# you thoughts



## allenjay (Dec 22, 2015)

wha are your thoughts on the online publications from a guy named 
Alaistair Lee???
" model trains for beginners" and all the other literature he offers??
says you can buy all the online books for $27 initially and then $ 27 monthly until i want to cancel.

good resource or scam???


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Do you like to join book clubs? Because that is what it is. Research is an important part of the hobby. The best way to get it is to join a club so you have more than one input. Your book club is just one author maybe good for a beginner but you may quickly outgrow it. What I did was join a forum and shared my information.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

$27 seems a bit thick. See what Kalmbach (Model Railroader) has to offer from their large range of titles and see how they compare.https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/products/books?filter.hobby category=2013356bf82046d8b28043091e8d7520


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## johnfl68 (Feb 1, 2015)

So much good free information on the Internet for this hobby.
Spend some time looking around this forum, videos on YouTube, searching for things online, there is a lot out there.
Save your money and spend it on rolling stock or something you need for the hobby.
And have fun!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I thoroughly enjoy the modeling tips and videos Allistair Lee sends me two or three times each week.
Very interesting and amusing, but I've not spent one cent on any of his offerings to date.
As others have stated, there's tons of FREE stuff out there, including this great forum.
Enjoy,
Bob


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

I have not seen any of the Alistaire Lee publications. But I do know
the treasure trove of valid information that you can find right here on
the forum. And it's free. Not only that, but when you have something
you don't understand, or want to know more about, our members have
decades of model train experience in all scales that you can call on.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

It is not a scam, in that you will get a product for your money. However, Mr. Lee is not a recognized expert on the subject, nor is anything I've seen in his samples anything that doesn't get mentioned here a couple of times a day.

It's a lot of marketing hype, too. A lot of his secret tricks are NMRA recommended practices. He may have collected a lot of data in one place, but nothing you can't find elsewhere. For my money, though, that same $27 will buy you a couple of Kalmbach books, which are not only written by recognized experts, but they're edited by knowledgeable people as well.

So, while it isn't a scam, I wouldn't waste MY hard earned dollars on it.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

And also, you won't be a beginner forever. By the time you've spent a couple hundred bucks, all that material will be second nature to you.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I abhor stuff like this, they're just trying to suck you into forever shelling out $27/mo. Add it up, they're asking you to commit $324 a year! Think of what you can buy with that after you suck up all the free information available on the Internet.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

The Kalmbach books helped me get started. Forum info filled in the gaps.


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## allenjay (Dec 22, 2015)

*summation*

gunner i think you hit the nail on the head
thanks



gunrunnerjohn said:


> I abhor stuff like this, they're just trying to suck you into forever shelling out $27/mo. Add it up, they're asking you to commit $324 a year! Think of what you can buy with that after you suck up all the free information available on the Internet.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Apparently, my work is finished here.


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## allenjay (Dec 22, 2015)

*finished??*

i doubt that. So many uninformed of us out there. Your job to spread the word









gunrunnerjohn said:


> Apparently, my work is finished here.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I was referring to this thread.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

I love how his site pitches "learn *closely-guarded secrets*".

I don't know too many guys that "closely guard" their "secret" ways of doing things. Most of the guys I know are more than willing to share how they did something. They might not have written a book or article about it, but would certainly tell you if asked.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Actually.. is this Alastair Lee actually connected with the "Model Trains for Beginners" or are they two different things?

Looks like two different things, but there might be a few things connected:

http://modeltrainsforbeginners.com/mtfb1/
http://modelrailroadlayoutsandscenery.com/


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Actually, you may be right. The Model Trains for Beginners -- the overpriced and excessively hyped product appears to be from someone named Dan Morgan. 

Alistair Lee appears -- at least in the link you provided -- to be in the business of collecting tips and publishing them free on his site, rather than asking for money (the issue of on-site advertising aside). At least to me, that's a much different story. 

I assumed (yes, I know) that the OP provided an accurate identity of the author. I did not see anything on Mr Lee's site, in the 3 minutes I poked around, asking for money or a subscription. If that's the case, I'm ok with him. He's as much an expert as the majority of us (in that he's been doing it for a while).


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