Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

A Couple Of Things...

3861 views
24 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,892 posts
Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 10:13 AM

Even here in the US, the time for receiving a particular issue can vary greatly. It's not unusual for someone on this forum to reference an article in the "new" issue of MR a week or two before I receive my copy in the mail. Apparently some people receive their issue after me. Not sure if they do bulk mailings to different regions at different times or, as the OP suggested, perhaps they send the information to different printers in different areas who create and mail the magazines.

Stix
  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 3:56 AM

bagal

 

 
DSchmitt

Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK. 

 

 

is the issue delivered in UK actually printed in the US? My copy ships from a local business, so if it was printed in the US then it comes in a bulk shipment and re-shipped locally.

Bill

 
Just as an addendum - I took a better look at the magazine that arrived this morning (the May issue !!) and it was posted from an address in Essex (so between 10 and 50 miles away). So I guess MR either ships in bulk to the UK and posts locally, or prints locally and posts from Essex. Still, I'm impressed - I'm getting the hardcopy about a week after the electronic edition goes up on the website.
  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

I very much prefer reading real magazines to online versions.  I can take a magazine to the bathtub, the beach, the tree stand or the doctors office without worrying about my tablet getting wet or stolen. 

And it's just easier to read than paging through a computer screen.  Millenials probably don't think so.  They don't read books either.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Friday, February 26, 2016 5:22 PM

ACY

Here's an interesting observation: Malcolm has received his April issue in England, but it has yet to arrive at my local hobby shop on the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line! 

This is not a complaint; just an observation.

Tom

I have to say i was rather impressed too. This is only the second issue of my subscription (the first was sent in a plain brown envelope from the US and I received it a week or two ago) and I rather expected to be lagging behind things here in the UK with the postage etc but possibly this won't be the case. We'll see.

I have noticed that I'm tending to skim the online version and just reading anything that particularly catches my eye, whereas I read the hard copy much more closely when it arrives. Probably a sign of my being old (although quite a young railway modeller by Wall Street Journal standards) and regarding Kindles etc as an abomination to be scorned!  

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Friday, February 26, 2016 4:17 PM

Hi, Tom

I seem to recall that a few years ago Kalmbach went with Quad Graphics for printing and distribution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad/Graphics

With everything being web-based, I imagine the magazine workup is zipped over the network to one of the European facilities and fed to the presses, collated, stapled and shipped to customers in a matter of days.

The company also owns one or more private cars!

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2015/02/19/the-tough-part-of-working-for-trains-a-day-on-the-quad-graphics-private-cars.aspx

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/railohio/5631048435

 

Many of the big newspapers in the US were contract printed like this, too, so the NY Times might be sent to the production plant of the LA Times by wire, printed and distributed overnight.

 

Regards, Ed

  • Member since
    August 2013
  • 3,006 posts
Posted by ACY Tom on Friday, February 26, 2016 3:25 PM

Here's an interesting observation: Malcolm has received his April issue in England, but it has yet to arrive at my local hobby shop on the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line! 

This is not a complaint; just an observation.

Tom

 

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Friday, February 26, 2016 1:19 PM

cprfan

Click this link:

http://trc.trains.com/magazineindex

Click Advanced Search

Where it says Limit search to:

Use the drop down to select Model Railroader

Include all years unless you have an idea when the article was published

Put your search term in the box and click search.

Look up the result in the All Time Digital Archive. 

I wish they would link directly to it, that would be awesome.

 
Thanks Greg - that is much more what I was looking for. I looked for "drawings" with your method and picked up just over a thousand results in MR. Using the Archive search function I got 24 results using the "Article" search, and 10041 hits using the text search (no date limits for either). Obviously 1030 is rather more manageable than 10041. As you say, if that could be linked directly, it would be wonderful.
 
So Steven, the functionality is already in one part of your indexing system....
 
 
Moderator
  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Waukesha, WI
  • 1,764 posts
Posted by Steven Otte on Friday, February 26, 2016 9:16 AM

Hi, all,

We're well aware of the limitations of the search function in the MR All-Time Archive. We, too, would much prefer a Google-like algorithm. Unfortunately, the companies that could write that code for us expect Google-like pay. Indifferent

--
Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
sotte@kalmbach.com

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Friday, February 26, 2016 7:03 AM

Sir Madog
If you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!

Problem is, it is a search function, not a filter function. A filter would be very difficult for MR to create, but it is useful when ordering computer parts.

