compiled by Phil and Ruth Kohl soft cover, letter size 98 pages, published in 1979 by Pacific Fast Mail, Edmonds, WA
All Right Reserved Library of Congress No. 78-78186, US$ 8.95
Cover Photo: A classic model on a classic model railroad. A United AT&SF 2-8-0 on the late John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid Railroad.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Railroad Models / North American Prototype
6 Chapter 1. Standard Gauge Rod Locomotives and Tenders
42 Chapter 2. Narrow Gauge Rod Locomotives and Tenders
46 Chapter 3. Standard and Narrow Gauge Geared Locomotives and Tenders
54 Chapter 4. Standard and Narrow Gauge Diesel and Electric Locomotives
63 Chapter 5. Standard and Narrow Gauge Passenger Cars
72 Chapter 6. Standard and Narrow Gauge Freight Cars and Cabooses
76 Chapter 7.Trucks -- Geared Locomotives, Tenders, and Rolling stock
Section II: Railroad Models / Prototypes from Other Continents
80 Chapter 8. Locomotives
85 Chapter 9. passenger Trains and Cars, Freight Cars
Section III: Other PFM Products
98 Addendum by Donald H. Drew
18 handmade locomotives that are missing from Kohls' invoice research
49-52 Color Photos pages
A trivial introduction to this book can be found on page 133 of the June 1979 issue of the MR magazine.
rear cover of the Sept. 1979 issue of the MR magazine
| 私見： この本は、PFM社が四半世紀にわたって取り扱った全製品をリストアップしていて、確かに有益な情報源ではある。IT機器の無い時代だから資料をまとめることは大変な作業だったと思う。ただし現在は他社製品を含んで整理された冊子が発行されているので、データという意味においてはわずかに利用価値があるだけとなっている。また、出版された1979年の時点でも、類書が流通していてその価値はそう高くはなかったと私は考える。それが今まで入手していなかった理由である。今回は単に安価な出物があったというに過ぎない。 そして手にとっての感想は、PFM製品の素晴らしさが伝わってこないという一語に尽きる。まず、書籍としての魅力に乏しい点が致命的だ。用紙や写真印刷の質が製品のレベルを大幅に下回っている。2色刷りは優雅さを備えていないし、意味が無い。そして、同社がそれまでの広告で、天賞堂Tenshodoや合同Unitedといったメーカー名とかクラウンCrownという高級路線名を殊更に強調してきたにもかかわらず、そういうものは個々の製品を区別する記号として現れるのみで、感性に訴える表現と意味を持たせる叙述が欠落している。また、一番大事なユーザーと直結する小売店についての記述は皆無である。これでは読む者に製品のステータスをアピールできるはずは無い。インボイスをデータとして単にまとめただけだ。編集者は、製品に惜しみなく注ぎ込まれた何千何万という手間も、コレクターが八方手を尽くした末に大枚をはたいたことも判っていない。表紙写真の小ささを見ればG&D鉄道を知らなかったと断言できる。本当に残念な冊子だ。 | Personal opinion: This book lists all the products PFM has handled for the quarter century and is certainly a useful source of information. I think that it was a difficult task to handle the materials because there was no IT equipment. However now, since books that had been organized to include other makers' products have been issued, this is only slightly useful in terms of data. Also, as of 1979, I think that similar books were in circulation and its value was not so high. It is the reason why I did not get it until now. It's just that there was a cheap product this time. The impression I actually got is limited to one phrase that the greatness of the PFM product is not transmitted. First of all, the point which is not attractive as a book is fatal. The quality of paper and photo-printing is far below their products level. Two-color printing does not have elegance and is valueless. And even though PFM has emphasized names of manufacturers such as Tenshodo and United, and the name of high-class line such as Crown in the previous advertisement, such items only appear as symbols to distinguish individual products. So, there is no expression that appeals to sensibility and no narrative that gives meaning. In addition, there is no description about retail shops directly connected most-importantly to users. This can not show the reader the high value of the product. Invoices were just sorted as data. The editors didn't even know the products that have poured thousands of efforts, and even the collectors who spent a lot of money after searching for them. If you look at the smallness of the cover photo, you can assert that they did not know the G&D Line. |
I bought this book from a German old book store for US$ 8.00 plus shipping costs of US$ 10.00 in 2019.