CTT ARTICLES

[Anonymous]

I think you'll get the same answer from Neil that I get from him. It will go something like this: "We have to do articles about items that will sell the magazine. If we did a lot of prewar, we'd lose a lot of the people that want to see the TMCC stuff." Balance is all I ever want to see here in CTT. I agree that prewar has taken a back seat. Pity.

[brianel027]

Well Sask, down here in the states in my neck of the woods, Wegmans (a grocery store) has a photo department with these digital Kodak machines where you can manipulate the color and the tone on your prints - it's pretty amazing what can be done. I was in the newspaper business at one time... readers would submit photos and there were times I had to mess with them a little in Photoshop to make them look good. Of course, when the photo is of a news event that we wanted to run, that's a little different from the CTT Photo Gallery. But I'd urge you to try again.

I do think it'd be an interesting article on some of the young modelers out there. Maybe one article that covered a bunch of younger modelers such as yourself. Not that some of you guys don't have layouts and things to say that wouldn't warrant an entire article. A visit to any train show, especially YORK overwhelmingly shows this is a hobby of much older participants. And I would say the majority of feature layout stories in the train mags are also about older modelers.

I used to co-direct an art gallery. We held these juried photo exhibits that were open to the public. One of our seasoned photographers, also a judge, was dumping on everything: "Oh I've seen that before... Old hat... Been done before... How boring." Not one to mince words, I finally told him to shut up. "What, you mean you never took a photo of a sunset when you first started? These are possibly the future pro-photographers. If you can't view the work on it's own merits for what it is, then put on your coat and leave."
This is part of the attitude that exists in the hobby today. The established modelers only want to hear about what interests them: large professional layouts, top-line scale only product reviews, pricey collectibles, command control, etc.

Guess I'm the odd ball. I enjoy the above articles but I enjoy ALL the articles and stories!! So Sask, go for it... take some pics and give it another shot. These older modelers frequently forget their first layout was not a stadium sized pike with far too many cars and top-line scale sized locomotives. I on the other hand, have never forgotten my childhood or teen-years layouts. Or those simpler less-than-scale trains that always worked, even with the abuse I inevitably gave them as a child.

That I've never forgotten has a lot to do with why I still play with trains!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by brianel027


I understand where you prewar guys are coming from. In the last few years I see scant little for me in any of the new Lionel, MTH or K-Line catalogs. Again, it's all about dollars. The same is true for CTT. I don't mean that to sound harsh. I think the gang at CTT does a pretty good job. I enoy reading all the articles, even on trains I don't operate or collect. Maybe you pre-war guys need to take some photos and pass them along to CTT. Or write a story or even a letter to the editor on how you got interested in prewar. I think that alone is pretty interesting - to see you young guys into this! That's a story in itself, especially when you consider the low numbers of young people in the hobby now. You guys should all contact CTT with more info on your collections or layouts. If you guys aren't writers, maybe you could make it easier for someone who is.

I've actually been tempted to try and get a story about myself into CTT, but haven't had the guts to do it yet. Writing is something I'm quite good at and I enjoy very much. I did try sending photos in to CTT for their photo gallery, but had them rejected. It certainly wasn't my trains or layout, though. I have a pretty good camera and I thought they turned out alright, but I think that the main problem was that the lighting in my basement wasn't the greatest for the pictures.

[brianel027]

I'm not a pre-war collector at all, but boy - I'm surprised and pleased to see the young ages of you guys who are into it! That's great!

The hobby has gone in all directions lately, not only with collecting but with operating too. One of the reasons I post here now instead of at the OGRR site is that I got tired of all the denouncements of 027. When you post over there, speaking for myself, I got the firm impression that the vast majority of folks there were financially well-to-do retired operators who want all new product to absolutely scale with total realism and everything - everything - to be command control. Even threads on Williams or the new RMT Beep moan that it's too bad they don't come with TMCC.
DESPITE the fact Lionel's own surveys found disappointing results in the numbers of command users. Seems for every thread on the wonders of electronic command, there's another two on the pitfalls of waiting for repairs or having the product fail straight out of the box. Even the train magazines have reviewed product that was defective. And I get a laugh out of how folks want more and more detail and yet complain some of extra the details are fragile. Even the train mags point that out in the reviews.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are lots of different areas of appreciation in this hobby. Obviously the postwar Lionel period is the most popular, as it was also the most successful. But dollars can speak louder than words. From eveything I read and from people I talk with and know, command control IS NOT the most popular way of running trains. AND there are FAR MORE 027 operators out there than Lionel or K-Line want to acknowledge. BUT it is the few folks with money to burn that must buy every new scale detailed engine that are driving the hobby. This along with ego... the companies are in a dead heat with eachother. You don't forge ahead into the future by putting out product that isn't totally new and improved. Since Lionel developed TMCC, I doubt they are going to back away from it. I doubt MTH will back off from DCS either.

Besides, the 027 type operators tend to be budget operators who are not visiting the hobby shop every week. Their train buying tends to be more conservative. Heck, as soon as the holiday issues of the train mags cam out, there was a thread questioning why the train mags "waste" editorial space on starter set reviews and holiday layouts when that space could be devoted to more scale-sized layouts and product. Talk about selfish and narrow minded!