I can search MEMORY and the apply filters for DDR3 memore, for 8 GB, for Brand Name etc.

You could try searching "Kitbash"+"Stations"+"1900" and see what that will do.

 

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 289 posts
Posted by bagal on Friday, February 26, 2016 12:05 AM

DSchmitt

Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK. 

is the issue delivered in UK actually printed in the US? My copy ships from a local business, so if it was printed in the US then it comes in a bulk shipment and re-shipped locally.

Bill

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Canada
  • 59 posts
Posted by cprfan on Thursday, February 25, 2016 9:16 PM

Click this link:

http://trc.trains.com/magazineindex

Click Advanced Search

Where it says Limit search to:

Use the drop down to select Model Railroader

Include all years unless you have an idea when the article was published

Put your search term in the box and click search.

Look up the result in the All Time Digital Archive. 

I wish they would link directly to it, that would be awesome.

------

Greg Williams
Canterbury, NB
Canada
https://www.gregstrainyard.com/

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Thursday, February 25, 2016 9:06 AM

dknelson

A true "word" search would be a really nice addition to the All Access Pass digital archive, so that even if a word (or a name) was embedded in a letter to the editor it could be found.  That matters because over the years many articles have been corrected by letters to the editor, including scale drawings that had mistakes, electronic ciruits that were printed in error, and such.  And some pieces that are like articles are part of something like Clinic or the editorial.

Dave Nelson

Dave - isn't that what the word search in the Archives does? I know if you search by word it brings up that word even if included in adverts, so I'm sure it does so in letters too. 

The biggest problem is if you are just searching on a general basis - so if you want to fill a space on your layout and are looking for plans of an industry to fill it, then you need to make multiple searches using keywords. Or just go through the article index each month and bookmark anything that looks promising (which is much more fun and allows you to additionally find stuff you weren't really looking for but is nice to have).

If each article was tagged with a few keywords then you could have a search system that worked a bit like Walthers website - hit "structures", specify "scale" and zero in from there. 

  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point)
  • 11,439 posts
Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 2:20 PM

It is awkward to search for things in the old issues of MR strored on this site on the digital archives -- or for that matter, in the paper issues stored on your shelves (and I have MR solid back to 1949, with sporadic issues back to 1934, but I often use the digital archive All Access Pass magazines because they are convenient.  

As a rule I use the magazine index under "Resources" on this site and then seek out the digital or paper issue.

A true "word" search would be a really nice addition to the All Access Pass digital archive, so that even if a word (or a name) was embedded in a letter to the editor it could be found.  That matters because over the years many articles have been corrected by letters to the editor, including scale drawings that had mistakes, electronic ciruits that were printed in error, and such.  And some pieces that are like articles are part of something like Clinic or the editorial.

I have paper indexes going back well before 1960 but that too can be a laborious way to search for something, although I have used color coded highlighters to indicate articles I know I will want to find again.  Also at various times the compilers of the annual index have changed topic headings or indexing criteria.  What I do find useful, although it comes to a halt around 1985, are the softbound Stephans' Railroad Directory indexes for MR, Trains, and RMC.  

Dave Nelson

 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 2:10 PM

The OP's specific question is about navigating through the "All-Time Digital Archives", not just the forums.

Since I just resubscribed to the print version of MRR, I also subscribed to the Archives, and it's great.  I haven't tried to use the search function in the archives yet, but I'm going to give it a try. 

I would think it should work like any search function, such as seperating words with commas, or surrounding in parenthesis, or even adding "and" between the words.  I guess I'll have to go try it out!

Mike.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Southern California
  • 1,682 posts
Posted by Lone Wolf and Santa Fe on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 2:01 PM

The best way to search this site is to go to your favorite search engine and enter http://cs.trains.com plus your search word. The result should be only links to pages on this site.

j............

Modeling a fictional version of California set in the 1990s Lone Wolf and Santa Fe Railroad
  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 12:06 PM

MalcyMalc
but search facility essentially seems to have two options.

if (and I mean if) the search engine is similar to google, you can put words between quotes (e.g. "kitbashed locomotives") to find things with exactly that phrase which avoids find things with both of those words anywhwere in the text.

the other thing is the minus option which means things not having the word.   Example, structures -stations, would find things with structures but exclude any with stations.

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: California - moved to North Carolina 2018
  • 4,422 posts
Posted by DSchmitt on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 11:57 AM

Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK.  That is impressive in that hard copy subscribers in the US just received the March issue a couple weeks ago and will not recieve their copies of the April issue until some time in March.

