Linn Westcott

Linn Hanson Westcott (July 13, 1913 - 1980) was an American model railroader, best known as the influential editor of "Model Railroader" magazine. Born in Los Angeles, California, Westcott attended Carleton College in Minnesota.

Starting in 1934, Westcott began writing articles about model railroading, and he worked as editor of "Model Railroader" for 16 years, publishing a total of more than 100 feature articles and nearly 200 editorials during the course of his career, along with eight short books and two booklets, which sold more than 2 million copies total.

Westcott's "L-girder" technique of building strong and lightweight benchwork to support layouts is widely followed in the United States today, largely because of its flexibility and economy, as is his "hardshell" method of building landscapes.Linn also pioneered a scenery finishing technique, known as zip texturing.