Not more time, no other option. Not many kits, not much RTR - and those RTR $60 locos, those would be liek $800 in today's money, so you either built it yourself or did without.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Steve. I can't get over the scratch building that was going on back in the old day's I guess people had more time on there hands.
When we were proofreading the scanned issues before producing the DVDs, I was fascinated by some of the outdated techniques in those early issues. Like conducting power on a drawbridge using open pools of mercury, or making turf from dyed asbestos fibers. This hobby sure has come a long way, and I for one am glad of it!
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
I hate to emitt it but over the years if I ran across a article I needed it was easier to order the back issue than look through the boxs of old mags that I had.
SOme of the ones I aquired, I got a train shows, years ago. In once case, the guy had like 8 year's worth, I was buying 4 of them, and the guy said, an extra 2 bucks and you can have them all. Good thing they stamp your hand for re-entry, I had to make a coupel of trips to my car to carry them all out before I could finish walking the show - and this was one of the first tables I came to.
As for space to store them, well, they ARE under my layout. But I also need to keep drawers with my tools and parts under thereplastic tubs with other materials/kits/boxes, etc, and everythig else layout related. In a 10x15 room, also not blockign the passage to the dor, electrical outlets, or the part of the room that opens to an alcove where I have my workbench. Had I a nice 20x40 basement or so, I could just buy more shelves. But also, my railroad computer is right behind my workbench, so if I'm workign on something and need to look up something, I just spin around in my chair. The MR DVD allows you to print out plans, so if you want to work on a construction article, you cna print it, no need to attempt to lay out a structure wall from a computer screen.
Well, I'm planning on getting the DVD, but will keep my paper copies thank you. I don't know what kind of houses you guys live in, or what size layouts you have, but in a worst case senerio, all 60 years of MR and RMC that I have would fit under my layout on a few shelves if need be. I don't see what the big deal is?
I hate lap top computers, never have figured out how to use the "mouse pad" thingy, and have no interest in a "tablet" or other stuff like that.
I have lots of books, and plan to keep them all, train related and otherwise.
Sheldon
Once I have a list of which ones are in good enough condition to read, I plan on trying the local Freecycle list. There's one in nearly every community, peopel with extra/unwanted items that just want to be rid of them and don;t care about actually makign money off them can post their available items for others to claim.
Trainnut500 I just received my 75 year DVD and it is great. So I was piling up my old MMR mags from the 80s 90s ect. I can't believe the difference in thickness after 2000. Sign of the times I guess.
I just received my 75 year DVD and it is great. So I was piling up my old MMR mags from the 80s 90s ect. I can't believe the difference in thickness after 2000. Sign of the times I guess.
If you mean the "old" ones were thicker than now, that's may be true, but when I started 40 years ago (1st issue was Dec 1971) the mags were thinner than now. I think they did get thicker in the eighties/nineties but today are still thicker than the ones from the 1970's.
I am planning on contacting local schools and seeing if I can arrange a lending library for my (new to me) back issues donation. I got all jazzed up about MRing from seeing the photos in MR and MRC and hope to do the same for 21st century kids IF the school districts are ammenable in my area. If not, once I'm done with them or get a DVD version one day, the local libraries' free magazine racks are another possibility. I'll try lending to local clubs too although the DVD may make that passe'. Children's hospitals or veteran's hospitals are another possibility.
Perhaps one of those ideas would fit the bill?
I think you'd get rid of a lot of issues for free at train shows. They generally only sell for about $1 per old issue in the hobby stores in my area.
Even though the DVD is a great deal (considering what's in them) I'll have to wait until they start showing up used at much lower prices. I still haven't warmed up completely (and may never unless it's the only remaining choice one day) to online magazine reading. I find the page turns, scrolling methods vary a lot and it can get a bit frustrating.
I also like to take them with me to the "reading room", read in bed in the a.m. now that I'm retired and on camping trips where internet isn't always there or reliable. I also frequently bring issues into my train room to hold them up to the a-building layout to see if "that" would look right or cool, etc. A little more portable for that application!
Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
I have about 30 year’s worth of old Model Railroaders on shelves taking up space and I bought the DVD to replace them. My question is does anything think that people will pick them up at train shows even for free?
I offered mine to club that is about 70 miles away and never heard back from them. There are a few other clubs further away or about the same distance as the recycling center but I just don’t know if it is worth it even asking them if they want them. I liken them to the old National Geographics that are sitting in my parent’s attic and who is going to have to deal with them (me) as my parents are in their late 70’s.
Steve
Hi Guys
With all the information in my 40 yrs of MRR Mags there is no way I could begin to find certein info I might need. For that reason the DVD search feature and print out is the only way to go. So as much as I hate they have to go.
Capt. Grimek I was wondering how many of us are preferring to keep our old mags even though the DVD set will give us back 15-20 linear feet of shelf space?
I was wondering how many of us are preferring to keep our old mags even though the DVD set will give us back 15-20 linear feet of shelf space?
I would be one of those. I don't have a laptop, I do have a bad back, and I'm not intending to carry the desktop PC and monitor into the reading room everytime I want to read a magazine.
I need to do that with mine. I have 3 bookshelves full of issues, at least they are mostly all organized (mainly the most recent ones aren't organized) by year. Some are goign right ot the trach, I've read them so many times the covers have fallen off and pages are loose. Others are in perfectly fine condition and I'd really like to find someone to give them to. My shelves are under my layout so they aren;t int he way, but I'd like to reuse them to store my empty kit boxes.
My wive gave me the 75th MR DVD for Christmas. In the 60s, I used to stay after school because my JR High Library subscribed to MR, but you couldn't check out magazines. I loved John Allen's work. reviewing these issues brings back a lot of great memories.
My wife wants me to get rid of my old MR paper issues, which are taking up a lot of space in the den. I will probably take them to the next train show and give thme away to help promote the hobby.
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
JoeinPA I've been going back and looking at the issues starting with the lat 1950's when I came into the hobby as a teenager and looking at the amount of scratch building that was common then. I wonder how many of us would be in the hobby today if we still had to build every car and locomotive as well as figuring out how to wire a selenium rectifier and rheostat. Nostalgia is fun but our reality is more fun. Joe
I've been going back and looking at the issues starting with the lat 1950's when I came into the hobby as a teenager and looking at the amount of scratch building that was common then. I wonder how many of us would be in the hobby today if we still had to build every car and locomotive as well as figuring out how to wire a selenium rectifier and rheostat. Nostalgia is fun but our reality is more fun.
Joe
Joe,
You and I started at about the same time. My first loco was an Athearn UP F7A. If that was a kit, there must have been about three parts. A few years later, my Revell "SW7" and my Rivarossi Dockside were RTR. But then, my Hobbytown RSD Alco and my Penn Line 2-8-0 were kits. And then there was Tenshodo brass--definitely RTR. In cars, Revell and Tyco, at least, had RTR stuff. I did build Ulrich, Mainline, Red Ball, and even Labelle kits, too. And more.
That said, if I still had to do the same type of frequent car and loco building as back then, I'd still be here. It was fun then, and it's fun now. While most of what I buy is RTR (yeah, right--coupler adjust, etc), I've got a ton of resin kits to build. And there's a whole lot of kitbashing and/or detailing of locos I can do. Why, back in the late '50's, most of us didn't have a clue that there WERE details missing.
So, nowadays I've got a LOT more rolling stock than I would have if I were still back in the '50's. And it's a lot better, too.
But, as I said, I had fun back then; and I think that, if nothing had changed, I'd still be playing with trains. I'd just have less of them. My wife, at least, would think that would have been even better.
Ed
I started with Vol 1 #1 and am workign my way forward. It's interesting to see how the hobby has progressed. My intent is to read all of them in order until I get to the ones I have since I've been subscribing.
Yes, there are a lot fewer advertisers in printed magazines today, fewer manufacturers, and fewer, less detailed articles.