Could it become "Best Magazine" once again?

[Anonymous]

As a preface to the following I am not a bean counter. I prefer quality over quantity and attention to detail is of the utmost importance.

I have read on this forum, Atlas' forum and others about MR mag's staff and the "drop" in popularity of the magazine. I know you can't please all the people all the time, however it is obvious that more and more MR readers no longer subscribe due to their feelings of lessor quality information being published. Kalmbach's current senior staff, should take a look at the staff changes made over the past few years vs. the decline in readers and make adjustments to improve their magazines quality and get back the "Best Magazine" status it once had. Here are a few things I would like to see added/changed.

As it is said, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and I enjoy seeing the larger layouts built by a dozen or so people, it gives me ideas for things which I can add to my layout. However, I would think that most of us which subscribe to MR have smaller layouts in basements, a small space in the house/apartment or in the garage. I for one would like to, see/hear about, the small home layouts set up on a sheet or two of plywood.

We're not all experienced writers and it seems that the articles accepted and published have been written by "the few" experienced writers that we hear from most of the time. Would it be asking too much to have MR add a small staff of 3 to 5 writer/photographer teams, somewhat like news reporting teams, dedicated to going out and helping those MRR enthusist that aren't experienced writers/photographers get their small "home" layout recognized. If they added a couple-three of these articles each month 30 or so great "small" layouts could be seen each year by the thousands that subscribe to MR. They could choose their reviews by reading this forum. Their are many of you here that obviously have great layouts and a lot of "how-to" knowledge.

I would also like to see young modelers recognized. Maybe even adding a section to the magazine for the younger MRR enthusiast so we can hear from the "big name" modelers of the future. The young men and women deserve recognition in our hobby too.

In the articles published, it would be nice to see more information on "how to" rather than just "look at me". Most modelers are very proud of their work and enjoy the "look at me" recognition of a published article. Along with "look at me" it would be nice to see sidebars on "how the modeler did this or that", with pictures and/or drawings, so the reader can learn new techniques and apply it to their layout.

When a model manufactures new product is featured why not add the prototype manufacture's information, photos and simple engineering type drawnings to the article so for those of us that enjoy detailing we would have the data at hand to do so after we support your advertiser by buying the new product.

I know that DCC is the wave of MRR future and find a lot of articles about converting from DC to DCC. However, from the polls I have read it seems as though the majority of MRR's still use plain ol' analog DC. As a DC/analog modeler, building a small home layout, I would like to see a DC section in MR with a technical article each month covering "how-to" add/improve "something" to your layout and/or "how-to" fine tune/modify "DCC ready" motive power to perform well on a DC layout.

I understand that Kalmbach is in business to also sell books, however I won't spend 30 bucks on a book for a 2-3 page article that after I read it and apply the technique to my layout I won't open the book again. I would rather see them publi***his information in their magazines, or on their websites, providing us, the readers, the people that keep them in business, with better quality monthly products.

I will stop here and climb down off my soapbox so this doesn't turn into a small publication of its own but would like to hear from other modelers on what they too would like to see added/changed in MR magazine to bring it back to its "Best Magazine" status.

[Anonymous]

I've been hearing about this decline in popularity for about 10 years now. If it were true, there'd be no one left to subscribe to the magazine by now.

Look, the fact is, people who complain there's been no coverage of small layout are simply wrong. I can point to any month's copy and show them to you. In fact, they're running a whole series on Iain Rice's desktop layout right now, and it's a very nice layout indeed. The "GMR" annual typically feature several small layouts as well. The staff traditionally builds a project layout on a 4'x6' or 4'x8' every year or two. That runs as a complete how-to series.

What more do you want than that?

In term of the DCC vs. DC issue, this magazine has always been about advancing the hobby. One day, DC will be dead and DCC will be it. To pretend otherwise is closed-minded. And people who want to learn DCC deserve to see it featured by a professional publication. I don't use it yet, but I'm reading and learning and will eventually convert.