By the way the April 2016 issue is in the All Time Digital Archives.

I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.

I don't have a leg to stand on.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 11:49 AM

Paul3

As a former retailer that had an account with Kalmbach just a couple years ago, I can tell you that it is common practice for US magazines that the date on the cover is the date the item is to be removed from the rack.

So when the magazine has "April 2016" printed on the cover, it is to be removed from the rack on April 1st, 2016 and replaced with the May issue.  Since the next issue has to be at the retailer's business a few days before the first of the month (for inventory and other purposes), and one needs to leave time for shipping, etc., the issue is usually shipped a week before the first of the month.

Therefore, subscribers (who get the issue direct from the printer) tend to get the issue 2 months ahead of the month that's actually printed on the cover.

Paul A. Cutler III

 
Thanks Paul - that is fascinating - I'm sure there is a logical reason for that being common practice in the States but good to know!
  • Member since
    May 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
  • 2,899 posts
Posted by Paul3 on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 11:30 AM

As a former retailer that had an account with Kalmbach just a couple years ago, I can tell you that it is common practice for US magazines that the date on the cover is the date the item is to be removed from the rack.

So when the magazine has "April 2016" printed on the cover, it is to be removed from the rack on April 1st, 2016 and replaced with the May issue.  Since the next issue has to be at the retailer's business a few days before the first of the month (for inventory and other purposes), and one needs to leave time for shipping, etc., the issue is usually shipped a week before the first of the month.

Therefore, subscribers (who get the issue direct from the printer) tend to get the issue 2 months ahead of the month that's actually printed on the cover.

Paul A. Cutler III

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:24 AM

G Paine

 

 
MalcyMalc
The MR Archives are great

 

when you say Archives, do you mean the forum 'Search the Community' feature or the CD with the all the MR articles?

 
I mean the back issues of the magazine held online. The quality of material is great but little effort seems to have been put into the search function (unless I'm completely missing something - which is perfectly possible).
 
I would have preferred to have bought the back issues on a CD to be honest. 
  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
Posted by MalcyMalc on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:17 AM

Sir Madog

Malc,

US magazines are usually a month ahead of time in releasing a new copy. MR just follows industry practice. Btw, I just got my March copy a week ago ...

If you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!

I'm wondering if this explains why my sister in Tennessee complains her English riding magazines are always "weeks out of date" when she gets them as British magazines are just issuing their March issues this week!
 
I thought April was a good issue though (for me as a returnee to the hobby anyway).
 
Malc
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Chamberlain, ME
  • 5,084 posts
Posted by G Paine on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:12 AM

MalcyMalc
The MR Archives are great

when you say Archives, do you mean the forum 'Search the Community' feature or the CD with the all the MR articles?

George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch 

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:00 AM

It took me about 2 weeks to get my March issue once the preview appeared on the MR website.  That would put deliver into the 1st or 2nd week of March, for the April issue, which is typical of monthly magazines in the US. 

Weekly mags are delivered consistently on time, monthlies are a little more variable and newletters that are shipped bulk mail may take several weeks before everyone receives the current issue.

Can't help you with number 2.  This forum is the only one I participate in where you can't search using and/or, dates or authors.  I'm not surprised if the mag is the same.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:54 AM

Malc,

US magazines are usually a month ahead of time in releasing a new copy. MR just follows industry practice. Btw, I just got my March copy a week ago ...

If you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 64 posts
A Couple Of Things...
Posted by MalcyMalc on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:23 AM

I'm a fairly recent arrival in these forums (fora ?) and so forgive me if i'm asking something that has been hashed over a few times before...

1) I received the latest issue of MR today in the post - very impressive when you consider I live in the UK. But I was somewhat confused by the date references in one of the articles - until I realised I was holding the April issue. We're still in February - has MR entered some kind of space time continuum unknown in the UK? Most magazines here are just releasing their March 2016 issues. 

2) The MR Archives are great - but search facility essentially seems to have two options. I can search by article title, or I can search through the text using keywords like "kitbash". My problem is that if "Kitbash" isn't used in the title an article won't show up and if used in the text I can be swamped with "Kitbash" references that are irrelevent. Is there a method for weeding out irrelevent results, or could articles be tagged by subject matter? Currently I've been looking through back issues from cover to cover bookmarking anything of interest but this doesn't seem very efficient (but is a lot of fun!).

Malc

 

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!