Tony Koester
Encyclopedia
J. Anthony Koester, more commonly known as Tony Koester, is a well known member of the United States model railroading community. Koester popularlized the idea of proto-freelancing with his HO scale
model railroad layout
, the Allegheny Midland (AM), along with his friend Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio
. Koester is an alumnus of Purdue University
with a degree in electrical engineering
. While at Purdue, he was also a member of the Model Railroad Club. In 1966, he helped co-found the Nickel Plate Historical & Technical Society to preserve the memory of his favorite railroad.
In the 1970s, Koester relocated to northern New Jersey
to take a position with Carstens Publications as editor of Railroad Model Craftsman
(RMC). It was during this time that he developed a close friendship with Jim Boyd, the editor of Carstens' Railfan & Railroad. It was Koester's exposure to eastern mountain coal
railroading in the Appalachians
that led him to develop the concept of the Allegheny Midland. Blending elements of Nickel Plate (NKP) equipment and operation with Chesapeake & Ohio
(C&O) structures and scenery, the AM would be the NKP's plausible West Virginia
coal-hauler. Regular updates in the pages of RMC made the AM known to modelers across America.
Koester left Carstens and took a job with Bell Laboratories, editing their publications for many years. In the mid-1980s, he began a regular monthly column called "Trains of Thought" in the pages of Model Railroader
(MR), published by Kalmbach
. After twenty years editing telecommunication
journals, Koester took on more work with Kalmbach, and is now the editor of the annual Model Railroad Planning, a contributing editor and the "Trains of Thought" columnist for MR. He has also written nine books for Kalmbach (one per year since 2003):
In 2000, the Allegheny Midland was decommissioned and planning began for a complex multi-deck version of the NKP's Third District in HO scale. Concentrating on timetable and train order (T&TO) operations, this new layout replicated the Nickel Plate Koester grew up with in his hometown in Indiana
.
HO scale
HO or H0 is the most popular scale of model railway in the world.According to the NMRA standard S-1.2 predominantly used in North America, in HO scale, represents 1 real foot ; this ratio works out to about 1:87.1. According to the MOROP standard NEM 010 predominantly used in Europe, the scale is...
model railroad layout
Model railroad layout
In model railroading, a layout is a diorama containing scale track for operating trains. The size of a layout varies, from small shelf-top designs to ones that fill entire rooms, basements, or whole buildings....
, the Allegheny Midland (AM), along with his friend Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio
Virginian and Ohio
The Virginian and Ohio is both the name of a fictional railroad company created by W. Allen McClelland and the HO scale model railroad he built featuring this railroad...
. Koester is an alumnus of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
with a degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. While at Purdue, he was also a member of the Model Railroad Club. In 1966, he helped co-found the Nickel Plate Historical & Technical Society to preserve the memory of his favorite railroad.
In the 1970s, Koester relocated to northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to take a position with Carstens Publications as editor of Railroad Model Craftsman
Railroad Model Craftsman
Railroad Model Craftsman is an American magazine specializing in the hobby of model railroading. Its first issue in March 1933 was called Model Craftsman because it covered other areas of scale modeling as well. In April 1949 it changed its focus to model trains and changed its name to reflect this...
(RMC). It was during this time that he developed a close friendship with Jim Boyd, the editor of Carstens' Railfan & Railroad. It was Koester's exposure to eastern mountain coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
railroading in the Appalachians
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
that led him to develop the concept of the Allegheny Midland. Blending elements of Nickel Plate (NKP) equipment and operation with Chesapeake & Ohio
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(C&O) structures and scenery, the AM would be the NKP's plausible West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
coal-hauler. Regular updates in the pages of RMC made the AM known to modelers across America.
Koester left Carstens and took a job with Bell Laboratories, editing their publications for many years. In the mid-1980s, he began a regular monthly column called "Trains of Thought" in the pages 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...
(MR), published by Kalmbach
Kalmbach Publishing
Kalmbach Publishing Co. is an American publisher of books and magazines, many of them railroad-related. It is now located in nearby Waukesha, Wisconsin...
. After twenty years editing telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
journals, Koester took on more work with Kalmbach, and is now the editor of the annual Model Railroad Planning, a contributing editor and the "Trains of Thought" columnist for MR. He has also written nine books for Kalmbach (one per year since 2003):
- Realistic Model Railroad Operation (2003)
- Realistic Model Railroad Design (2004)
- Realistic Model Railroad Building Blocks (2005)
- The Model Railroader's Guide to Coal Railroading (2006)
- Planning Scenery for your Model Railroad (2007)
- Designing & Building Multi-Deck Model Railroads (2008)
- The Allegheny Midland: Lessons Learned (2009)
- Model Railroading from Prototype to Layout (2010)
- The Model Railroader's Guide to Mountain Railroading (2011)
In 2000, the Allegheny Midland was decommissioned and planning began for a complex multi-deck version of the NKP's Third District in HO scale. Concentrating on timetable and train order (T&TO) operations, this new layout replicated the Nickel Plate Koester grew up with in his hometown in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.