Your 3 to 5 teams (6 to 10 people) would cost a minimum of $180,000 in salary alone each year, and never mind the huge travel expenses your plan would entail. Where would that money come from? Increased subscription fees? Oh, yeah, I can imagine the hue and cry on this board if THAT happened, regardless of the content improvement.

The magazine can't be all things to all people.

I'll tell you this, though: I've tried to read RMC and the rest. Poorly written, poorly edited, bad photo quality, bad reproduction. If I absolutely must have the data in one issue, I'll buy it, but I don't bother to subscribe to them.

I'll stick with MR.

[Anonymous]

I'll stick to MR, too. It's the best mag. in MY book. [;)]

[Anonymous]

It is the best as far as I am concerned. That does not mean MR should rest on its laurels. It should watch for opprtunities to improve of course. I have copies going back to the fifties and there is something in all of them for me. The problem is that I have not enough time to execute on all the ideas presented that I am interested in.

Due to attrition the staff of MR has changed - granted. And new people have to get their feet wet.

But this thread gave me an idea to present and I need to do some thinking on it first. There is a way for MR to maybe be on the cutting edge of articles and photographs presented in MR.

And what about "How to" articles to help everyone. The info for this could come from older model railroaders that have done things and in the sharing that accumulated knowledge would be there for all from now on. There is already a tremendous amount of this material in the past issues of MR.

What needs to be done is attract new and younger people to this hobby of ours. That in turn would expand subscription rates of MR over time.

There was awhile ago a thread on this forum talking about the high price of model railroading now as opposed to yesteryear. For a kid in the fifties model railroading was expensive then as it is now. Guess what, I learned how to build things from scratch, and save my money for things I could not build. The plans in MR helped me immensley. I used strip wood, X-Acto tools, model paint, and had to buy couplers and trucks. Track and locomotives too. A three to four dollar kit back then was not cheap. Buildings, roadbed, scenery - all scratch built. And it was fun.

[eastcoast]

WHO PUTS OUT A BETTER MAGAZINE THAN MODEL RAILROADER ???
It's the only thing I subscribe to. I love this MRR. I read it cover to cover and
apply what I read to my working. The numbers do not lie. MRR IS THE BEST.

[swknox]

I can't speak for everyone but as for myself I have read other railroad mag's (even RMC) and all I can say that I still prefer MR over the rest. Although there might be an interesting story in one issue of RMC that might cause me to buy one off the shelf, if you put both mag's (RMC - MR) side by side and compared them there is no question who has the better mag. MR pictures are high quality compared to RMC's pictures that look like the mag is stuck in the late 80's. ( I hope Hal Carstens dosen't read this!) Both present good articles, but MR is more reader friendly with a mag that is better laid out and has a lot of color instead of just black and white. (Often the case of RMC to.) As for the "How-To's",
MR is jampacked full every month of them. And last but not least... DCC is the way the hobby is headed. Yes there is a lot of modelers who still have DC. But there is still articles every month for people who have DC and DCC. I think Terry Thompson and the rest of the staff at MR (new and old) are doing a fine job. Like other people have stated you can't please everyone. If people keep an open mind and read my comments I think most - not all will agree with me. The one thing I do agree with is there ought to be more done to promote the yonger people in the hobby. I'm only 22 but to say the "oldheads" in the hobby are the only ones who have something to offer I think are wrong. Anyway here is to MR for 70 great years and keep up the good no wait - "great" job.

[IRONROOSTER]

I think this is the best all around model railroad magazine.

I don't think there is a lack of the starter size layout 4x8, but more a lack of the between 4x8 and the spare bedroom size. Say 5x9, 6x10, 8x10. There's been plenty of 4x8 layouts, but let's face it there aren't that many really different ways to do an HO layout on a piece of plywood - I think I've seen them all, more than once.

But it is the one magazine that really emphaszies layouts, which is and always has been my objective. I suspect that part (all?) of their drop is due to dilution among the many more magazines available today. Heck, Kalmbach puts out three themselves dealing with models - MR, CTT, and Garden Railways.

