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February Model Railroader

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  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 9:44 PM

Bering

As a side note, was anyone else's ad cover upside down and backward?

 

Yep, mine was. 

I carefully remove it, anyway.

Ed

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 9:11 PM

Steven Otte
The blue box will be back in March.

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Oooh, that is good news.

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Minor and insignificant changes in my leisure activities really cause me irrational discomfort.

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-Kevin

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Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Milwaukee, WI
  • 79 posts
Posted by Markgro on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 7:45 PM

As another side note, was anyone else's issue lacking staples?

Mine arrived in the mailbox as just folded loose sheets!

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 7:10 PM

That happens sometimes, stack gets flipped at the printer between steps.

Heritage Fleet was always one of my favorite columns in RMC. Glad MR picked it up. Any sort of history like that, I eat it up.

                                           --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

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

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Burlington Vt
  • 76 posts
Posted by Bering on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 7:06 PM

As a side note, was anyone else's ad cover upside down and backward?

Lost in the snow

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 5:22 PM

I can only speak for my own tastes, but I purchased all but maybe three issues last year at the newstand. In previous years, I would purchase perhaps four issues in total.  It seems to me that our magazine is moving in the right direction for me.  Even if we get the same contributors often, it's not like they don't know anything, haven't achieved a great deal, and have little to teach us. For those who insist that contributors, or those offering opinions, must also provide proof of their own work to bolster their claims, those newer contributors have the chops in my opinion.

 

-Crandell

  • Member since
    January 2011
  • From: NS(ex PRR) Mon Line.
  • 1,395 posts
Posted by Jimmy_Braum on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 2:25 PM

I just got mine, so I haven't had a chance to sit down and dive into it. 

I enjoy the operations articles, both prototype based ones, and model ones.

I LOVE the Heritage Fleet series of articles- student of history

I enjoy the "ask MR" since sometimes there are questions I can use the answer to.

As usual, the Trackside photos are inspiring.

I will say this though, I was glad when you brought back the "Railroad you can model" last month.

 

I think I;m gonna enjoy Pelle's article about rail embedded in concrete- gonna build an industrial switching park, since I am renting right now and cant build a huge layout. 

Overall, I'm glad to get this month's/

(My Model Railroad, My Rules) 

These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway.  As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).  

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 2:09 PM

 I actually like the willingness to make alterations like this. In the days of yore it was "this is what we put on the cover, no ifs, ands, or buts" so the cover shot had to be composed just right to work around the logo. I wonder how many other quite deserving photos were NOT picked because they would have been compromised by the logo over the years? Hopefully if another wonderful shot like this one comes along in the future, the box will go and the picture will show.

                                     --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

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

Moderator
  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Waukesha, WI
  • 1,764 posts
Posted by Steven Otte on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 11:41 AM

SeeYou190

I have not read the whole issue yet, but boy does the cover look different. It might take me a while to accept the loss of the blue box.

You won't have to. The blue box will be back in March. It's just that for this issue, we wanted to show off as much of that gorgeous cover photo as possible.

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

  • Member since
    November 2017
  • 92 posts
Posted by Bubbytrains on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 11:05 AM

I haven't  finished it yet but I'd give it a C. I don't feel as good about it as last issue.

The cover/page 55 photo is really nice and eye-catching. I really like the color and lighting. I don't know how he got the lighting like that. It's like it was shot outdoors in late afternoon light ("sweet light") but it's an indoor layout. Otherwise, the layout is nice but it's a "if I had a million" layout.

The modeling hills article did not impress me at all. I can't see how the weed block fabric offered any improvement over any other method, whether cost, effort or result.

As usual I liked the Trackside photos. I love to see the variety of modeling that others do.

I really liked the operators column on sections. I liked how he explained it, and I learned a lot. On the other hand, Koester's column was even more useless (to me) than usual.

The reviews were interesting as usual. One thing I liked about the Bowser review was learning just how late those Red Barns were built! 1988 and 89, two years after the last SD40-2! I also learned the Kato ONP sets are based on the previous year's scheme, not the current scheme. First, I didn't know the scheme was different each year, and then I had just assumed they would collaborate with Metra in preparation for the current scheme. But obviously there's not enough lead time for that. On a side note, I wonder if Kato will do the special new Rock Island scheme on their MP36?

I enjoy reading Keith Wills' column even though most of his material predates me. This one was interesting in how badly O scale was doing in the 70's. 

The reader tip about completely enclosing his layout to keep dust and cat hair off was neat but seemed like a bit of overkill for a home layout since it makes it less accessible to operations, and more like a museum display layout.

 I have yet to read either article on the WSS, the B&O layout article, or Soeborg's article. I had mentioned last month I was sick of seeing Soeborg all the time, but I didn't realize until this issue that he's a contributing editor, so that explains why he's in there almost every month. 

Bubbytrains

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Southeast Texas
  • 5,449 posts
Posted by mobilman44 on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 7:32 AM

I just got mine last evening.  The passenger train layout spread is one of the best I've seen in ages.  And I've been a reader/subscriber since the 1950s.

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
February Model Railroader
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 6:21 AM

I have not read the whole issue yet, but boy does the cover look different. It might take me a while to accept the loss of the blue box.

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I loved Hal Miller's editorial... See... A purge of unfinished projects is good for your hobby juices.

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When I first joined this forum I posted a thread about my most recent purge of unwanted items and stalled projects. It was a good thing to do, and I have been very productive and happy since then.

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-Kevin

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Living the dream.

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