BruntonI grew up with paper, so until I'm forced to, I'll stick with that.
I did too but, maybe I'm a techie junkie because I prefer my magazines and western novels on my Kindle Fire. There is a annoying drawback. If you do a lot of reading you need to recharge the battery every other day.
My coffee table does seem to be missing something though.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Hi,
My first issue of MR was Dec. 1955, and I've been a subscriber for over 4 decades. Like all mass media communications, some issues are better - to me - than others. But, MR is THE magazine of the hobby here in the USofA. And, while I used to get other train mags as well, it has come down to MR and CT exclusively these days.
I'm pretty established in the hobby, having already built my "final" layout - and picked an era, location, road, scene, and of course - the operating system. So many of the articles in MR aren't really needed by me, but I really do enjoy looking at the work of others, especially the layouts. And unlike most magazines, I especially like to see the ads - for I'm always looking for that new and different car/loco/structure.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
narrow gauge nuclear ... I assume MR has seen so many copys in each printing that the death rate of old MRs keeps back issues well stocked and, often, as a drug on the market. Richard
...
I assume MR has seen so many copys in each printing that the death rate of old MRs keeps back issues well stocked and, often, as a drug on the market.
Richard
The release of the DVD with the first 75 years of MR drove the back issue prices down. I noticed a drop at the train shows where back issues were commonly $2 and occaisionally $1 each. Now they are $5 for a year and $.50 each - sometimes less or free.
Once I bought my DVD copy I stopped acquiring back issues (I already have them back through 1947, plus a few earlier ones) While I haven't gotten rid of my paper issues since I have currently have space for them, I won't take them with me if I move again.
Enjoy
Paul
I grew up with paper, so until I'm forced to, I'll stick with that.
So did I. I also grew up with atmospheric nuclear tests, leaded gas, and leaded paint, to name a few examples, so I'm not at all enamored of the idea that just because I grew up with it that it's worth keeping around.
I dropped my paper subscription for an electronic subscription because paper just takes up too much space ( old MR's, RMC's, Trains, Classic Trains, Railfans.... need I go on?). I have several plastic carrying containers, that, when full of magazines, weigh something on the order of 50 lbs each and occupy several cubic feet. Compare that to the complete set of MR's (1934-2009) on DVD that occupies a few cubic inches for the media. Near as I can figure, a complete paper collection of MR and Trains dating from initial publlication would weigh upwards of a ton and earn me a spot on A&E's "Hoarding: Buried Alive".
EDIT: Whoops, it's TLC that does that program. A&E does "Hoarders".
Andre
I'll stick with paper too. I am into HOn3 narrow gauge and my main mag is the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazzette which has been a real full sized magazine since 1978. Prior to that it was "Fine Lines".
MR is still taken here as well. Just spent too many years buying MR on the newstand. So I subscribe now.
Interestingly, I see back issues of MR mags at the train shows for free or selling for 25 cents each to a very high price of $1.00 each. Even back into the 50's and 60's they can be found for 50 cents each!
I have been trying to get all my back issues of the Narrow Gauge Gazette back to 1978, but they are $5.00 each for all back issues from 2012 until the mid-80's and then the price jumps to $10.00+, each! The first year (1978) was offered complete by one dealer for $250.00! Yes, occasionally you will find a full, single, modern year bundled by an ex-narrow gauger who didn't renew for $10 or $20, but that is very rare. One of the mag dealers I saw recently said he can't keep the older 80's and 70's Gazette back issues in stock. Fortunately, it has always been a bi-monthly so there are only 6 issues/year.
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
Brunton I still, and always will, subscribe to the paper edition. The digital edition is fine, but the paper copies will last close enough to forever for all practical purposes, and I actually OWN them! The content will never disappear due to reading device obsolescence, the provider taking the content offline because it didn't pay, or any other reason that streaming content may disappear. My collection of paper issues takes up about 30 linear feet on top of my bookcases, and I can read them anytime I'd like, without regard for internet connection outages, device battery condition, etc. All I really need is sunlight and I'm good to go! I grew up with paper, so until I'm forced to, I'll stick with that.