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dhuff
I understand that Kalmbach is in business to also sell books, however I won't spend 30 bucks on a book for a 2-3 page article that after I read it and apply the technique to my layout I won't open the book again.

won't open the book again? a couple years ago I bought the book on animation, lighting and sound and I still check it for reference, and that book on small layouts I got 6 years ago still comes in handy.

[Hawks05]

i think it is the best magazine to read for MRR. being 17 and just starting i'd like to see more how to things. like my dad plays guitar and he gets a few guitar magazines each month they have different things in there like how to tune your guitar differently and how to fix this and add this or that. that would be nice to somebody just starting instead of seeing someones huge layout and all the face time and background of people.

i'd also like to see a section for teens, well say 15-19 or so. that would be great. this way we can see what other high school aged people have and how're they're doing. also read and be able to see where people get there money. cause i need more $$ to keep buying more and more stuff.

i know there are books out there that show how to do stuff but i don't want to buy a whole book just to figure out how to say change a coupler or tires. i've bought 3 books so far and one is just the basics, granted that is nice to have but if i just want to say change a coupler i don't want to have to buy a book with stuff on how to super detail a locomotive.

also a section on smaller layouts like suggested above would be great. its cool to look at all these huge layouts done by clubs and retired people but say some small layouts like 4x8s who are done by working class people in there basement would be nice to see.

the only real big things i'd like to see are: how to sections i know there are some but for people just starting like basice weathering, adding couplers, little super detailing stuff. a teens section. this woul be nice to see what my fellow teenagers are doing with there layouts and what they have. and finally a section for smaller layouts. i know there have been a few articles but have like feature articles for the best layouts and then have a section dedicated to smaller layouts. just to see what people with restricted space are doing.

this is coming from a person who has read only 2 issues. so i may not have seen everything yet.

[Anonymous]

Hawks05,

"so i may not have seen everything yet."

And after a lifetime, you will not have seen it all. An amazingingly satisfying never ending hobby once it takes ahold of you. Just an opinion of mine.

[AltonFan]

QUOTE: I understand that Kalmbach is in business to also sell books, however I won't spend 30 bucks on a book for a 2-3 page article that after I read it and apply the technique to my layout I won't open the book again. I would rather see them publi***his information in their magazine...s

Most Kalmbach books are actually compilations of related magazine articles.

[Anonymous]

I just wi***hey would support more of the other scales. I'm an avid Nscaler, and I try to see if I can apply things from HO layouts to mine, but I am sure there are other wonderful layouts in N, S, O, G, etc. that MRR could do justice to. Sometimes I wonder if MRR is going the way of the Walthers mail order catalouge, all HO save for a page or two of N and O.

What I would love to see MRR do a story on though, is how manufacturers like Atlas and Kato pick what they are going to produce in a given production year. Or maybe some up and coming new manufactuers that may end up giving these guys a run for their money. Just my two cents.

Matt

[areibel]

OK, now the devils advocate-
I subscribe to MR, and I really enjoy it. If you check out the December issue there's an interesting article on freight trucks, and the one on the bridge construction is good too. BUT! I wouldn't call it "jam packed" with how to articles?? Now look at RMC for the same month. The article on building the AC4400CW, the box car conversion article, the DC or DCC or both article- I think they win this month.
I really get tired of the RMC bashing, the bad articles, the poor photography, etc.. I am in this hobby for the trains, not to criticize magazines. Yeah, MR may be the "slicker" magazine but I don't need that. If I want to see how something is done I don't care if it's on glossy paper or if the writer has a Masters in Journalism. I want a real modeller to tell me how it happened, and I don't care if it's on newsprint like in the old days. I don't care if it's in the Dec. 2003 issue of MR or RMC or in the Dec 1963 issues of either. Just enough info to get the little light bulb to come on and get me motivated to try it myself.
This hobby has it's work cut out for it. We don't need one mega publication to give us everything. If you're worried about the quality, maybe Mr Carstens can charge the extra 45 cents per issue and buy better paper. But I'll still buy it for the articles!

