Evolution of the Warbonnet

During 1969, the original Santa Fe Modelers Association (SFMA) was formed by Robert R. Longo and in late 1969 publication of the newsletter edited by Bob began. The SFMA Santa Fe Modelers Association Newsletter was issued as follows:

• Vol I - Nov '69; Dec '69; Jan '70; Feb '70; Mar '70; Apr '70; May/June '70; July '70; Aug/Sept '70; Oct '70; Nov '70; Dec '70;
• Vol II - Jan/Feb '71, Mar/Apr'71

Then the publication was renamed the HIGH IRON and was published as follows :

• Vol II- continued 4 issues bi-monthly starting with May/June 1971
• Vol III - Six bi-monthly issues published during 1972
• Vol IV - Six bi-monthly issues published during 1973

Early on, Volumes I and II were reprinted; the individual volumes were bound with black plastic spiral binding and had gold soft covers. The reprints appear to be much more numerous than the original individual issues. Then in July 1991 Vol I through Vol IV were reprinted in two white soft back books one titled Newsletter Santa Fe Modelers Association November 1969 through March - April 1971 and the other titled The High Iron Santa Fe Modelers Association May - June 1971 through November-December 1973.

At this point, the magazine as retitled Southwestern Prototype Modeler. The Magazine's layout remained the same as High Iron but the content was expanded to include several other railroads, (note that the magazine was still published by the SFMA):

• Vol I - Six bi-monthly issues published during 1975, covering ATSF, SP, and UP;
• Vol II- Six bi-monthly issues published during 1976, covering ATSF, MoPac and Rio Grande;
• Vol III- Six bi-monthly issues published during 1977 with the same railroad coverage as Volume II.

Once again the magazine was retitiled to Santa Fe Prototype Modeler . While coverage reverted to Santa Fe only, the layout remained unchanged from the High Iron format:

During early 1977, the publisher decided to take the magazine "national" covering all railroads. The magazine became Prototype Modeler (yes, the same magazine as that published until ________) by mid 1977 and the Santa Fe Modelers Association faded into history.

Concurrent with this significant change, Jared Harper, who at the time sold brass locomotives (specializing in Santa Fe), sent a flyer to his mailing list indicating that he wanted to establish a new Santa Fe Modelers group. The response was sufficiently large enough to permit establishinment of the Santa Fe Modelers Organization (SFMO) by fall 1977. Jared "volunteered" to be editor - a post he was to hold through 1986 - SFMO began bi-monthly publication of the Santa Fe Modeler in late 1977:

• Vol I Six bi-monthly issues published beginning with Nov/Dec 1977 through Sept/Oct 1978;
• Vol II Six bi-monthly issues published during 1979 beginning with Jan/Feb 1979 issue. (Please note - SFMO did not publish a Nov/Dec 1978 issue so that each volume would contain six bi-monthly issues on a calendar year basis.)

Bi-monthly publication of the magazine continued through 1986 issue with six issues per volume:

• Vol III- 1980
• Vol IV- 1981
• Vol V- 1982
• Vol VI- 1983
• Vol VII - 1984
• Vol VIII- 1985
• Vol IX - 1986

Begining in 1987, the Santa Fe Modeler went to quarterly publication. At this point Jared Harper was allowed a well deserved breather after nine years as editor with Jay Miller appointed as interim editor.

Santa Fe Modeler, issued Quarterly

• Vol X - 1987
• Vol Xl - 1988
• Vol Xll - 1989
• Vol Xlll - 1990
• Vol XlV - 1991
• Vol XV - 1992
• Vol XVl - 1993 included Volume 7 number 4 of Santa Fe Route

At the completion of Vol 16 Number 4 the fourth Quarter issue of the Santa Fe Modeler Jay Miller retired as editor. The Santa Fe Modelers organization did not publish a magazine again until the first Quarter 1995 when Volume I Number 1 of the Warbonnet was published with Kieth Jordan as interim editor. This was the first magazine of the newly merged Santa Fe Modelers Organization and the Santa Fe Railway Historical Society as the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society, Inc. The magazine list of the Santa Fe Historical Society is included in the list of available back issues.

With Volume I number 2 the Warbonnet continued on a Qurterly basis with Kevin Eudaly as editor through Volume II number 1, 1 st quarter 1996. A change of editor was made with the 2nd quarter 1996 Vol. II number 2 when John Signor became editor. The publication continues quarterly to the present with John Signor as editor.

The Warbonnet, issued quarterly

• Vol I - 1995
• Vol II - 1996

Originally published, 1st Quarter 1988 in Santa Fe Modeler, by Frank E. Gendernalik. Updated and transcribed for the web by William Eubank and Russell Crump.