I still, and always will, subscribe to the paper edition. The digital edition is fine, but the paper copies will last close enough to forever for all practical purposes, and I actually OWN them! The content will never disappear due to reading device obsolescence, the provider taking the content offline because it didn't pay, or any other reason that streaming content may disappear. My collection of paper issues takes up about 30 linear feet on top of my bookcases, and I can read them anytime I'd like, without regard for internet connection outages, device battery condition, etc. All I really need is sunlight and I'm good to go!
Amen, My friend.
Cheers,
Frank
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
The key to Digital is a good device. Older lower resolution devices won;t be nearly as satisfying. Most of the newer tablets (and I'm sorry, gadget freak though I am, a single task reading device or limited content somewhat more general device doesn;t cut it) have high enough resolution displays that the individual pixles in the lettering fonts are indistinguishable to the naked eye. This makes them as clear as print. And when they have things like those bird's eye view shots of a prototype location, I can zoom the picture until it is effectively LARGER than the version in the print magazine so I can catch all the little details, without pulling out a magnifying glass.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
richhotrain I have subscribed to MR mag for 10 years now, as well Classic Trains. The problem that I have with any hobby magazine, be it model railroading, golf, or tropical fish, my three hobbies, is that after a period of time, I grow bored and disinterested in the monthly or quarterly issue. As a newbie to any hobby, I would eagerly wait for each new issue, pour through it, absorb it, save it. But after a while, I get the new issue in the mail, browse through it and then discard it. I just don't get the rush that I used to get. Rich
I have subscribed to MR mag for 10 years now, as well Classic Trains.
The problem that I have with any hobby magazine, be it model railroading, golf, or tropical fish, my three hobbies, is that after a period of time, I grow bored and disinterested in the monthly or quarterly issue.
As a newbie to any hobby, I would eagerly wait for each new issue, pour through it, absorb it, save it.
But after a while, I get the new issue in the mail, browse through it and then discard it.
I just don't get the rush that I used to get.
Rich
Rich, I couldn't have said it any better. I just re-upped my digital editions, but I understand that the majority of content is targeted at beginners and those that choose to keep it simple. For more advanced tactics I go elsewhere as I am always seeking to improve myself instead of just being good enough to get by. My main focus on MR is the the products reviews, adverts and "whats new" as far as products.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Cederwoodron:
I am glad for you that you renewed.
I did NOT renew my subscription last year.
Right now there IS a budget strain with a tightening budget and the $50 went to other necessary expenditures. The $150 for the three {MR, TRIANS, CLASSIC TRAINS} Was spent eleswhere. Then there was the "just $8.95" fo the SPecial mags that is added in there ecah time I renewd!...When the others run out, they too may go.
Secondly, I wasn't reading it much and neither was MOH {who is also into trains, aren't I the lucky one?}
Thirdly, I actually enjoy TRAINS magazine more than MR. Ditto MOH. I like the 1:1 info far better than "just modeling" info.
Fourth, I wasn't "getting much out of" the MR amgazine..A relative statement, I assure you.
Fifth, I was passing them onto a train nut friend without even having read, or so much as glanced through them, and He can get his own subscription!
Sixth, I do, If in B&N or the like, look for such mags, but I feel I can buy the ones I am really really interested in owning, even if cover price is higher. I may miss "special" issues, but I can deal.
I DO like to support our hosts, but I can't always do it.
Its a hobby have fun!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Years ago i started buying the interesting ones off the shelf at the local hobby shop when my dad stoped his subscription. After awhile i found i was spending alot of money on magazine. So when i found out how much i could save by doing a multi year subscription i signed up. I find it is worth it in the long run because it gives me alot of ideas for my layout.
A friend of mine gave me around 10 years worth of MR, a bunch of MR How To Books and the DVD set last year. They were great reading as I was very new to the hobby. I would never subscribe to the magazine due to personal reasons but I do buy the odd old copy at a train show.
Alton Junction
I've gone to the e-edition since getting the wife's hand-me-down iPad. Kind of pinching pennies these days, but one sub I'll not give up is MR. Much like the NY Times is for print journalism, MR is the journal of record for model railroading as a hobby.
Some folks think MR has various things wrong they just "gotta do something about." And if you were editor, maybe you would. But MR has to serve the needs of a very broad audience. Rarely do I hear such a concern where I don't think of how the change desired could be good in one way, but detract from the experience of others. That's a tough balance to achieve for any editorial group, but MR does a pretty good job of it.