[willy6]

i'm an MRR fan...........and everytime i go to the bookstore,i don't see a whole lot of competion with model railroad magazines versus cars,trucks and half naked women magazines.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by areibel

If you're worried about the quality, maybe Mr Carstens can charge the extra 45 cents per issue and buy better paper. But I'll still buy it for the articles!

He might also want to pay for better photographers, printing pictures in color (my God, it's 2003, not 1973!), editors who can fix the semi-coherent writing, and so on.

I guess you're saying quality doesn't count. Sorry, but in my book, it does.

[Jetrock]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dhuff

Kalmbach's current senior staff, should take a look at the staff changes made over the past few years vs. the decline in readers and make adjustments to improve their magazines quality and get back the "Best Magazine" status it once had. Here are a few things I would like to see added/changed.

So which magazine currently has "best magazine" status now, if not MR? I'd suggest that readership has more to do with number of people involved in the hobby--and, if what I've seen is any indication, interest in the hobby is going up, not down.

QUOTE:
As it is said, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and I enjoy seeing the larger layouts built by a dozen or so people, it gives me ideas for things which I can add to my layout. However, I would think that most of us which subscribe to MR have smaller layouts in basements, a small space in the house/apartment or in the garage. I for one would like to, see/hear about, the small home layouts set up on a sheet or two of plywood.

The current "a layout you can build" series is a bookshelf layout that takes up one-third the surface area of a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The last "layout you can build" series, the Turtle Creek Central, was set on, guess what, a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Last year's MODEL RAILROAD PLANNING had a hatful of shelf layouts only 3 or 4 feet long, and the one before that had quite a few 4x8's. I'm a small-space modeler too--but personally I'm pretty happy with the number of small-layout articles coming out of MR. Tho I do like to see big layouts in action--and sometimes a big layout has a section that would make a nice small layout all by itself...

QUOTE:
We're not all experienced writers and it seems that the articles accepted and published have been written by "the few" experienced writers that we hear from most of the time. Would it be asking too much to have MR add a small staff of 3 to 5 writer/photographer teams, somewhat like news reporting teams, dedicated to going out and helping those MRR enthusist that aren't experienced writers/photographers get their small "home" layout recognized.

I'm sure they would if they had the resources. I think it's unlikely that they do. I think it would be safe to assume that every experienced writer/photographer started out as an inexperienced one--I'm sure MR wouldn't mind getting more submissions from new writers. Part of why we tend to hear from the same writers over and over again is because (a) model railroading is a pretty small hobby, and there really aren't that many pro-level hobbyists writing articles, and (b) there aren't enough people writing model-railroad articles.

QUOTE:
I would also like to see young modelers recognized. Maybe even adding a section to the magazine for the younger MRR enthusiast so we can hear from the "big name" modelers of the future. The young men and women deserve recognition in our hobby too.

Okay, you may have a point--there used to be a regular "Student Fare" column, which I used to turn to first when I was young--I noticed it's not there anymore.

QUOTE:
In the articles published, it would be nice to see more information on "how to" rather than just "look at me". Most modelers are very proud of their work and enjoy the "look at me" recognition of a published article. Along with "look at me" it would be nice to see sidebars on "how the modeler did this or that", with pictures and/or drawings, so the reader can learn new techniques and apply it to their layout.

There is a "back to basics" column every month covering basic skills and how-to topics. Sidebars are present--especially in the 'layout you can build" series--I saw quite a few in the latest series, though I don't recall seeing a photo of Iain Rice anywhere.

QUOTE:
When a model manufactures new product is featured why not add the prototype manufacture's information, photos and simple engineering type drawnings to the article so for those of us that enjoy detailing we would have the data at hand to do so after we support your advertiser by buying the new product.

That sounds more like something that would be the company's purview, not MR's. Printing prototype data sheets for every new product that is released would be a whole magazine in itself! MR shouldn't be slaves to their advertisers' products in choice of articles--and there are already plenty of articles reviewing new products, and often pointing out items which could be improved or modified by the manufacturer--or the home modeler.

