The good news continues with the announcement that subscriptions will be honored by the new owners.
A venerable franchise continues. Hoorah!
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
vsmithThat good news, perhaps the new publishers will go to a bi-monthly release. It would take alot of pressure off them compared to trying to fill out a monthly rag. Plus bi-monthly might yeld a thicker magazine.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Have fun with your trains
That is good news. I have subscribed to RMC for over 40 years and am glad they are continuing.
Enjoy
Paul
Some good news! It looks like RMC will be now published by White River Productions.
Railfan and Railroad also. It looks like Flying Models is still out in the cold though.
http://www.modelrailroadnews.com/PDF/WRP-Press_Release_140829.pdf
Agreed. No point in kicking someone while they're down. It's disappointing to those who have not yet-fulfilled subscriptions. But making a big deal about it now is a lot like your good buddy owing you a six-pack or a pizza, he dies , and you hit the widow up at the funeral for what he owes you. Just doesn't compute.
As for loose ends, yes, that happens in real life. Things are not so neatly resolved as the most recent episode of your favorite TV show.
I suspect anyone who buys and assumes the titles, if that should come to pass, will be more than interested in honoring unpaid subscriptions. It's called good will and anyone publishing wants to sustain the subscibers they already have first. It's also the case that advertising sells based on documented eyeballs on the page. Having previous subscribers as part of the start-up makes those numbers look better from the start, helping ad revenue.
Let's hope that the assets look attractive to someone. Tar, feathers and pitchforks will only detract from the chance that someone will step in and do what those making them desire -- publishing more issues once the dust has settled. No one can say what the outcome will be now, but no point in poisoning that well.
Folks, this is sad enough news without adding unsubstatiated rumor to the fire. Let's discuss only facts we know and can back up.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Perhaps the outsourced website service didn't get paid so it doesn't give a hoot about anything to do with the subscription link being active. And perhaps Carstens doesn't care either.
I have an unfinished subscription with RF&RR myself. But as far as any of us getting a refund or credit, perhaps the money has already been spent? When I was in the accounting profession this was to be booked as unearned revenue (a liability) until the subscription was fullfilled or an adjustment made.
If I were taking over a magazine, even under a new name, I wouldn't want the $$$ burden of the unfulfilled subscriptions unless that could be factored into the purchase price. But on the other hand, if I didn't honor them, there would likely be a number of potential customers that would not do business with me, ever.
It is likely RMC outsourced its website and subscription services. No doubt that part of the business learned of Carstens' closing like the rest of us did.
Jaime
dknelson Uncle_Bob There doesn't seem to be any mention of their closing at the website -- in fact, the tab to subscribe is still active. Probably just an oversight. Still, it's odd they announced their closing on Facebook but not the Carstens website. Perhaps because webmasters expect to be paid and folks can put stuff on Facebook themselves. Dave Nelson
Uncle_Bob There doesn't seem to be any mention of their closing at the website -- in fact, the tab to subscribe is still active. Probably just an oversight. Still, it's odd they announced their closing on Facebook but not the Carstens website.
There doesn't seem to be any mention of their closing at the website -- in fact, the tab to subscribe is still active. Probably just an oversight. Still, it's odd they announced their closing on Facebook but not the Carstens website.
That may be, but continuing to accept subscriptions to dead publications could be construed as fraud. They could avoid this potential problem by having the webmaster kill the link to the subscriptions page, and putting a notice on the home page stating the company went under. Paying a webmaster for this work is a better idea than putting a note on Facebook (a site many people avoid like the plague,btw), ignoring the company website, and hoping nobody sues or prosecutes you for taking money for a product that no longer exists. Granted, this may not be highly likely, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially where lawyers are involved.
Great! Just what the industry/hobby needed.... another "Fallen Flag".
VERY sad news indeed.
If the summary of the situation from Chris Lane is accurate, they should have been looking for a purchaser at the latest at the start of the year (maybe they were), so negoiations could have been resolved by May, and publication continuing in a reasonably seemless fashion (maybe missing one monthly issue at most).
[Post edited by moderator to remove reference to other user's now-deleted post.]
Sorry to loose RMC. I am a subscriber, and I have been reading it since the early 1960's. It had a lot of meat for modelers, plans, photos, how-to articles.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Hmm, I wonder what will happen to my digital edition downloads. They are still available on my Carsten's AP, but that may close I suspect. Can't seem to figure out anyway to save them as a PDF. Any suggestions? to
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Too bad there is no "Like" button in the way that Facebook has.
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
I've had subscriptions to several magazines over the years that suddenly ceased to be -- Antic, Analog, Byte, Mainline Modeler, and a few others.
