Please do not turn this into a complaint thread about our host.
.
I have been a reader of Model Railroader since the 1970s when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Back then, the magazine had a lot more printed (fewer picture) departments and columns.
I recently realized that I really miss the "Paint Shop" and "Student Fare" sections. I used to read them all the time, and in fact I was once printed in Student Fare in the mid 1980s.
Paint Shop inspired me to do what I do now... paint all my equipment myself. I had none of the equipment or supplies the contributors had, but I knew that is what I wanted to do.
What do you miss? Symposium On Electronics, Bull Session, or something else?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Scale drawings.....
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Scale drawings.....
+1
Take Care!
Frank
Scale drawings +2
Scale drawings+4. And. A railroad you can model
Wolfie
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
I'll be the contrarian. There's really not anything I miss and I began subscribing back in the late 1970s. Whatever has been dropped has been replaced by something I find at least as interesting. I found the scale drawings to be mildly interesting but was never into scratchbuilding so they didn't have much appeal to me. I've always liked the featured layouts and that's usually the first thing I look for. My other favorites are Trains of Thought, The Operators, and Trackside photos. I'm not sure when these were first added to the magazine but I'm pretty sure it wasn't back in the 1970s. RMC still publishes scale drawings on a regular basis so modelers interested in those still have a source.
I miss the annual photo contest and Model of the Month!
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
In general MR is OK as is.
Paint shop was good particularly when it went further than just painting and adding decals to undecorated Athearn and actually got into necessary redetailing. In some ways the title was misleading for those articles.
One thing they (MR) used to do but rarely if ever does now is review a new product which is NOT rolling stock or a structure, but might be a detail part or even a decal set. And those were "critical" reviews, by which I mean not necessarily negative but analytical: is the detail part, or the decal set. accurate, to scale, and useful or is there something better out there? It is not enough (although it is helpful) just to be told something new has been released, which is at most what they do now for such things which are not rolling stock or structures - often some genuine analysis is in order.
Well OK I did just think of something where I wish MR would be what it once was. I do not find the current regular column on operations to be anywhere near as interesting and specific or well-written as Andy Sperandeo's The Operators columns. If you want to know how to actually do stuff at an operating session you still need to hunt up Andy's old columns.
Rather than wish MR was more like it used to be, I wish a a magazine would come forward that does the things that the second (and third) tier model railroad magazines did, or tried do to, a couple decades ago: really deep dives into prototype modeling and information about prototypes, particularly freight cars: things that MR has elected not to do, and which RMC does now and then but not always terribly well or very coherently. At one time there were four such magazines; all failed of course but they were very duplicative of one another and were about equal in quality. Advertising dollars and article content (and yeah, editor/publisher ego) was just spread too thin. The market could not support four such magazines so all four ended up being under nourished. Had there been one, or one clearly superior one, I think it would have survived.
But those are just my views which tend to be quirky ones.
Dave Nelson
Mostly I miss Paint Shop and scale plans. I think the Operators column is bland compared to Sperandeo's column on ops.
I could do without the conctant articles pushing Walthers products though.
I don't care for the push for the non-magazine content. As a subscriber I feel snubbed since I don't join in the other things. So much points to them rather than magazine content. The whole magazine seems like an ad for those other items like video plus and all.
My 2¢
oldline1
I also miss A Railroad You Can Model. Also I miss that just about every model railroaded featured discussed more in depth about their motive power. But I understand that today with RTR and super detailed locomotives coming from the factory and a lot of those with DCC and sound already installed, there’s not much to talk about other than those who still customize and weathering.
Ralph
Believe it or not, I miss a lot of the advertising. Yes, really. I used to read most of the ads. MR was, still is, one of the few magazines that did not sell out to tobacco or women's shoes. I still have interest in most ads, even now. Trainworld had 3 tight, small print pages of listings.
Times have changed, but advertisers should realize that the market is still there.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
dknelsonIf you want to know how to actually do stuff at an operating session you still need to hunt up Andy's old columns.
Or join the Operations SIG and receive their fine magazine.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Chalk up one more for drawings & plans, especially period freight cars.
But I really can't complain, I've been a subscriber since the early 70's and have a list of about 50 MR plans that I'd love to scratchbuild... once I get the Layout fully operational.
Jim
Student Fare, by far... I reread all of my 1970's issue's student fares. I guess there just isn't enough students anymore.