QUOTE:
I know that DCC is the wave of MRR future and find a lot of articles about converting from DC to DCC. However, from the polls I have read it seems as though the majority of MRR's still use plain ol' analog DC. As a DC/analog modeler, building a small home layout, I would like to see a DC section in MR with a technical article each month covering "how-to" add/improve "something" to your layout and/or "how-to" fine tune/modify "DCC ready" motive power to perform well on a DC layout.

So far as I can tell, all "DCC-ready" means is "it doesn't have DCC, but there's room to shove a PC board in there somewhere." There are plenty of books and articles out there on DC, and as there really aren't any new developments in DC these days they don't warrant as much ink in a monthly magazine. If someone does something radically new in DC, though, I'm sure it will be in MR.

QUOTE:
I understand that Kalmbach is in business to also sell books, however I won't spend 30 bucks on a book for a 2-3 page article that after I read it and apply the technique to my layout I won't open the book again. I would rather see them publi***his information in their magazines, or on their websites, providing us, the readers, the people that keep them in business, with better quality monthly products.

Kalmbach does not instinctively know what you already know. I tend to flip through a model railroading book before I buy it--if it contains all stuff I already know, or things that aren't useful to me, I don't buy it. If it only contains a 2 or 3 page section of useful info, I'll read it in the store and take mental note of what I don't know. If it's too complex or elaborate to memorize in the store, maybe it's worth buying if it's something I really want to know. And hey, as magazines generally don't have a shelf-life, maybe something in that book will come in handy again *someday.*

QUOTE:
I will stop here and climb down off my soapbox so this doesn't turn into a small publication of its own but would like to hear from other modelers on what they too would like to see added/changed in MR magazine to bring it back to its "Best Magazine" status.

I really don't see what it is that supposedly knocked MR off the box. I don't subscribe to MR because I have limited shelf space and don't want to store every issue--need to make room for the shelf layout!--so I check every issue before I buy it to ensure that there's something in there that I want to know. And, more months than not, there is, so I buy it.

[AggroJones]

MR is great, but it can be greater. If they bring back Student Fare, that could help. The last 2 issues were pretty nice. Hopefully they can keep it up.

[areibel]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ACL Fan

I guess you're saying quality doesn't count. Sorry, but in my book, it does.

Well, You've missed my point.
I'm not saying RMC is perfect. MR does beat them if you're looking at production quality. But look at the articles themselves, the content and not the construction. Which one has more value to a model railroader? If you like to look at nice pics of room sized layouts, built with lots of help and a fat wallet, OK. But I would like to see what happens before it shows up in MR. RMC -USUALLY- has more that I can use. Use the December articles for examples- the average modeler would be building the diesel or modifying the boxcar before he'd be building a 12 foot long bridge. It's almost like watching The New Yankee Workshop on PBS. Yes you can build the same stuff, if you have the same equipment and experience. But your's isn't going to look like Norm's unless you learn how to do the basic stuff first. If all you've ever done is tack flextrack down to plywood, put Kadees on a loco and build a couple basic kits, that bridge is a long way off. But you might look at the boxcar mods and think "I can do that". Do a couple of those, then tackle something bigger. Let's not scare off the new guys with huge projects and lots of attittude.
And like I said, I really enjoy MR too. I still have the first issue I ever bought in 1974, I still go back through those and my pile of older ones I've gathered here and there. Great inspiration! And my all time favorite series of articles was the "How to scratchbuild a Steam Loco" series from a few years back- Excellent work! There have been many many others, and I am sure there will be many more. And like Jetrock said, They already are the best overall. But can they be better? Maybe the editorial staff thinks it would be trite to keep re-running the same type of article every couple months, but for beginners and intermediate modelers it's the bread and butter. And I think that's where RMC might be doing a better job.
Al

[seacoast]

Yes MR's "glory days" in terms of shear magzine page size have gone by 200++ pages etc , I expected a huge JUMBO 70th issue today, oh well... ( is this temporary) however with 9/11 all magazines suffered a loss in ad revenue and MR is no stranger to that Im sure we can all remeber larger size MR magazines.

