Misleading Magazine Title

[FJ and G]

Topdowndesigns,

Agree that the Jan06 CTT backdrop is impressive; one of the better layouts, in fact.

The most realistic model train photos I've ever seen & indestinguishable from the real thing, is to be found (pull out your old issues) in MR magazine, Jan 05 issue, pages 126-127 of the N scale Monon passing thru Bloomington, Ind. There's even a light frost on the ground!

Then on the next page, 128-129, check out the cold winter morning with snow on the Soo line in Genoa, Ill.

I often go to those 2 photos and admire them. In fact, the magazine is falling apart from too much handling. I've seen many other great photos but nothing quite this realistic.

[mackb4]

I like CTT and it's format .I think CTT covers a little of everthing old,including "s" gauge.If your gonna make that commet then "ho" collecters could complain to because all of the manufactures marketed "ho" in the past,long before K-Line and MTH and others entered the market,making them classic by todays standards.But those gauges like as mentioned do have thier exclusive magizines that don't cover "O" gauge.You have the right to air a view,but it doesn't hold much credential ,and that's not being rude in my remark,just honest.Look how CTT just covered standard gauge this issue.I don't have one piece of standard,but I loved the article,and the history relayed.Enjoy this forum and CTT,for it would not be possible without it.And be open to remarks ,comments and suggestions.We all are brothers/sisters in model train collecting/operating .[;)]

[Anonymous]

I like CTT and MR. I think they both do a good job presenting quality layouts and lately the focus seems to be on building scenery that looks great. The how-to articles are very well done in both mags. The layout in Jan 06 CTT page 63 is very impressive. I actually cannot tell where the backdrop begins in the picture on page 66. I am thinking that the water may be part of the painted backdrop...but I am not sure?

[overkill-phil]

Welcome to the forum!
My suggestion?

Take two smoke tablets and call S-Helper in the morning![:D]

[FJ and G]

I'm trying to limit my intake of magazines to 3.

I ditched OGR and will let MR expire and have limited it to CTT, Garden RR, and Trains.

Nothing wrong with OGR & MR, just had to limit the costs.

I think CTT has well designed layouts, thoughtful and informative writing, and holds my interest, even when it's a subject I'm not into like tinplate, S gauge and post and prewar stuff. I'm not sure they can hold my attention, however, about box collecting. :-)

[dwiemer]

I love trains. That said, when I set up my old Lionels, I looked for a magazine that gave me information on what I wanted to do, gave me direction. For my needs, CTT was the best. I had bought several single copies of all the different mags I could find to make my choice. Now I subscribe to CTT, but still will go to the bookstore to pick up other single copies of other mags because they have information that is not scale specific, ie using tiles and foam for scenes. I won't sink to the level of being critical of another's choice in scale/guage, if this forum or CTT do not meet your needs, go where they do. As to the title of the magazine, it's just a title, remember the old saying about judging a book by it's cover. I suggest you purchase some single copies of other magazines and find what best suits your needs BEFORE you subscribe.

[otftch]

Looks like I should have said three axles.Sorry.
Ed

[lionelsoni]

I count six, Edward.

[daan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MTsteamfan

I am surprised that O is as popular as it is. Being somewhat isolated in Montana like I am, I had pretty much figured the O guage market was dead until I discovered CTT back in the 90s sometime. I had no idea it was the thriving community that it is! (Discovering that one issue of CTT has cost me a lot of dollars over the past decade but the fun I've had rediscovering toy trains has been worth every cent.)

As for CTT itself, the only thing I would like to see change in it, is to make it bigger! :)

It happened exactly the same way with my hobby. Years ago I was into swiss h0 and found a magazine in the local magazine-shop, it was the CTT, somewhere in 1996. It was an issue covering the F3's made by Lionel in the postwar time. I really liked the engine and the size of it, but didn't realize it was still for sale. (Not in europe anyway).About 2 years ago I found an F3 postwar Lionel set on a local trade and sell page and bought the stuff for 300 dollars. That's when my 3 rail hobby started. The magazine I bought years ago was still available and I subscribed. Since then I discovered the website and through ebay and internet I could buy the big trains as well.
It still is hardly available in Europe, and I'm one of the very few odd ones out, but I really don't regret the switch into 0.
In the January issue of CTT was a nice article on building a layout for S gauge, but when I look at the layout as one, I really miss the "toy train effect" the 0 3rail layouts have. How clever the layout is built, when it's finished the trains run in circles and regarding the result it's more like h0 then any "toy-train-experience" found on other layouts. That's what is making the difference to me.