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
Great comments so far.
I absoltuely miss the annual photography contest also.
It kind of went wonky when they seperated traditional film photogrpahy and digital photography. They sure would not need to do that now.
If "The Operators" columns by Andy S. were collected into a book, I'd buy one for myself and one for the club shelf.
I found a lot of good information in "Paint Shop" and the similar "Protofile" that appeared in RMC.
Sorry, even though I have subscribed many times and am currantly, I find most of the content is not very appealing to me unless it is on an advanced subject, even the competion is more geared to the less advanced modeler. They are all pushing their video stuff. Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.
rrebell Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.
I don't know if that is true.
Myabe I am a dinosaur, but not sure. I subscribe to several magazines, Time, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Model Railroader. I cannot imagine life without them.
Enjoyable taking a trip on memory lane.
A) ”Paint Shop”, and/or anything paint related, as a number of good well-detailed articles by modelers that included tips made for some enjoyable reading.
Got my start into “Metalizing for Stainless Steel Appearances” with Alclad-2 thanks to an article featuring a pair of N-scale RDC’s that were beautifully refinished by the author. After realizing that the RDC’s in the photos were models and not prototype....I was hooked!
B) Passenger Rail related articles. I very much appreciated the “PIKE SIZED PASSENGER TRAINS” articles. Very well thought out and protypical, especially helpful for those of us that don’t have the space to model 15-car long Bwdy Limiteds, Chiefs, Cali-Zephyrs, and Silver-somethings. It proved you could realistically model prototype passenger trains with, in some cases, as little as a boiler-equipped EMD Geep and 2 cars.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I miss:
Bull Sessions.
Paint Shop
Letters to the Editor
At the throttle-Linn Westcott would bring up some very interesting improving the hobby subjects.
Working on the railroad monthly column usually had a good idea or two.
The scale drawings of building was very useful in kitbashing a similar building.
Kitbash articles by Art Curren.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
cuyamaOr join the Operations SIG and receive their fine magazine
Is there a simple way to apply and pay online without downloading and mailing? Technologicaly challenged here, but I'd rather do it all online.
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
I am a model builder. Used to be, MR carried stuff of interest to model builders, scale drawings, prototype photos, real railroad writeups, how to do it articles like Paint Shop and Dollar Model. Now it's mostly layout tours. Less interesting. I look at the photos but they don't help or inspire me to model anything.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
oldline1I don't care for the push for the non-magazine content. As a subscriber I feel snubbed since I don't join in the other things. So much points to them rather than magazine content. The whole magazine seems like an ad for those other items like video plus and all.
August 1970 Issue: Kalmbach/Model Railroader ads on 7 pages out of 88 – 8%
August 2019 issue: Kalmbach/Model Railroader/MRVP, etc. ads on 6 pages out of 76 – 8%
saronaterryIs there a simple way to apply and pay online without downloading and mailing? Technologicaly challenged here, but I'd rather do it all online.
It's a volunteer organization and may not be as up-to-date on technology as commercial firms. OpSIG does accept PayPal. If you email the address shown on this page, I'm sure that they can tell you the options.
HarrisonStudent Fare, by far... I reread all of my 1970's issue's student fares. I guess there just isn't enough students anymore.
It seems to me that students (including yourself) have much more interaction and help right on this very Forum than was ever available in Student Fare.
Thanks. I missed that.
I miss the model of the month and Lional Strangs working on the railroad. Also the more in deapth how to build plans of buildings odd bits of rolling stock etc. Anyhting really that made you think and create from scratch. I guess chalk me up as a dinosaur as well.
I miss the brass dealer advertisements. The price of many brass models is allegedly quite reduced according to brasstrains.com valuations, but I cannot find more than a handful of models actually available for sale anywhere at the prices quoted by brasstrains, and internet searches become challenging as they keep referring one to Ebay auctions. It seems rather few brass dealers are left or they are getting buried in the "search results".
Specifically, I miss Jolute from Diesel Consignment. He really tried to keep his customers happy...and other fine people like Armand Mazzetti, Thomas Cornwall, etc.
I miss the great people I got to know.
cuyamamore interaction and help right on this very Forum than was ever available in Student Fare.
Studen Fare was not so much about help, but just a place where young inexperienced modelers coulds share what they are up to.
I was quite proud when my letter was published at age 15.