I can also surmise that companies turned to the internet also. In the last 5-10 years specaility magazines might have also taken readers away from MR,ie
Garden Railways G scale crowd has a few choices now, O guagers have a couple of choices so do N scalers , Narrow guagers almost everyone who read
MR 20 years ago can now subscribe or go to a speciality magazine. Me I just read/subscribe to them all, my wife does not care for 5-6 train magazines a month piling in however (another subject she is ok though)..... but my favorite is still Model Railroader!

[Anonymous]

I've been reading MR for more than 30 years, and yes it has evolved, and no it hasn't lost its popularity, but instead has changed for the better. Some folks won't always like the new changes and thats what MR wants to hear about. Overall MR has been and always will be the best MRR Mag in the world.

[Anonymous]

Here are my gripes with Model Railroader.

1. Ever since the World's Greatest Hobby campaign started, they seem to be focusing an awful lot more on the beginners segment of the hobby. Granted Attention needs to be spent here. But since when did dedicating the Dec and Jan issiues to it, and then half of the Feb-July Issies to it become neccissary?

2. All the features I liked are now gone. Gone is the "Paint Shop" My favorite Column. The "Studen't fare" which was a dedicated teens section. There was the One Reader's Opinion that I really liked. And the Prototype Information has basicly become a Q&A session.

3. There just aren't that many How To articles any more. Yes they still run them. But Its been a while since there have been any of Substance. I have to read RMC (I subscribe to that to, and have to vouch that Quality and Content are much better than stated on this forum) to get my fill of those. (Mike Rose, You are my Hero)

4. Up until Mr. Sperandeo left to run the WGH campaign there used to be a monthly set of plans. Not so any more. Now I See one about once every three issiues. If its a case of running out of plans, publish some old ones from old issiues before. It has been done in the past. (I remember when a guy was building a Climax and they republished Cimax plans from 1972) I am sure a modern audiance would be receptive to them. Also the F-7 Hudson Plans for the Hiawatha were repuplished in the Jan 1996 issiue. So the precedent has been set.

5. While DCC seems the way of the future. Clearly the people writing the articles seem to have imperfect knowledge on the Topic. This is another area where RMC beats model railroader again in the quality of information published. Railroad Model Craftsman In 2001-2003 Published a 24 part series on the ins and out of Digital Command Control by Don Fiegnman. Mr. Fiegnman also regulary puplishes new features about DCC in RMC. Most recent one I have read was a computerised Decoder programmer that is easy to use and free of charge.

6. Finally there is a certain Nickle Plate Road modeler who shall remain nameless, who's writing to me seems to be quite arrogent in his old age. While looking back at some of this gentlmen's earlier work in MR, he was almost a comedic figure. What happened? My advise to him is mellow out dude. Live a little. Model Railroading is Fun after all.


Finally, even though I do have these gripes with the magazine and have contemplated not renewing many times, there is valuble market information in there for my business that I have come to rely on, and the fact is their product reviews are the most throurough in technicle evaluation that I have seen. But $40.00 for these neccissary features is becoming a bit pricey, I think.

While I find this highly unlikely, i would hope that the MR Staff is watching this column, and that one of the staff, (Maybe Andy Himself?) will read this and resond to us.

James.

[NevinW]

I have been reading Model Railroader since I was ten and have been a subscriber since the early 1980's. I have seen lots of criticism of it in recent years on the internet forums but then EVERYTHING is criticised on the internet. When I go back and look at the really old MR's, I find that with the exception of the scratch building articles, pretty much everything else is better than it used to be. The literacy level of the magazine is lower than it was, but that is true of about all magazines in the US.