One area where I did have a bit of a gripe was the trend toward beginner level topics being repeated. That now seems dialed back to a more comfortable level. Thing is that people rarely take up this hobby on a whim. It creeps in to take over their entire life......well not quite that bad, but people will pick up the beginner's stuff over a longer period than as one or two issues or as a yearly cycle where regular readers can almost anticipate a reprise of what they read this month, last year. Maybe it's slipping toward a 3- to 4-year cycle and that's a good thing.
After all, we have these forums to refer to if we're a beginner and get stuck on something, where advice is easy to find and specific enough to solve most any model railroad related problem or to help take your modeling to the next step. So the forums can fill in until a beginner's topic next makes it into the print edition.
As a 40+ year reader of MR, I keep reading it to stay up to date with common basis of information that is widely shared in the hobby. It's not everything, but it tries to serve everybody; that's important to model railroading and useful for me.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
ACYNow MR seems to be the one that focuses on beginners, & RMC seems devoted to the more advanced modelers. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way it feels.
If I may.
Oddly enough I haven't bought a RMC in years I always felt MR supplied my simple needs since I never really got caught up in the modeling skill badge thingy or "expert" status that's toss about like a ship in high seas..
I've always been a simple down to earth old school modeler that hasn't changed that much over the years.
......By the way, it's interesting that MR used to be the mag. for the advanced modeler and RMC was the one for the beginners & less talented ones. Then Tony K. became editor of RMC and started its climb in status. Now MR seems to be the one that focuses on beginners, & RMC seems devoted to the more advanced modelers. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way it feels.
Also, I wish MR (and lots of other publications too) would stop relying on spellcheck, and go back to using a good old dictionary & Thesaurus, as Al K. would have liked. Gaffes are rare, but they do appear, & they never did in Al's day (or Paul's, or Linn's). Back in the '50's and '60's, I think I learned as much about good writing from them (and D.P.M.) as I did from my teachers.
Never have subscribed & don't want to. If I had no local hobby shop, I might. But the L.H.S. is a place for social interaction, & I like going up there & shooting the bull with the other guys (and a few gals too). Even if I don't buy anything else, I have the excuse of buying the mag. to justify the trip to the shop. I like the dealer & I like patronizing the shop. I'm sure I end up spending more $ this way & I don't get some of the on-line perks, but I'm OK with that. IMHO, the intangibles make it worthwhile to swim against the current.
I have been reading MR since December 1971, and been a subscriber since shortly after that - over 40 years now. It has been and is my favorite magazine.
Even though a lot of the articles are doing things that were done before, they frequently use new materials and / or techniques. So really there's always new stuff to learn.
MR along with RMC and the NMRA Bulletin (or whatever the name is this month) are the big 3 for me and I have all the issues back 40 years plus earlier back issues.
I let the subscription go a few years ago to try to save a few pennies - In the end I bought enough of the issues off the shelf to be very close to the subscription price, so there was no real savings.
Fact is, every issue has at least one item of interest to me, and usually more, that are worth the price. If I get to the point where I actually can't afford $3.25 a month I'll have to re-evaluate my use of money for any hobby.
And oddly, though I read 7-10 magazines a month on the iPad, I have no desire to have MR in 1s and 0s. It and Trains are the only 2 I get in print, but it just seems right to me.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
I have been reading MR since the Fall of 1961. Initially, from the LHS, then the news stand. Over a period of time I became a subscriber, and remained one off an on until a couple of years ago, when I let it lapse while pinching pennies.
I continued to buy the magazine at Barnes and Noble, and ultimately decided I could save money by subscribing again.
Most months, I get my money's worth, as there is always an interesting article. Although, I've been around for a good while, someone almost always comes up with a better idea or better method. I have not tried the electronic version yet, but do read MRH and some of the various society modeling publications on line.
The staff at MR today, is no different than back in 1961. Big difference back then they were all older than I, while today, I've got years on them.
I do enjoy MR .
