E. L. Moore's Rube's Rhubarb Plant

All model photos courtesy of James L. Dixon

August 8th, 1972

Tony Koester, Editor,

RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN,

1 Arch Street, 

Ramsey, N. J.

Hi ya . . . . 

Here is it, RUBE'S RHUBARB PLANT, with 6 photographs and 4 sheets of drawings . . . . .

On account of the length of it I never have tried to peddle it . . . been holding it thinking some day it might follow in the footsteps of the Molasses Mine if'n you and I ever get together again. Almost ashamed to send it out without rewriting it . . . durned paper has aged. And, of course if ya see fittin' you can edit it down to a shorter length . . . easier for you to do than me. I don't generally rhapsodize but keep my articles short and to the point but now and then I get carried away with my subject.

That CASS: GEARED LOCO HAVEN in the last issue, was really something! Enjoyed it hugely!

Thanks a lot . . . . 

signed E. L. Moore

That's the cover letter that accompanied the manuscript for Rube's Rhubarb Plant, which appeared in the July 1974 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. The publishing history for this article is unusual for an ELM piece, since as far as his work for RMC was concerned his normal process was to build a model and write the article, then almost immediately send it off to RMC, who usually bought it right away, and then published it a few months later. However, Rube's was actually built in 1970, according to ELM's engraving on the base, sent to RMC 2 years later in 1972, and then was published nearly another 2 years after that in 1974. 

The maw of the beast where the rhubarb logs go in 

As ELM notes, Rube's was a fantasy build in the same vein as his Molasses Mine that he cooked up with Bill Schopp. 

In this project we find out how to build a factory that converts rhubarb 'logs' into Rube's Golden Nectar and Rube's Golden Elixer: some sort of legendary wine or spirits of the gods :-)

Photo from ELM archives

Over on the right you can see an action shot of the rhubarb logs coming in on narrow gauge log cars and getting ready to be stuffed into the maw of the beast!

That sidewall where the logs go in looks a lot like a face to me with two windows for eyes, a door for a nose, and that log intake chute for a mouth. The stuff of nightmares :-)

It turns out the only text RMC cut from the manuscript was this note at the end:

I can bake my own rhubarb pie, albeit they aren't up to Mrs. Rube's; but unfortunately I've still been unable to induce the Tank Family to produce anything comparable to Rube's Golden Nectar.

The Tank Family are those vertical tanks out back that store the 'Golden Nectar.' So, reader be warned, you may build the model, but don't expect it to produce any nectar :-)

It seems to me Rube's is a model with a powerful presence. It's big and looming, packed with external details, not to mention being painted red - none of the usual Moore Green on this one. And the contrast between the red and the brown framing out back is excellent.

Even on this wall, the most nondescript of the four, it too is packed with detail. There isn't a boring side on this model.

A small switching layout with this model as its centrepiece would be quite something to behold.

And here's the Tank Family, where all the Golden Nectar is stored. I'm surprised there isn't an armed guard nearby :-)

[16 March 2022 Update: 

I forgot to post the picture of the one surviving rhubarb 'log'. You can see in the black-and-white scene photo in the post that ELM made a small train load of them. I guess this is the only one to have escaped the clutches of the beast :-) ]