I personally I would prefer more prototype/"railroads you can model" type articles, more steam-era articles and more DCC articles (DC is really dead) and less articles about museum layouts unless they are really spectacular. Overall, it is by far the best magazine in the hobby, with the possible exception of the SL & NGG which is a niche journal. It is the one magazine I really look forward to reading each month.

[Anonymous]

It IS the best magazine, IMHO. Sure, I would complain a little bit myself on any publication that I receive about Model Railroading depending on the content, or lack thereof. The magazine I just received in the mail is a very nice issue. It has my favorites in it. Russ Larson. Tony Koester. Allen McClelland. What else? Lots of adds showcasing the new products that are now available. Some may disagree, but I believe that is part of the lure of Model Railroader as well...The Ads. All those ads allowed guys like me to dream about the stuff I'd like to have when I got on my own and built that dream layout. Those huge layouts gave me a reason to want to go out and get a job...To Supply my Hobby with income!!

I will never stop my Model Railroader subsription. Just leave the Garden Railroading to the Garden Railroading Mag. That's all I ask. Keep the Nickel Plate, the V&O, the Utah Belt, the Cat Mountain & Santa Fe coming. I'm ready.
Now, back to my HO scale MoPac Joppa Subdivision, and off the soapbox.

[Anonymous]

Well, I've sit silent and read all the replies to my opening post. I would like to say that what I posted was a compilation from many posts that I have read on several forums.

Although I have a couple things that I would like to see changed, IMO, MR is the "Best Magazine" for model railroad information!! And as stated above I too enjoy "window shopping" the ads!

The 2 things that I would like to see is 1) our young folks get more recognition and 2) I would like to see more meat and less stuffing in the "How-to" sidebars. Sometimes there is not enough info to complete a project without coming out here on the forum and asking.

MR Keep up the good work!

a.k.a dhuff

[on30francisco]

I used to subscribe to MR in the past but havent in the last five years. I miss a lot of the "how to" articles and columns that used to be in there (eg. ask paint shop, MR clicic etc.). Although I'm in my late 40s, I enjoyed reading Student Fare and believe the magazine should have some input from and should recognize younger modelers. I would also like to see a lot more "how to" articles and projects about small layouts in all scales and gauges. I realize that HO is the most popular scale, but I'd like to see more coverage of other scales (I model in On30 and HO). I occasionally buy MR at the newsstand depending on its contents. I regularly go to the public library and look through the back issues from the 50s through the 80s. There is a wealth of very useful and interesting information in these old issues. I believe two reasons that the subscription rate has declined is that there are many more modeling magazines that cater to special interests (eg. Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette, Light Iron Digest, S Gaugian, etc.) and there's also a treasure trove of information on the internet - all for free.

[darth9x9]

It is the best one out there currently. It is the only modeling magazine that I subscribe to. I only pick up an issue from one of "the others" if there is an article that I am _REALLY_ interested in.

[n2mopac]

I have subscribet to and enjoyed MR for 10 years. I have to say, as I have said here before, that no mag. is all things to all people and whatever you are looking for there is certainly a periodical out there for you. MR is the premier mag in the hobby because it is general, covers all aspects of the hobby in all scales on some level and tries to speak to everyone from the first timer to the 50 year vet. That is a tall order, but I think MR does it pretty well. On top of that the publication quality is the best there is. I have subscribed to RMC, gottne the NMRA Bulletin, as well as three different N scale mag's and none can compare in quality of pictures, writing, and editing.

I am sue that everyone would like to see more of something in MR. I think it needs to be ok for people to express what they would like to see in a civil manner without being attacked by others on the defensive. I too would like to see more articels about small layouts and I know there are a lot of layouts out there that would be great to see in MR but whose owners do not have either the writing or photographic ability to submit them. I do not know the answer to this problem, but I hope that it will be considered at least. Personally I greatly enjoyed the small layout contest MR did a couple of years ago and I hope they will do something similar again in the near future.

Could MR improve? Yes. Who couldn't? But I believe the staff is continually striving to improve what is still the best model railroading mag on the market, and that bodes well for the future.

Ron