Joe
Getting the new issue of MR is the one thing I look forward to at the beginning of the month. My onthly ritual is to take the new issue out to screened-in porch, light up a cigar, crack open beer and read the magazine cover-to-cover. I subscribe because it's quite a bit cheaper than buying it newsstand.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
Like others, I still enjoy sitting down and opening a paper copy each month. I think it reminds me of when I was younger and couldn't wait to get home from the hobby shop each month when the new issue of MR came out. It was never a question of only buying it if I saw something I liked. I could always find something interesting even if it was just the ads for new products. I might not get quite as excited as I did about 35 years ago, but I still look forward to each issue with anticipation. It's a small price for the enjoyment it brings each month.
I've also found that while some articles don't appeal to me at first glance, if I force myself to read them, I often end up learning about something or a new technique that proves helpful down the road. That sort of reminds me of older radio stations that played a variety of music compared to today where everything is neatly divided into specific formats. I used to hate listening to certain songs or artists I didn't like, but in the end, it gave me a much wider exposure to music I would have never listened to on my own. And you know what? Sometimes I would hear something different that I really liked!
Maybe not the greatest analogy ever, but that's why I still buy MR each month,
Jim
Well, I go back into the hobby about 2 years ago, and I found the magazine and, particularly, this forum very helpful. For me, the magazine is in the ballpark of usefulness it was to me many years ago, and this forum most valuable. Some of the Kalmbach publications have also been a good resource. I've recently added the video plus, a bit pricey, very useful in some videos such as track ballasting, but as I progress, I'm not so sure I will continue this as it approximately doubles my annual expense. Overall, I think MR has done a reasonable job in a changing environment.
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Having had both a paper and digital subscription for a while now, I think when the paper one expires I will only be renwing the digital. Just picked up Classic Trains, too, though why I picked a paper copy and not digital I'm not sure. I've hardly cracked the cover on the last 3 or 4 paper MRs I got, the digital is available up to a week before the paper copy comes in the mail, and I've usually already read itby the time the paper one arrives.
I don't like to sit at my computer to read, either - which is why my MR adn MRH go on my iPad so I can sit in my comfy chair and read. Along with most of the rest of my library. The only physical books I seem to buy any more are railroad ones, since they are either older books, or often produced my smaller publishers who don't yet offer ebook versions. Fiction books? Been years. Which drives the family crazy as I used to be counted on to provide a list of 15-20 books as options on the Christmas list.
As for content, I think there's been a big improvement in MR over the past year. Lots of interesting construction articles with scratchbuilding and kitbashing.
I agree that the present editor is doing a great job. I am also, though, not extremely experienced, finding the majority of beginner's how to articles something I'm getting beyond now.
Model Railroader was like a best friend when I was a kid in the '60s. I felt like I knew the staff-kinda and Lynn Wescott was my "hero". I took it with me to every appointment in case the waiting rooms only had "normal" magazines (Except for the dentist who had "Golden Age"/ 1940s superhero comics.) I'll bet he wished he hadn't let our grubby little paws get ahold of them once he realized what they were worth later!
I also subscribe to Railroad Model Craftsman. This magazine is on the other end of the extreme for my present skills but I enjoy the depth of craftsmanship, historical articles, etc. MRH's online magazine falls between those two camps and fills the void. Even though I can only read that online, I tend to avoid other reads on the computer screen.
From time to time, I consider not continuing my subscription with Model Railroader, but there is always the call of layout photos/articles and the occasional innovative ideas/workarounds. (under the table tortoise extension brackets, etc.) I'll make the decision to renew when my 3 yr. subscription is up.
I DO like that this present staff is similar to the '60s in that it seems very buddy buddy/personable and this comes across the the subscriber/buyer.
I've tried digital subscriptions (OPSig) and really don't think I'll back "there" until we're all forced to by the times. I enjoy the flexibility of hard copies and less eye strain and stuck in one posture if not on a laptop.
I wish that MR would have more advanced projects than they do but beginners need a magazine too.
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
I renewed when offered a reduced rate, overseas, 3 year rate.
Some editions are better than others, but on the whole there is usually a good balance to keep me interested. And, in any case I also take RMC along with 2 European magazines.....
Whilst I read some magazines on-line, I do try to limit how many, as I sit in front of computers during my working day / nights!
Brian
www.deadwoodcityrailroad.blogspot.com