Some offered a substitute magazine which I didn't want from a different publisher to finish out my subscription, but most just faded into the twilight without any warning.
And publishers such as Carstens are not alone -- how many of you remember Look, Life, Coronet, and Colliers magazines?
It's an extremely risky venture to publish a magazine that is directed to a specific target audience in today's Internet age.
This is indeed sad. I remember back in 1962 when I was 12 and I was looking at magazines in the local stationary store. There to my amazement was a magazine dedicated to a real hobby of model railroading. Clearly it was an adult hobby. That magazine was Railroad Model Craftsman. The pictures of scale models made my Lionel truly look like a toy. Soon after I also discovered Model Railroader magazine. The die was cast. A couple of years later it was out with the Lionel (to some later regret) and in with HO.Thank you RMC for 52 years of enjoyment.
With this sad news I will look on the bright side. Today I was at the Railroad Museum of Long Island (NY) Trainfest 2014. Many layouts from Z to G. Packed with families with kids. The kids were going crazy for the trains. They are our hobby's future.
Hello,
Could RMC go digital?
Timothy
NMRA Life# 00544
This was my first issue of RMC and I remember well that cover and the "newsprint" sort of paper of the magazine compared to a slicker MR which in the same month, I think, had a cover featuring the new LaBelle wooden passenger car kits titled "Ooh-la-la Labelle!" and inside a series by Mel Thornburg on scratch building a Wabash mogul really from scratch!
I agree with your assessment...............RMC was definitely quirkier and certainly more geared toward the modeler and builder than MR is in my opinion. Another plus was that it featured primarily northeast and east coast roads which made it very popular in especially the mid-Atlantic states. I have subscribed to RMC for many many years and to MR on and off in the last few years, the "off" periods when I think the magazine is getting too oriented toward electronics and expensive ready-to-run stuff but that's just my opinion. My main interest is building and scratch building but as you said that part of the hobby is far less attractive to the Athearns and the Walthers of the world who have little interest in selling sheets of scribed wood but love pushing plastic diesels with sound for 300 bucks.
My first RMC Feb 1996. Last, June 2014 digital edition. R&R was June 1998, last was again June 2014 digital. I didn't get every issue in between, but did get quite a bit of them. Kinda knew it was coming after NMRA 2014 convention with the conversation I had with them at their booth. Hope someone picks them up, as they were both very well IMHO. Sad to see them go.
Edit: it's RMC, not MRC. Stupid iPad autocorrect.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Face it, all publications are going online except for some fashion ones (maybe they will too). Even your local newspaper in many cases is gone or at least their compitition is. Just like most people don't have a house phone anymore (they even stopped doing the white pages), most don't get the paper except for the free editions. We used to subscribe to at least a half dozen mags in this house, now we are down to one (Cosmo for my 27 year old).
A sad day for those of us in the minority scales, I have every RMC issue from 1964 forward, MR lost its appeal for me over 20 years ago and time has not improved my opinion of it.
Dave
vsmithYes thats it, I saw the plan on Carl Arendts microlayouts page, any idea what month that issue was? I'd love to find a back copy
Ha, I'm lucky to remember the year (approx.)...
Thanks goodness for Google. I did find a ref to it, in 4 parts, April to July 1970. I got the year right after all.
I sold most of the Minitrains I had left for a good price, not too long before the improved versions hit the shores a few years back. Timed that right. Now if I could do that with the stock market...
mlehman vsmith My first RMC was from 1969 and had a then novel little layout in HOn30 using all AHM Minitrains. I have been Bent on narrow gauge since. Might have been the Elk River RR? That's the one I built from RMC, narrowgauge on my first real layout. The running qualities of the Minitrains left something to be desired, as was my skill set for dealing with them.
vsmith My first RMC was from 1969 and had a then novel little layout in HOn30 using all AHM Minitrains. I have been Bent on narrow gauge since.
Might have been the Elk River RR? That's the one I built from RMC, narrowgauge on my first real layout. The running qualities of the Minitrains left something to be desired, as was my skill set for dealing with them.
Yes thats it, I saw the plan on Carl Arendts microlayouts page, any idea what month that issue was? I'd love to find a back copy.
Yeah those AHMs left alot to be desired. I have the little Porter steam engine, motor still runs strong, doesnt go anywhere... but the motor still runs strong.
I knew it had to be happening as ref; my post earlier this month. I do hope that RMC can be brought back in some way as time goes on. Stuff happens and sometimes there is no other way, but I personally will miss the magazine and the type of content it provided for the Model Railroading Industry and us modelers. I wish all concerned Good Luck. Doug