Atlas Salutes a Friend ~ Harold H. Carstens 1925 - 2009

Harold H. Carstens was a legend in model railroading. A model railroader since high school, he became president and publisher of Carstens Publications Inc. of Fredon Township, New Jersey, known for their internationally published monthly magazines Railroad Model Craftsman, Flying Models and Railfan & Railroad. But in the nearby Hillside, N.J. headquarters of Atlas, he was known as a treasured friend and an integral part of our own history.

Steve Schaffan Jr. displayed his proposed S gauge Snap Track at a 1957 trade show in New York City . Photo by Hal Carstens

Along with a small group of entrepreneurs and hobbyists, “Hal” and Atlas founder Stephen Schaffan Jr., blazed a trail through the 1940s – 70s, bringing model railroading to widespread popularity with their inventions, associations, early trade shows, societies and cooperative support, sealed with the handshakes of gentlemen.

At the 1959 Victory Dinner celebrating the success of the Hobby Industry’s Model Railroad Division N Scale Film Fund, Steve Schaffan Jr., (far right), was joined by fellow speakers, (left to right), Phyllis and Hal Carstens , Sylvan Sidney of Craft, Hobby and Model Magazine, and Nat Polk of Polk Aristo Craft. HIAA Photo

Hal joined Railroad Model Craftsman magazine as a staffer in 1952 and became publisher in 1962. Listed in “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in the World”, he studied journalism while in the Armed Forces, attended Wagner College and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

A past president of the Train Collectors Association, Inc., he was also past president of the Model Railroad Industry Association, (now the Model Railroad Division of the Hobby Manufacturer’s Association), and was a past chairman and secretary of the Eastern Model Railroad Manufacturer’s Association. He was named the NMRA Model Railroad Industry Man of the Year in 1989, was entered into the MRIA Model Railroad Hall of Fame in 1996, and the NMRA Pioneers of Model Railroading in 2003.

Steve Schaffan Jr., (left) joined Carl Lenz, (center), of Modern Talking Picture Service and Hal Carstens , marking the initiation of televised film spots and viewings at various major airports of model railroading films. Photo by Hal Carstens

In his book, “150 Years of Train Models” ©1999, Hal Carstens wrote extensively of the years during which he interacted with Steve Schaffan and such model railroading titans as Irv Athearn, Mike Tager, Nat and Irwin Polk, Bobbye Hall, Bruce Walthers, Al Kalmbach and more.

In this photo by the late Hal Carstens, Maury Romer, M. Frisbie, Steve Schaffan & Mike Tager gathered in the 1960s to view Athearn’s new F7 Super Brute, then billed as, “The world’s most powerful HO locomotive.”

"I was shocked to learn of Hal's death,” said Atlas CEO Thomas W. Haedrich, who was visiting China on business when he got the news. “The evening before I left on my trip the phone rang in my office around 6 p.m. and it was Hal on the line. After we finished pleasantries he got down to business by talking about one of his favorite subjects, the Susquehanna Railroad. He'd heard that Atlas had just released an HO Susquehanna special run engine and wanted to know if I would help him procure the item. I told him I'd do my best and get back to him as soon as possible. It took a few days, but we finally located one, which was sitting on my desk waiting for me to write Hal a personal message. Hal was a great man and a unique individual, who is included in the pantheon of those who have done so much to support and advance the hobby of modern day model railroading. He was deeply admired and loved by many and will be sorely missed by us all."

Hal and his wife, Phyllis, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A memoriam on the Railroad Model Craftsman website requests gifts in his honor be made to The Abby Aldrich Folk Art Museum for the care and preservation of the Carstens Model Train Collection, c/o Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187.

All photos reprinted from “150 Years of Model Trains”, by Hal Carstens , copyright @ 1999 by Harold H. Carstens.