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back issues

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back issues
Posted by IA and eastern on Monday, May 27, 2019 12:02 PM

Where i get back issues of Model Railroader and Trains magazines. Also where can i get bound volumes of Model Railroader and Trains magazines. Railpub was a good place to get back issues but they closed shop. Gary

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Posted by tstage on Monday, May 27, 2019 12:10 PM

Gary,

MR was (and I believe still is) selling ALL back issues of MR up thru 2017(?) on a DVD.  You can also request back issues (for a price) through Customer Service.  They won't have all the issues available though.  That's why the DVD may be your best option.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by rrinker on Monday, May 27, 2019 12:12 PM

 It may be too late now, but at two points, after the relase of the 75th anniversay DVD and then after the introduction of the all-time online archive, many people with large collections of print magazines got rid of them. Even before this, I was able to build up a big collection on the cheap at train shows - few dealers would haul in stacks of magazines and want to haul them out again, so it was often "make an offer". I know one show I got 10 complete years for about $15. Took me several trips to carry it all to the car. Then I got the 75 year DVD and had no use for all those old paper magazines which took up a LOT of space. I've long since gotten rid of mine, I couldn;t even GIVE most of it away. I have no use for a large collection of paper magazines, not when I cna read them anywhere, any time, on any device - not just a desktop computer.

 You might still find some people willing to just give them to you.

                                 --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Monday, May 27, 2019 1:49 PM

tstage

Gary,

MR was (and I believe still is) selling ALL back issues of MR up thru 2017(?) on a DVD.  You can also request back issues (for a price) through Customer Service.  They won't have all the issues available though.  That's why the DVD may be your best option.

Tom

 

The MR DVD went through 2009 and is sold out along with the Special Issues DVD.

CTT, Trains, and Classic Trains DVD are still shown in the Shop/DVD above.

IIRC, some time ago MR said they won't be doing a new MR DVD.

I have the MR DVD and it's great to be able to read/search the old issues on my monitor.

Paul

If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by tstage on Monday, May 27, 2019 3:15 PM

Paul,

Guess I was thinking of my NYCSHS DVD that has copies of the Central Headlight from 1970 thru 2017...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by dknelson on Monday, May 27, 2019 4:03 PM

IA and eastern

Where i get back issues of Model Railroader and Trains magazines. Also where can i get bound volumes of Model Railroader and Trains magazines. Railpub was a good place to get back issues but they closed shop. Gary

 

 
MR itself sells back issues (I think from time to time they are on sale); website indicates some back to 1986 
http://mrr.trains.com/issues but the Kalmbach Hobbystore shows some for sale back to 1973
I did not check for Trains magazines but I am sure they have plenty of back issues to sell too.
 
Bound volumes can be found here
 https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/catalog/magazines/bound-volumes
and frankly, if there are prototype drawings or really nice photos that spread over two pages, the bound volume versions make it very difficult to use those drawings or fully appreciate those photos.
 
Old issues of MR (and other magazines) as well as, now and then, bound volumes, are pretty common at train shows/swap meets.  Sometimes they are free!  Other times the seller will only sell by entire years or entire volumes (Trains did not always follow a calendar year for its volumes).  Another place to look, and I have gotten several via this route, is public library book sales; libraries often have a shelf life for magazines of a few years and sell off the discards.  25 or 50 cents is common for magazines and soft cover books at such sales.  Now and then I have even seen bound volumes.  
 
There is of course the all access collection of MR back issues online on this website.  It does not always work.  And some of the original scanning frankly left a lot to be desired.  (Again particularly for drawings and photos that spread out over two pages, or fold outs that spead out over 3 pages.)  After giving the all access pass to the back issues a fair trial (Some of you might recall my "book club" on this Forum where I'd pick a random back issue and we'd discuss it as if it was a new issue: here is a random example
I decided that there were just too many virtues to keeping hard copy back issues to discard mine (back to 1949 with scattered issues before then).  Others felt differently.   But in any case, many of us agree with the old advertisement MR used to run to sell its back issues: "Every magazine is new -- until you've read it."
Dave Nelson
 
 
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, May 27, 2019 4:28 PM

I find the old issues have some absolutely hilarious content, and are very worth reading.

.

I have been spending a lot of time in the 1966 year for some reason.

.

There is an article about how to paint a brass locomotive written from the viewpoint of a backwoods yokel. That is worth about a dozen laughs. I doubt there is any chance you would see an article like that today.

.

There is also a brief editorial by John Allen making the case AGAINST command control (although he does not call it command control).

.

It is all interesting.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Monday, May 27, 2019 5:07 PM

LION has thousands of back copies of MR.

 

Shipping would be almost asa much.

 

ROAR

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Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by rrinker on Monday, May 27, 2019 7:46 PM

 There is an IOS and probably Android app to access the MR Archive as well., Works on tablets as well as phones, a tablet is just about the right size.

 Only problem with it is there is no search, and to get to an article from, say 30 years ago, you have to scroll through all issue in reverse order until you get to the one you want. Whoever the developer was just was not thinking AT ALL about user interface and having 80+ years of magazine to scroll through. It may be just fine for a magazine that's only maybe 10 years old.

                                  --Randy

 

                                       --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Monday, May 27, 2019 7:57 PM

Like Dave, I still have my hard copies, similar is scope to his. Fairly complete back into the 40's and few even earlier.

I also have RMC less complete, from the early 50's.

Storage is not a problem, there was plenty of room under the old layout, there will plenty of room under the new larger layout.......

I mainly use the online archive and a search engine, then go pull the hard copy for anything serious like actually building a project.

And, to anyone willing to come to Forest Hill, MD and pick them, I have a second set of RMC from the 60's to the 90's with some gaps that is free to a good home, including the magazine holders they are in.

Sheldon

 

    

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Posted by richg1998 on Monday, May 27, 2019 8:01 PM

Is there a train show in your area?

I use to see magazine collections at the Big E show in West Springfield, MA every January, February. At least some could carry some of those collections at one time but not all.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Monday, May 27, 2019 8:52 PM

SeeYou190

I find the old issues have some absolutely hilarious content, and are very worth reading.

.

I have been spending a lot of time in the 1966 year for some reason.

.

There is an article about how to paint a brass locomotive written from the viewpoint of a backwoods yokel. That is worth about a dozen laughs. I doubt there is any chance you would see an article like that today.

.

There is also a brief editorial by John Allen making the case AGAINST command control (although he does not call it command control).

.

It is all interesting.

.

-Kevin

.

 

John Allen may have been the first to point out how well designed advanced cab control does mimic prototype signaling and lends itself to prototype operation, especially if one desires to model a Class I line. Buit he was surely not the last.

It is not so much a position against command control as it is FOR control systems that put the same restrictions on train movements as the prototype has. And that helps make up for the fact that we are NOT in the cabs of our little locos.......

As he points out, the prototype goes to great length to prevent two trains from occupying the same space at the same time.....not a bad idea for our models either........

But, it seems few modelers are really interested in signaling, CTC or other prototype operating procedures.....

Sheldon

 

    

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