August 2015
How many of you have built a building for your model railroad? I’ve built a few. Some more detailed than others. A couple even have interior details! If you have built a building and done a little more than just assembled a basic kit, then you can say you have started on the path to get your Master Builder – Structures AP Certificate.
Twelve you say is a lot? Not if you can count ones you have already built! One really good thing about the AP Program is that there is no time limit. At the last Division Meeting I brought a building I had built 13 years ago! I learned a lot with that kit and it gave me some good ideas when I was ready to scratch build structures. By the way, only six need to be scratch built which means if you like building from kits like I do, you get to build six from kits! Also, only six need merit awards. The others don’t even have to be judged!
Awhile back we were judging 4 kits for someone. Two earned merit awards while the other two did not. It doesn’t mean they were poorly done, they just didn’t earn quite enough points. That’s OK because only half need enough points anyway. He is on his way with a great start!
The way I look at it, if you are going to build a model railroad why not give the AP Program a try? You most likely are doing all the work anyway. Jim Harper did just that. He is one of Utah’s two Master Model Railroaders and lives in St. George. For me, it has helped me set goals and improve my modeling.
You may think something you’ve built isn’t good enough but bring it to a meeting. We can look it over and give suggestions for improvement, if needed, or just enjoy seeing what you’ve created. One of the benefits of belonging to this Division is sharing your talents with others and improving your skills. It doesn’t have to be perfect – just bring something to the next Division meeting so we can enjoy the journey together!
