Model Railroad publications


The interesting thing to me regarding all of these comments about scratchbuilding is that if somebody is experienced in that arena, they don't need another article on how to scratchbuild. That may be so, but certainly, there's a difference between scratcbuilding a lumbermill plank by plank and scratchbuilding a Mikado out of brass. In the former, you'd get that kind of article in RMJ or MRding. In the latter, that'd be something that Mainline Modeller would jump on (in fact, he's done the brass tender thing).

I'm wading through the last 4 issues of both MRding and RMJ. MRding is doing their multipart article on the 0n03 Tall Timber RR, and they just talked about the sawmill and log pond. RMJ has a two-part article by Ken Edmeier on converting an (in)Accurail ATSF hopper car to something more prototypical. And, MM is continuing their series on building the Wilburton trestle (in WA St) bent by bent.

So, there's something for everybody out there. MR is not the be all, end all. As I said before, it gets you started.

Kennedy
 
Byron wrote:

> Lots of things I would change if I were at the helm of MR (which is not
> even remotely likely)

I guess my question would be "what would you put into MR that isn't in either RMJ, MM, MRding, RMC? Do we really need a MR version of those magazines?

Or is it that you want all of those magazines in one magazine, and that one would be MR?

:)

Kennedy
 
HaggisKennedy said:
That may be so, but certainly, there's a difference between scratcbuilding a lumbermill plank by plank and scratchbuilding a Mikado out of brass. In the former, you'd get that kind of article in RMJ or MRding. In the latter, that'd be something that Mainline Modeller would jump on (in fact, he's done the brass tender thing).
Click to expand...

Just so there's no misunderstanding, Gordon Odegard's "USRA Mikado in brass" is a series MR published in 8 parts from October 1982 - November 1983.
 
RCH said:
Just so there's no misunderstanding, Gordon Odegard's "USRA Mikado in brass" is a series MR published in 8 parts from October 1982 - November 1983.
Click to expand...

And to prevent even further misunderstanding, Stephen Anderson's 8-part series on scratchbuilding a locomotive ran in MR from Oct. '97 to May '98.

HaggisKennedy said:
I guess my question would be "what would you put into MR that isn't in either RMJ, MM, MRding, RMC? Do we really need a MR version of those magazines?

Or is it that you want all of those magazines in one magazine, and that one would be MR?
Click to expand...

Actually, neither of those alternatives, but since I promised the forum and myself that I would stop posting to this thread, I'll hold those ideas for another time.

Regards,

Byron
 
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Just a quick post to say that things have changed a lot since this thread started up 6 months ago ... Model Railroading and Mainline modeler have ceased publication, and word is Railmodel Journal is next ...

So that puts us back to what, MR, RMC, and Model Railroad News -- and maybe a few scale-specific magazines.

I have to side with Byron, however. I've been getting MR since the 1960s and I don't find the current magazine content to be any less informative. Sure the magazine's look and the presentation style have changed to keep up with the times.

I feel like MR, unlike any other magazine in the hobby, gives me a good idea of the pulse of the hobby and what's out there that I might be interested in. I confess I miss model of the month, bull session, and would like to see more benchwork photos -- but times change and the magazine's current personality is also interesting and inspirational to me. And that's after 40 years in the hobby.

Maybe now that these other also-ran publications are finally going down the tubes, MR will get more of the content they would have drawn.
 
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Hummm, so according to Model Railroading's website, I should be getting a notice about RMC? Odd. I'm gonna miss Model Railroading, it was a neat magazine to pick up, I'll have to search eBay for cheep back issues.
 
I guess it's time for me to throw my two cents worth in. (Does anyone besides me miss the "cents" key on their computer keyboard?)

It's unfortunate that several modeling magazines have quit publication. I discovered Model Railroading only a few years ago. I collected a lot of back issues and also subscribed. I enjoyed the magazine immensely and I will miss it.

Mainline Modeler was one of the magazines that I picked up at the LHS whenever I saw an issue. I also bought lots of back issues. The magazine was different, but not as interesting as some of the others. (Different focus on their approach to modeling? Maybe.) Still, I will miss it, too.

At the top of the heap, MR and RMC continue to battle for tops in readership. I'm not sure why. Although both magazines are aimed at the general modeler, they have different philosophies of publishing. Yes, many of the articles each publish could be used by either magazine and no one would notice the difference. Between them, MR is the more "polished" of the two. RMC still has a little of the "old" feel of 1960's publishing. It is a little less "splashy" in presentation. That is not to belittle it in any way! It's just different than MR.

Is there an "old boys" network in model railroad publishing? Probably. If you were running a magazine, wouldn't you want to receive articles from authors you had published before and whose articles were popular and successful? And wouldn't you keep publishing those same authors? Of course you would! Would you ignore "new" authors? Not entirely, but your standards would have to be met by the new authors, otherwise your reputation for presenting quality articles could suffer. Getting new authors who can produce quality articles on a regular basis can be difficult.

On the other hand, if your standards are high, there are probably a lot of new authors who won't take the time to submit an article, being afraid that they might not meet your standards. That's a shame, because editors can often help new authors achieve a higher standard, but they have to have the articles to work with before they can offer the help.

So, which magazine is the "best"? The best magazine is the one you enjoy reading the most, the one you feel comfortable with, the one that makes you fell like you're "home". YOUR choice for best magazine is the one that suits you best.

For me, every magazine I buy is the "best", and I buy almost ALL of the modeling magazines, either from the mag rack at the LHS or by subscription. They aren't all the same and each offers me something of interest.

Ultimately, what you buy is your personal choice. Like threads on this forum, if it doesn't interest you, you won't read it. If a modeling magazine doesn't satisfy you, then as Byron implied, don't read it!

Darrell, quiet...for now
 
memories

I know what you guys mean Its a sad day when magazines go under. Well maybe this could put a little smile on you faces!!!:)
 
Yeah, I'm going to have to update my write-up with the latest. I was thinking about it a little while back, when I heard 'Ding closed up shop....

Kennedy
 
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