It’s purely anecdotal evidence, and therefore it doesn’t prove anything. But it’s still indicative of a problem with adult attitudes toward math. A bit of background first: if you don’t have the good fortune… Read More ›
Transit Maps of the World
This gorgeous book — I might even call it stunning — must have a rather limited audience. Although I’m tempted to add it to my list of favorite books (see my profile in this blog), I have to admit that… Read More ›
Trees and rocks
How tall is a tree? What color is a rock? These may sound like silly questions, but they have thrown themselves in my face as I build my model railroad. In the process, I’ve discovered a couple of facts that… Read More ›
Model railroading at museums
Is model railroading an art, or is it a craft? Or is it just a hobby, as most people believe? Surely some would admit that it’s not only a hobby but also a craft, and perhaps there’s someone somewhere who… Read More ›
Of course we outsource game-playing!
According to the New York Times and NPR, wealthy online gamers are outsourcing the playing of games to Chinese workers! At first glance this sounds ridiculous: surely people who play online games enjoy playing them, so it makes no sense… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 