[otftch]

I wonder if you ever noticed an Alco PA has three wheels on each truck ?

[Anonymous]

O gauge enjoyed a very healthy collector following up through the early 90s, but it wasn't really considered all that much of an "operator's" scale until firms like Right-of-Way, Weaver, and Williams began offering more scale-like items and then, shortly thereafter, MTH entered the O gauge market in a big way. MTH gave the O gauge industry a real kinck in the butt, and things haven't been the same since. So you actually entered the hobby when it (O gauge) was still enjoying its dramatic upswing.

I'm one of those who believes that the peak for O gauge--for the industry itself, that is--was reached in 2000-2001. Others will disagree and contend that the best is yet to come. I figure we'll pretty much know who is right or wrong about that in around 2010. For now, though, there's more stuff out there than was ever before available in O gauge, so my advice is to take advantage of it while it's still there.

[MTsteamfan]

I am surprised that O is as popular as it is. Being somewhat isolated in Montana like I am, I had pretty much figured the O guage market was dead until I discovered CTT back in the 90s sometime. I had no idea it was the thriving community that it is! (Discovering that one issue of CTT has cost me a lot of dollars over the past decade but the fun I've had rediscovering toy trains has been worth every cent.)

As for CTT itself, the only thing I would like to see change in it, is to make it bigger! :)

[Anonymous]

Gotta be for the hobby as a whole, assuming it's a fairly recent survey (past five years or so). Actually, the numbers look like they are probably fairly representative since that's how I imagine most would assume the hobby lines up.

I can remember when Z was down below one percent, but that scale has seen tremendous growth in recent years (both in terms of suppliers and enthusiasts) and Z got another shot in the arm when Micro-Trains released a GP-35 a couple of months ago. I also understand that Z took "Best in Show" at the recent Trainfest in Milwaukee, which says a lot for how that scale is coming along.

[Bob Keller]

Are those figures for the hobby as a whole? They don't reflect CTT's readership.

[Anonymous]

Here are the figures that Kalmbach publishes.

HO-78%
N-28%
O (3rail) 11%
G-11%
S-3%
z-6%

[laz 57]

Garden Railways what's that, just kidding?
laz57

[Anonymous]

Darn it! I just finished my last issue of Classic Toy Trains & didn't see nothing in there on garden railroads. Ouch guys stop throwing stuff,just kiddin. Easter

[tdetmer]

Well guys,

This has been fun reading, I think... I am a devoted S gauge operator and collector. I also respect the other gauges and what they have to offer. My best friend is an O gauge guy. I also like G scale. The bottom line is I like diversity and different opinions and mainly I just appreciate a lot of interest in model railroading.

I started out with Flyer but now only buy the occasional piece. More often I buy S Helper and American Models stuff, which is really terrific. S is a lot more than what it used to be, just like O is a lot more than the older models of Lionel, not that they were bad.

I also subscribe to CTT, S Gaugian and The Dispatch. The latter two are both S gauge magazines that are quite good. I also just started reading the Garden Railroading magazine that I find fun to read.

So S gaugers have a lot more choice now than they used to and we can also find really good things in CTT as well. Yes, I do find good things in non-S gauge articles in CTT! [:D]

Why am I saying all of this? Mainly because I want the O gaugers to know that S gaugers are a good group and we do like to enjoy trains of all sorts. S gauge is a great scale to run, just like O gauge is. When I go to train shows I enjoy all the different scales of trains, not just S gauge (although I admit to the soft spot for S). There are too many problems facing our hobby for us to get into an internal squabble about whose gauge is better and whose magazine is best. I say, the more the merrier!

Tom

[IRONROOSTER]

A good site to for what's available these days in S is http://www.trainweb.org/crocon/sscale.html Most products are either offered in both scale and hi rail versions or have the parts included to make the conversion from hi rail to scale. S scale has come into its own and has enough to support either hirail or scale. It doesn't have the range of steam locomotives that O has, but it is improving every year.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by indian river

I am a long time S-gauger. Classic Toy Trains treated my gauge as almost non-existant. Yes, an occasional article would appear in the magazine, but not enough to keep my interest and desire to subscribe.

I'm a bit surprised a "S person" would expect to find ANYTHING in a magazine with "toy" in the title. Gilbert advertised them as "scale length" and referred to 3-rail track as "toy-like". Maybe you should be mad they are in CTT at all.

[Bob Keller]

There are really quite a few ready-to-run, Flyer compatible locomotives out there.

American Models currently offers:
Alco FA A-B, PA-1 A-B-A, RS-3
Baldwin S-12, GG-1
EMD FP-7 A-B, E-8, GP-9/18, GP35, F40, SD60
Fairbanks-Morse Train Master
GE U25B

Recent steam has included a Pennsy streamlined K4, a streamlined J3 Hudson, a USRA Pacific, and coming soon, a 4-8-4

S-Helper offers SW-1, SW7/9, an F3 and coming soon is a 2-8-0.

While I've often said that "Flyer guys" are stuck in 1965, and that there is a lack of modern motive power, you can't say there isn't a great variety of Flyer-compatible diesel power available.

[Anonymous]

Guess it depends on what you consider a "Classic Toy Train."
I think CTT has done all right with thier "American Flyer" articles myself.
S guage just isn't as popular as 3 rail 0. So, less coverage. Those who write stuff for publication will generally look towards "S Guage Magazine." I would love to see some early HO stuff myself.

[Buckeye Riveter]

If S Gauge had the selection of engines, cars, accessories, track, control options, whimsical products and a multitude of dealers with good prices, I believe I would be building my layout in S. It is a great scale, but too limited for mainstream.

[Anonymous]

Geez I seem to have contributed to waking a few of you up! Golly Don't read to much into my words, I have been a subscriber since 90 or 91 and still have all those issues (reference don't ya know) to peruse. I pertty much find something interesting in each and every issue, at the same time, there are things in each issue I end up ignoring..... many people do that........Its just due to my own personal interest in the train content. Amusingly since I can't focus, I have train stuff from most all eras and scales, but I do have fun and that is all that really matters............................................

PS, I still think CTT are anti Lionel (I also think Lionel is fairly stupid right now)
:)

[laz 57]

JON,
I agree with you 100%.
The neat thing about this magazine is that you might not need the information they are writing about till sometime down the road. Then all you have to do is go into your archive collection look it up and you have the article at hand to aid you on what your looking for. I have done this countless times.
YUZ GIZ at CTT are the best a BIG THANK YOU!!!!
laz57

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

I think S is the sleeping giant in toy trains. There is a potential waiting in that size that I find hard to believe no manufacturer has not exploited. With all the 1/64 cars and buildings that are available in the general marketplace, I find it odd no train maker has moved into a ready-made selling arena. If and when that event happens, I am sure CTT will be ready to report on those stories. I would encourage all those fans of S to submit articles to CTT as that is one way to get more items in the magazine.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[jonadel]

Laz--

No matter how good things are there ALWAYS a few people that have to impose their interpretations and views on the rest of us, they are sad and unhappy people who are only looking for attention. I only hope that the powers at CTT file those folks in the out basket, they are not worth the time of day. I can't imagine dealing with the deadlines that go with running a fine publication like CTT, in every issue I can find something of great value to me. One only has to open his/her eyes to see what a wonderful resource we have in a toy train magazine.

Jon

[laz 57]

The thing that gets me is that the majority of the GIZ on this forum like the articles in CTT. But because one or two people don't like whats in it , they complain that "oh your magazine should change its name", why do we caiter to them? This magazine was created to give the hobbiest ideas and make reviews on the latest merchadise out there in the industry. This is and is done VERY GOOD by the people in chargefor the past 18 years. And with each and every year it gets better. So why do we caiter to these few?
Just my two cents?
laz57

[prewardude]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ogage

...You don't see any standard gauge articles do you?...

While it is true that there aren't many Standard gauge articles in CTT anymore, there are some - at least a few every year (including in the upcoming January issue, from what I understand). I think that CTT does a pretty good job balancing the content of the mag with the interests of its readers. O gauge hi-rail just happens to be the most popular aspect of the hobby right now. I'm sure that if Standard gauge (my personal favorite) or S gauge were the most popular interest among the readers, Neil Besougloff and company would shift the content of the magazine to reflect that.

Just my [2c]

Regards,
Clint