I understand where you prewar guys are coming from. In the last few years I see scant little for me in any of the new Lionel, MTH or K-Line catalogs. Again, it's all about dollars. The same is true for CTT. I don't mean that to sound harsh. I think the gang at CTT does a pretty good job. I enoy reading all the articles, even on trains I don't operate or collect. Maybe you pre-war guys need to take some photos and pass them along to CTT. Or write a story or even a letter to the editor on how you got interested in prewar. I think that alone is pretty interesting - to see you young guys into this! That's a story in itself, especially when you consider the low numbers of young people in the hobby now. You guys should all contact CTT with more info on your collections or layouts. If you guys aren't writers, maybe you could make it easier for someone who is.

I wouldn't expect to see CTT to start running a bounty of stories on prewar stuff. But a story once in a while would be of interest even to a non-prewar guy like me. It is interesting to know where the hobby came from as much as where it is now.

[Anonymous]

[:)]

Great idea here. There was a cover story in 2001 issue regarding restoring old trains and that was the last I have seen on restoration. How about an article showing some of the best restoration jobs from readers? I would send in some pictures of my own set which I restored. I also would lik emore on the care and maintenance of these old beauties.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Bob... you too!
Hope you found the comments useful.

[Bob Keller]

Thanks for the comments, guys! Have a great holiday.

Bob Keller
Classic Toy Trains

[Anonymous]

You won't get an arguement from me, either, about the editorial change in CTT from CLASSIC trains to NEW trains. As an immediate prewar/immediate postwar collector/operator, I too am discouraged by the dearth of "classic train'" articles.
Having read the magazine almost since its inception, and having read what they've said in other publications, you can pretty much guess what the rest of this note says...
"Our surveys indicate the majority of our readers are interested in newer offerings from train manufacturers" (has anyone ever SEEN one of these surveys? Over 10 years of subscribing, and never has one passed thru my house)
"We welcome articles from our readers" (how about this instead ~ dig through old issues of Model Builder and Toy Train magazines. Kalmbach rehashes articles into book form; why not reprint articles from those magazines as "Heritage Articles" in CTT? 'Twould cost alot less than paying a new author. Besides, not all prewar collectors are writers. And then, after about 2 years, THOSE articles could be brought together in ANOTHER Kalmbach book!)
In fairness, though, what specifically do you seek in a prewar article? Repair info? I'd suggest you check with Ray Plummer's series'... and make a suggestion to CTT that he do more on prewar repair. History? Joe Algozzini does a great job of that; again, maybe we just need to prod CTT a bit more in the 'prewar' direction. Layouts? Unless it's something by Chuck Brasher or another collector, you won't see much of the 'run of the mill' prewar stuff.
Personally, I'd like to see more about restorations and 'tricks of the trade' when it comes to repair. Certainly we don't expect an article in EACH issue ( I don't see why not), but prewar and postwar collectors/operators are paying subscription rates the same as the 'newbies'. Aren't we entitles to see OUR interests recognized in a magazine whose first word is "Classic"?
Or, maybe we should contact Rich Melvin over at at the "O Gauge Journal".

[Anonymous]

I'm also young (17) and a prewar collector. I also collect postwar too, however. I agree that CTT should do more articles on prewar trains. There were many more articles about prewar trains 10 years ago than there are now. Modern era trains are nice and everything, but there really should be an even mix of prewar, postwar and modern era to satisfy the tastes of all toy train enthusiasts. I certainly agree that prewar trains are in a way works of art and indeed something very, very special. It's hard not to be fascinated by holding a train that someone bought new 80 or more years ago.

[Anonymous]

Thats great prewardude, Im only 21 and started collecting prewar when i purchased a forgotten and battered 1689e at the Underground Railroad Shop in New Castle PA. I was 11, and ever since ive been hordeing them. Plastic trains have no appeal to me either. We'll win in the end. Some of my trains are already turning 100 yrs old. They are bonified antiques not "collectibles". My father always told me that when the baby boomers are gone and we are old men. The prewar trains made of metal will be prized and the postwar trains demoted back to layouts. One thing remains undeniably true. Prewar trains are in some respects industrial art, inspired by the great artisans and architects of their day, men like Raymond Loewy, and Otto Kuhler. Postwar trains are simply toys.

[prewardude]

I'm with you on this one, prewarboy - I would love to see more prewar coverage in CTT. I wouldn't hold my breath, though; the Baby Boomers seem to be driving the toy train markets right now, and that means post-war trains are going to take precedence. As for me - I just can't appreciate trains made from plastic [V] By the way, I'm a (fairly) young collector myself at age 35, but I've been into prewar trains since I was in my late teens. I think it all stems from a prewar O gauge Lionel set that my Mom threw away when I was about four years old (oh, the horror of it all!). The thing didn't run, but it could have been restored, I'm sure. I can still remember what it was like holding that train in my hands. Oh well - so it goes...

[Anonymous]

If anyone from Ctt reads this, i would love to see some more articles on prewar trains of any type. Im a young collector, and have been reading Ctt for about 10 years. In this period ive noticed an intense decline in the already pathetic array of articles involving prewar. It seems that all the articles anymore involve only postwar or new trains. Save this for O gauge railroading. I love your magazine, but it is called Classic Toy Trains, so lets see some classic trains. How about an article on the evolution of the prewar lionel 800 series small freights. Thanks, Dave. Grove City, Pa.