Linn Westcott
Encyclopedia
Linn Hanson Westcott was an American
model railroader
, best known as the influential editor of Model Railroader
magazine. Born in Los Angeles, California
, Westcott attended Carleton College
in Minnesota
.
Starting with publication of his contest-winning track plan in 1934, Westcott enjoyed 46 years of association with Model Railroader, serving 16 years as Editor (1961-1977), and following that as Editor Emeritus. He wrote more than 100 feature articles and nearly 200 editorials during the course of his career with the magazine, along with eight books and two booklets on model railroading which had combined to sell more than 2 million copies by 1980.
Westcott made many innovative contributions to nearly every aspect of the hobby, and was creative and forward thinking in layout planning, modeling of equipment, scenery techniques, and electronics and control systems. Among the most well-known of his concepts, the"L-girder" technique for building strong and lightweight benchwork to support layouts is still popular today, largely because of its flexibility and economy, as is his "hardshell" method of building landscapes. Linn also pioneered a scenery finishing technique known as zip texturing which is widely used.
He travel widely in the US, making extensive documentation of prototype railroad structures, equipment, and practices.
Westcott was also an operator of John Allen
's Gorre and Daphetid railroad in Monterey, California. After John Allen's death, he compiled a book entitled Model Railroading with John Allen using much of Allen's correspondence, photographs and writing. The book was published in 1981.
Other books by Linn H. Wescott include: HO Railroad That Grows, How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork, HO Primer - Model Railroading For All, 101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders, Track Plans For Sectional Track, and How To Wire Your Model Railroad.
He was survived by his wife, Harriet, two sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model railroader
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
, best known as the influential editor of Model Railroader
Model Railroader
Model Railroader is an American magazine specializing in the hobby of model railroading. It was founded in 1934 by Al C. Kalmbach and is based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It is published monthly by Kalmbach Publishing...
magazine. Born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Westcott attended Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Starting with publication of his contest-winning track plan in 1934, Westcott enjoyed 46 years of association with Model Railroader, serving 16 years as Editor (1961-1977), and following that as Editor Emeritus. He wrote more than 100 feature articles and nearly 200 editorials during the course of his career with the magazine, along with eight books and two booklets on model railroading which had combined to sell more than 2 million copies by 1980.
Westcott made many innovative contributions to nearly every aspect of the hobby, and was creative and forward thinking in layout planning, modeling of equipment, scenery techniques, and electronics and control systems. Among the most well-known of his concepts, the"L-girder" technique for building strong and lightweight benchwork to support layouts is still popular today, largely because of its flexibility and economy, as is his "hardshell" method of building landscapes. Linn also pioneered a scenery finishing technique known as zip texturing which is widely used.
He travel widely in the US, making extensive documentation of prototype railroad structures, equipment, and practices.
Westcott was also an operator of John Allen
John Whitby Allen
John Whitby Allen was an American model railroader who created the famous HO scale, Gorre & Daphetid model railroad in Monterey, California and authored numerous magazine articles on model railroading starting in the 1940s...
's Gorre and Daphetid railroad in Monterey, California. After John Allen's death, he compiled a book entitled Model Railroading with John Allen using much of Allen's correspondence, photographs and writing. The book was published in 1981.
Other books by Linn H. Wescott include: HO Railroad That Grows, How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork, HO Primer - Model Railroading For All, 101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders, Track Plans For Sectional Track, and How To Wire Your Model Railroad.
He was survived by his wife, Harriet, two sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren.