Well guys, I think this thread has covered the field. Thanks for your comments!
Bob Keller
I'm very outspoken and perhaps too critical towards Kalmbach in general. I'm not forced to purchase any of their products nor am I required by any law, written or unwritten, to visit their sites, Their continued use of excessive pop-ups and lack of coverage in CTT of American Flyer or Marx or even the toy tin trains from Japan in the 50s, simply means I will stop visiting the sites or making any purchases of magazines since they don't contain the coverage I want to see.
It is still disappointing to see how Kalmbach has lost track of their roots and from what I have read here, many readers have proposed that CTT carry more American Flyer and Marx, with no results. With a wealth of information on many sites on the www, I will just have to look elsewhere and no longer support Kalmbach unless they improve and I learn about it. That said, I will join the National Association of S gaugers and even if one doesn't join, their site at www.nasg.org is the best place to keep up with everything S gauge including scale, both standard and narrow gauge.
This isn't to say that the people at Kalmbach are not a great bunch of men and women. Their customer service is the best in the business! If Kalmbach won't deliver what I want, like specials on American Flyer and Marx, I'll just have to turn elsewhere for the enjoyment of toy trains that I like. It's as simple as that and I will stop taking part on these fourms and like the late great Will Rogers said, if you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all! I apologise to Kalmbach but with a hope that they will listen to their supporters and reconsider including a better mix of American Flyer and Marx in CTT as well as specials. We deserve that much don't we (?) as we pay for these publications which in turn insures that each employee receives a paycheck every month!
Texas Pete cwburfle In the current issue, according to preview, there are nine articles in which the term Lionel or O-gauge is used in the title and one on American Flyer. That seems to match the ratio of Lionel to American Flyer at train meets. :) That's what I'm talkin' about. Balanced with respect to the relative percentages of enthusiasts. Pete
cwburfle In the current issue, according to preview, there are nine articles in which the term Lionel or O-gauge is used in the title and one on American Flyer. That seems to match the ratio of Lionel to American Flyer at train meets. :)
In the current issue, according to preview, there are nine articles in which the term Lionel or O-gauge is used in the title and one on American Flyer.
That seems to match the ratio of Lionel to American Flyer at train meets. :)
That's what I'm talkin' about. Balanced with respect to the relative percentages of enthusiasts.
Pete
I wouldnt call your visiting train meets an objective survey by any stretch.
It would be interesting to see a real one.
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
"You can’t study the darkness by flooding it with light." - Edward Abbey -
Yet if you read Rodger Carp's excellent book on what he considers the best examples of model trains, there are examples from American Flyer, Marx, Unique Arts, etc etc etc. That contradicts the defining of Lionel as the only classic in town as it is presented in CTT issue after issue.
Go figure that one out.
Somebody commented that CTT mag is "reasonably well balanced". That seems to redefine the term "balanced".
Kalmbach should rename the magazine CLTT, Classic Lionel Toy Trains.
Rich
Alton Junction
Are you sure you didn't get pushed off your soap box? There's a long line waiting to climb on board! For the price of CTT, which seems to get thinner with each issue, O Gauge Railroading magazine is still the leader of the pack in my opinion. If Kalmbach has the nerve to charge such an unrealistic over inflated price for a rag with less than 100 pages but charge the advertisers so much it is nothing but sheer GREED People want a good quality magazine with a fair mix which should include Marx (including the Allstate trains they produced for Sears Roebuck), Ameican Flyer and yes, even the friction tin toy trains that came from Japan back in the 50s! 100 pages? No problem if these toy trains were included in each issue too.
With several specials having been released on Lionel, there is still nothing on Marx or American Flyer. This leads one to believe that the current Lionel LLC (or whatever it is this week) is publishing CTT and not Kalmbach. With so many complaints on the unfair content of CTT not to mention the ever increasing amount of pop-ups on the CTT and other Kalmbach magazine sites, I am giving serious thought about cancelling my account with Kalmbach. This is NOT the way to conduct business and is in no way what A.C. Kalmbach envisioned when he founded the company in 1934!
Kalmbach has no regard for readers' complaints since we probably fall into the 1% bracket as it is and they are only interested in the big fat $$$ they receive from Lionel, MTH, to name two, for advertising and in return get rave reviews for their products even if the quality isn't up to par. Considering these big fat $$$ that Lionel, MTH and others pay Kalmbach for advertising, the reviews should be available for ALL readers of CTT to read without forcing one to subscribe in the first place! If a guy or gal buys a copy at the newsstand and can't read product reviews I doubt if he or she will subscribe. This is very very poor marketing stradegy in the 21st Century! The advertisers should DEMAND (!!!!) that their product reviews be posted for ALL readers and not just pre-paid subscribers. The other magazines, prototype and model alike, have news and reviews for all readers to enjoy without forced subscriptions!
When A.C. Kalmbach, Linn Westcott, David P. Morgan and lovely Rosemary Entringer ran Kalmbach at 1027 N. 7th St., Milwaukee, WI, the magazines were put together without any computers but were typed out on Underwoods or other famous brands, and you could tell each time Trains, Model Railroader or Model Trains (an excellent bi-monthly with much more enjoyable content than one paid the 35 cents a copy for) hit the newsstand, that it was a true labor of love and not just Big Bizz in action.
Like so many companies, Kalmbach Publishing Co., has forgotten its roots and no longer deserves to carry the name of its founder any longer. Rip Off Press would be a good new name for a starter!
I find that hard to believe....Several months ago, I sent a list out of Classic Lionel and American Flyer layouts....and I am still waiting for them to show up in the magazine.....I FOR ONE AM SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THESE HOW TO DO SMALL LAYOUT PROJECTS AND SCALE RAILROADS....WHERE IS THE CLASSIC IN THAT???????????????????? AND HOW ABOUT MORE PHOTOS OF THE RAILROADS YOU DO VISIT???? HOW CAN THE "OTHER" MAGAZINE DO IT, BUT CTT CANT????????????? ENOUGH OF THE EXCUSES..............
No more subscriptions for me, until things go back like they were before!!!
Ok, I am off my soap box now....
In view of the wide range of interests of toy train enthusiasts I think CTT is reasonably well balanced.
Its unusual to have a not insignificant number of readers so disparaging about a magazine's content but I think it might be due to the fact that what they do cover, they do it very well. II that were not so, who would care? I see it as a Catch 22. Lionel as the main focus for so many years here is well known and sooner than later theres only so far you can go back into history on a single manufacturer for so long. I think if coverage were expanded to a broader variety, more readers who formerly avoided CTT due to it's narrow focus would contribute. I think there is a perception that if it isn't Lionel, it gets on the back burner if at all whether thats true or not. Another benefit would be more access to more collections for material. That one fellow ( cant remember his name) has had his one collection mined for issue after issue. I think with a broader base, more samples would come in for review, as the outside resources of CTT seem slim where products have to be borrowed from a local hobby shop in order to review them. I think the staff at CTT is talented but play it way too safe, and and as a result, as a reader there are more photos in the issues than print, or so it seems. I can get hundreds of layout photos anywhere..but reading material of a caliber that CTT can do is harder to find outside of TCA so the opportunity is there..I switched over to the other publication because it had more reading material.So..I hope the powers that be consider a more balanced content. The activity here on the forum here compared to the other has dwindled.That alone says something to me about engaging the readership.
.
I have nothing against CTT magazine, but I don't subscribe to it, I don't buy individual issues, and I don't read it. Why? Because it is devoted to Lionel which I have detested since I was a kid with American Flyer.
Sorry, it was just a neighborhood thing. Some of us had American Flyer, others had Lionel. Of course, they weren't interchangeable and could not be run on each other's layout. So, they were always separate and distinct.
For that reason, I am not surprised that CTT magazine ignores American Flyer. It came out on the losing side of history. Too bad. Sure, from time to time, CTT throws something in there about American Flyer. But it is what it is - - - a magazine about Lionel.
My first trains were Marx wind-ups. Christmas 1951 brought me my first electric, a Lionel 027 train set. My grandfather bought it at a Dallas, Tex., Sears Roebuck where he did most of his shopping. I don't even know who sold American Flyer in Dallas in the early 50s but if I had seen their catalog with the yellow MKT boxcar I know I would have asked Santa for Flyer instead!
I'm now officially in my second childhood and while watching a DVD of Fury, the mid-50s Saturday AM TV kid's show, in the episode titled "A Second Chance" Joe has a Flyer set in the barn with a Chicago & North Western Baldwin switcher, N&W gon, IC reefer and the ever present little red "Northeastern" AF caboose. Neat set! In retrospect, I wish I had gotten AF S gauge instead of Lionel 027.
I recently complained on a forum here too about the lack of S gauge in CTT. CTT has published several special issues on Lionel. The Lionel showroom in New York City and two issues on Lionel trains of the 50s. Still NOT ONE on American Flyer! Even O Gauge Railroading is starting to publish some S gauge in their excellent magazine! While I complain about the high overseas postal rates for Kalmbach publications (this is US Postal Service mis-management and not Kalmbach), a overseas subscription to the bi-monthly S Gaugian is totally out of proportion even compared to the high USPS rates! I have dropped ALL magazine subscriptions. Fixed income retirement is understood except CTT's lack of S gauge coverage contributes here as well!
Item: Classic Trains is published four times a year and can't even turn out 100 pages per issue. CTT ditto! For the amount of advertising, I don't expect but demand no less than 100 pages per issue at the price they ask for these magazines!!! If CTT covered Marx, American Flyer, even the friction tin toy trains from Japan, it could easily put out a 100 page issue each time it came off the press. Kalmbach has enough in their archives and the professional staff to write articals too. Afterall, they get paid to play with trains!
MTH has purchased the S scale line of trains formally made by S Helper Service. SHS offered their diesel locomotives with both sound and DCC or without. It now appears that MTH will only produce the diesels with sound and DCC making them unafforable to me and as an apartment dweller, I don't have the room for a large layout where I need DCC. I'm not impressed with most sound units I have heard either in all the scales for the additional $$$. The American Flyer talking station will well suit my needs or the CD of Mr. D's Machine!
Flyonel continues to promote S gauge and their new diesels and covered hoppers are proof that they are comitted to S gauge and even produce products with scale flanges now as well! Not to be left out and the Most Affordable S gauge/scale trains on the market today are the ones produced by American Models!!! I had to refrain from buying the Katy boxcar, hopper and caboose though. The MKT and # on the yellow caboose are reversed and the boxcar like the caboose do not have the squared off numbers that Katy used. Ditto on the hopper which is black instead of tuscan red. A pity and missed sale!
AM should produce the North Coast Limited with their PA and PBs and Budd passenger cars. True, Northern Pacific rostered not one PA or PB but it still became one of the most popular S gauge trains of the mid-50s when American Flyer released it. Ditto with the Texas & Pacific dual GP7 freight set! They'd sell out soon after making the announcement. The NASG takes out a full page inside front cover ad promoting S in Railroad Model Craftsman each month and still, RMC publishes too little S at well. If Carstens was smart, they'd revive Toy Trains magazine and run AF and Marx articals. A quarterly publication would do! Be sure and read the forum at Classic Trains about Kalmbach's excessive use of pop-ups while you're at it!
I agree with the lack of American Flyer articles in CTT. While I enjoy reading 3 and 2 rail O scale articles, there is a lack of American Flyer. I've learned a lot about Lionel. To be fair, CTT has started running articles on various American Flyer accessories and a few sets. We need more articles on layouts and collections especially the post war American Flyer stuff. The Flyonel articles are nice but how about the older original pre Lionel era. As a reminder, the magazine's banner does say "o and S gauge for the operator and collector".
I am a post war era, (1946-1958), Original American Flyer collector/runner. I have bought CTT for at least 15 years. I do not subscribe because I prefer buying at my local hobby shop and talking to the owner and fellow train enthusists. You can learn a lot.
According to Dennis, I am apparently confused as to who writes what and yet this subject keeps referring to subscribers submitting articles. in order to remedy the situation.
However, that was not the gist of my comments toward this magazine's editorial purview. On a more positive note, I am pleased that there seems to be more inclusiveness creeping into the magazine. The Marx work train article, the greater variety of more practical layout plans that do not require a second mortgage, etc.
As a practical matter, this is not an inexpensive subscription and yet I recently resubscribed after dropping our due to the heavy emphasis on Lionel this or that. Hopefully the coverage will expand in terms of variety....time will tell.
Rodger Carp's incisive articles are interesting even if they were often overly focused on Lionel in the past.
Its a mixed bag. My impression was that outside of Lionel being overly covered, the magazine seemed a bit schizophrenic editorially based on contemporary hi-rail and new product which flew in the face of how everyone defines the term "classic" and this was juxtaposed against with Lionel as the be all and end all of classic trains. But...I am hopeful and put my money where my mouth is...now if those pesky pop ups that block me everytime I try to enter this portal, would vanish, all would be right with the world. LOL
Boys, all I can say is what the editors of the various specialty mags I've read over the years have said when faced with the "why don't you do an article on...." complaint:
"If we don't get 'em, we can't print 'em!"
So, if you're an S-Gauger, or a Marxist, or even a fan of old cast-iron toy trains, and you've got a way with words and a camera and the skills to use it, try your hand at writing an article. Who knows? You may have as much a shot as anyone else.
Maybe more.
I have mostly Pre&Postwar Lionel,3/16 Marx. If I had the room I'd have Flyer. I have noticed in both mags more and more hi rail type layouts. I vastly prefer '30s-'50s type layouts. Classic Toy Trains to me means original Flyer/Lionel/Marx from the original manufactures.
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
The manufacturers just need to send products in for review, or digital images for news. We have done a fairly good job of covering American Models, S Helper, and some Lionel Flyer gear. I expect MTH to send us and and all their new locomotives for review.
I'm another Flyer guy who was a bit frustrated with the lack of S Gauge and /or Flyer articles in CTT. I also collect a bit of Lionel and some Marx, with emphasis on the 3/16 scale Marx stuff. Dad collects nothing but Marx, and I would send my CTT magazines his way when I was finished with them. When I subscribed, I thought they would have more Flyer and Marx articles than they do, and so I decided to end my subscription due to the lack of Flyer and Marx articles. I really like the magazine, but being deep into S gauge, my wants/needs were not being met. I don't really know if I will get into the S-Gaugian magazine, it looks a bit pricey.
OTOH, since MTH is getting into S gauge, I do hope it gets more exposure in the magazine. If CTT had more S gauge articles, I would subscribe again.
Naturally, we are somewhat biased to the brand of trains we love and collect. Here goes my opinion, I do find what I feel is an unbalanced measure of "O" articles as opposed to "S" coverage. If "S" wasn't very popular or collected, why would MTH take on such an expensive task of producing a whole new line of product? In my area,(PA,MD,WV,VA) there is a strong core of American Flyer collectors and large clubs in the Baltimore MD / Washington DC areas.
With the major amount of Toy Trains being Lionel, I can see the magazine featuring them alot, But with "S" coming on strong in the past few years, there could be more coverage. Of course the "O" fellows aren't having to deal with small coverage, they are getting what they want, no complaints.
I'm not threatening canceling my subscription, as I enjoy electric trains in general. BUT I would feel less like a redheaded stepchild, for collecting Post War Flyer. Being a retired "blue collar" worker, I don't have the unlimited budget to buy everything I want. I subscribe to CTT and S-gaugian, even S-gauagian is more tailored to men with "deep pockets", than the average guy. We are ALL responsible for our OWN happiness! If there is NO magazines or NEW products, I can still be happy with what I have and what is available at auctions and online.
Thank You for allowing me to vent my frustrations and opinions.
Dennis Bingaman, CTT subscriber.
I would love to be able to have an S scale layout and trains and discuss them but the fact of the matter is S scale is way over priced compared to O scale or even HO scale. It is out here in California where you get robbed without a gun on a daily basis for just about anything. We do have one retailer who has great prices when he has some S gauge but it's too far in between to make it a viable scale. Maybe someone in this thread can tell why S scale is so much more expensive to they build the partsd with platinum? If a manufacturer could made the cost somewhere between O and HO you would have a lot more S scalers than we do now. I think the scale is perfect especially if you are limited on room. I know this is probably way off base but I dream of having a S scale setup.
Kevin
Can't stop working on the railroad!
DennisB-1 Stebby, I think your suggestion is a good one. Although I have written many articles for CTT, including the Sandy Harbor project layout, I'm not a staff person. Project layouts by authors, like myself, are the rare exception. However, I would strongly suggest giving Carl a call and speaking with him directly about it. Personal communication makes a bigger impression--if you get my drift. As far as me penning an article of interest to American Flyer collectors and operators, I've been toying with the idea. Recently, an old buddy of mine gave me his boyhood post war American Flyer trains. They appear to be in excellent condition and, frankly, I want to play with them. That got me thinking about writing an article. I'll be giving Carl a call to toss around some ideas. Stay tuned--who knows where that will lead. Dennis
Stebby,
I think your suggestion is a good one. Although I have written many articles for CTT, including the Sandy Harbor project layout, I'm not a staff person. Project layouts by authors, like myself, are the rare exception. However, I would strongly suggest giving Carl a call and speaking with him directly about it. Personal communication makes a bigger impression--if you get my drift.
As far as me penning an article of interest to American Flyer collectors and operators, I've been toying with the idea. Recently, an old buddy of mine gave me his boyhood post war American Flyer trains. They appear to be in excellent condition and, frankly, I want to play with them. That got me thinking about writing an article. I'll be giving Carl a call to toss around some ideas. Stay tuned--who knows where that will lead.
Dennis
Awesome !
DennisB-1 Stebby, Those are the kind of articles that could easily be submitted by American Flyer collectors and operators like yourself. I'm sure you would have many maintenance tips you could share. Why not call Carl Swanson ? The fact is, unless someone on the staff has an American Flyer collection, it's unlikely that an article about a PA-1 set or a 4-8-4 would be forthcoming unless it comes from the outside. Dennis
Those are the kind of articles that could easily be submitted by American Flyer collectors and operators like yourself. I'm sure you would have many maintenance tips you could share. Why not call Carl Swanson ? The fact is, unless someone on the staff has an American Flyer collection, it's unlikely that an article about a PA-1 set or a 4-8-4 would be forthcoming unless it comes from the outside.
Fair enough, let me float one other idea.
How about you make your next CTT magazine project layout in S-scale? This would give your people the opportunity to check out the new S scale Fastrak offerings from Lionel. Or you could build it with MTH/S-Trax. Or a mixture of both. The S-Trax is my favorite because, unlike Lionel's current offering, you get three different curve radii to play with in the design. You could employ some of the small, relativity inexpensive, laser-cut structure kits that are available in S-Scale from various manufacturers. Like the one below:
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
DennisB-1 Roger Carp is always looking for S-Gauge layouts to feature. If you want to see more S gauge, Standard Gauge, Marx etc., you need to let him know about such layouts. CTT can't produce train layouts out of thin air. Wallyworld's statement: "It's probably just me but the fact that subscribers write a great deal of the magazine always struck me as odd. It certainly is a less expensive option." is not factual. Actually, almost all of the layout articles in CTT are written by the staff. Most of the "How-to" articles are written by the staff and a few long time contributors. Now, Model Railroader is a different story. Many of the layouts featured in its pages are often photographed and written by their subscribers. It is also not a less expensive option. The staff is on salary. They get paid regardless of who writes the article. Any submission still passes through an editor's hands for editing and then goes to the art department for layout.. Any published articles submitted by subscribers or other non-staff contributors are paid for by CTT. Far from being less expensive, this actually costs more. Dennis Brennan
Roger Carp is always looking for S-Gauge layouts to feature. If you want to see more S gauge, Standard Gauge, Marx etc., you need to let him know about such layouts. CTT can't produce train layouts out of thin air.
Wallyworld's statement: "It's probably just me but the fact that subscribers write a great deal of the magazine always struck me as odd. It certainly is a less expensive option." is not factual. Actually, almost all of the layout articles in CTT are written by the staff. Most of the "How-to" articles are written by the staff and a few long time contributors. Now, Model Railroader is a different story. Many of the layouts featured in its pages are often photographed and written by their subscribers.
It is also not a less expensive option. The staff is on salary. They get paid regardless of who writes the article. Any submission still passes through an editor's hands for editing and then goes to the art department for layout.. Any published articles submitted by subscribers or other non-staff contributors are paid for by CTT. Far from being less expensive, this actually costs more.
Dennis Brennan
Dennis,
A suggestion then. Other than layouts, why not do a couple of articles on cleaning and refurbishing old Flyer equipment? Like the article on refurbishing a Lionel GG1 the magazine did a couple of issues back, or the "Steam tune-up" article from September 2012, again featuring all Lionel.
Since us Flyer guys pretty much have to depend on eBay and toy train swap meets to build our rosters, and do a lot of our own maintenance, those kinds of articles would be very welcome. If you want something icon to a Flyer collector, try any PA-1 set, or how about a 4-8-4?
stebbycentral I was just in the American Flyer interest group on Facebook. One of our regulars posted a message to the effect that he has ended his subscription to CTT because of the relative absence of articles related to American Flyer, or other S-Scale. His posting was greeted with a long list of "AMEN, brother!" type of replies. So I thought I'd bring that discussion here; what do you think? Is CTT too slavishly devoted to three-rail? After all the magazine describes itself in it's banner as "O and S gauge for the operator and collector". Yet the last major Flyer article I remember was from September of last year.
I was just in the American Flyer interest group on Facebook. One of our regulars posted a message to the effect that he has ended his subscription to CTT because of the relative absence of articles related to American Flyer, or other S-Scale. His posting was greeted with a long list of "AMEN, brother!" type of replies.
So I thought I'd bring that discussion here; what do you think? Is CTT too slavishly devoted to three-rail? After all the magazine describes itself in it's banner as "O and S gauge for the operator and collector". Yet the last major Flyer article I remember was from September of last year.
AMEN, brother !
I don't subscribe to CTT mag for that reason, it is obsessed with 3-rail.
I also stopped visiting the CTT forum for the same reason.
Rich, an American Flyer guy
If you want S ga articles some one has to submit them. I'm sure if they had good material it would be published. Tell those S gaugers to get busy and send in some articles.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Wallyworld's statement :
"It's probably just me but the fact that subscribers write a great deal of the magazine always struck me as odd. It certainly is a less expensive option."
is not factual. Actually, almost all of the layout articles in CTT are written by the staff. Most of the "How-to" articles are written by the staff and a few long time contributors. Now, Model Railroader is a different story. Many of the layouts featured in its pages are often photographed and written by their subscribers.
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