I think you have given the answer to your question yourself.
Europe has a different culture when it comes to product reviews and comparisons. Product reviews are much more detailed and, as you say, candid. Publishing companies are also a little more independent of advertising, at the cost of much higher magazine prices. The leading German mag "Miba" (Miniaturbahnen or Miniature Railroads) sells for 9 $!
azrailI buy Model Rail Magazine out of the UK on occasion, It seems to be better laid out than our US model train mags, and has more thorough reviews of locos and cars, including unbiased ratings, pros/cons, and a wealth of data. Our mags have relatively timid reviews, apparently not to anger the main advertisers (you know who). Why can't our mrr mags be just as candid?
I think a clue can be found in several factoids.
1. The British are the only people who, after steam was long gone from regular service, built a mainline steam locomotive (60163 "Tormado") from scratch solely for recreational purposes. As an aside, there is another locomotive under construction, a GWR 47xx 2-8-0 for which the frames have been completed.
2. The Brits have more preserved and operable steam locomotives than any other country. Not only that, hardly a week goes buy without one or more mainline steam excursions. http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs12.htm
3. The Brits, unlike us, have a magazine that enompasses model railways outside the confines of their home country, namely "Continental Modeller" http://www.pecopublications.co.uk/continental-modeller.html . Not only that, but they have more model rail publications than we do and that's in a country with less than 20% of the population of the US.
4. The Brits have a magazine solely dedicated to preserved steam http://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/
There's more, but by now you should be getting the picture. The Brits take their railways, both prototype and model, very very seriously and won't countenance any "mucking around".
Andre - off to the UK on 3 June.
two great truths of life: 1. If it's not steam, it's crap.
1. If it's not steam, it's crap.
Which is why steam was quickly replaced by diesel electrics in the 40's and 50's?
2. If you get pulled over for speeding in a state and on a road with a 75 MPH speed limit, there's just no question about it; you're about as smart as a bag of hammers.
Just come drive in Washington DC and you'll see smart as a bag of hammers everywhere. Stopping at stop signs is optional for many, turn signals? We don't need no steenking turn signals.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
The Brits are not the only ones building a steam loco long after the demise of steam. The first ones were the Swiss, followed by the British and the Germans. Part of the A4 Tornado was built in Germany.
Just two pics of steamers built in Germany in 2009:
Since this had derailed into a steam subject, don't forget new mainline steam was still being built in China in the late 1980's according to this artlcle I found on the web:
TRAINS News Wire Breaking News, April 21, 2006 More Chinese steam coming to the U.S. PITTSBURGH Mainline steam in China is finished, but two Chinese locomotives will have a second life in U.S. in 2006, with three more possibly coming later. Railroad Development Corp. of Pittsburgh said Friday it has acquired a pair of Chinese class QJ 2-10-2 locomotives, including No. 7081, which had the distinction of hauling the worlds last regularly scheduled mainline steam passenger train. The other is No. 6988. RDC (www.rrdc.com ) is a privately held railway management and investment company which owns or has financial interests in rail properties in the U.S. and six other countries in Latin America, Africa, and Europe, including the Iowa Interstate Railroad linking Chicago, Des Moines, and Omaha. According to RDC Chairman Henry Posner III, the two locomotives were overhauled in China by the Jinzhou 701 Works to meet U.S. Federal Railroad Administration standards, under the supervision of steam consultant Dennis Daugherty and under contract with U.S. company Multipower International. They were being shipped through the Chinese port of Dalian, and upon arrival in the U.S. will be shipped to the Iowa Interstate on special eight-axle flatcars. Once in Iowa, the pair will be fired up and operated once, to demonstrate that they are FRA compliant and operate properly. Posner says the locomotives will probably be tested in regular freight service on the Iowa Interstate. Why bring Chinese steam to the U.S.? Its a test of the market, without any preconceived notions, Posner said. I didnt see anyone else putting their hands up to buy these engines in the last year. Ideally, there would be a market to resell the engines to regional or tourist railroads. Absent that, other methods of generating revenue would be examined, such as serious photo charters or renting them out. If there is a market for the locomotives, RDC has an option to buy three more QJs. The QJ (a derivation of the Soviet LV class) was the last Chinese steam design to go into production and was the most numerous steam class to run in China. The first prototypes were introduced in 1956. Eventually more than 4,700 QJs were built, the majority between 1964 and 1988. The Datong Locomotive Works built No. 7081 in 1986, while No. 6988 was built in 1985. Two Chinese-built steam locomotives, both 2-8-2s built in 1988, currently operate in the U.S., hauling tourists. A class JS runs on Iowas Boone & Scenic Valley, and a class SY, built for Connecticuts Valley Railroad, was sold to the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which transferred the engine to the NYS&W Historical Society, which operates it on the Bel-Del line at Phillipsburg, N.J. A third 1988 Chinese 2-8-2, also class SY, is in storage in Pennsylvania, having worked on the now-embargoed Knox & Kane tourist line to Kinzua Viaduct. - Steve Glischinski
riogrande5761 Andre, It seems your post has little to do with the original posters question. What does all this stuff about steam have to do with why Brit magazines are less biased in their product reviews? Connect the dots for the rest of us who are as dumb as a bag of hammers. two great truths of life: 1. If it's not steam, it's crap. Which is why steam was quickly replaced by diesel electrics in the 40's and 50's? 2. If you get pulled over for speeding in a state and on a road with a 75 MPH speed limit, there's just no question about it; you're about as smart as a bag of hammers. Just come drive in Washington DC and you'll see smart as a bag of hammers everywhere. Stopping at stop signs is optional for many, turn signals? We don't need no steenking turn signals.
two great truths of life:
I live near I95, north of Baltimore, the speed limit on I95 is 65 once you get a little outside the Baltimore Beltway - average actual driven speed - more like 80-85 mph. At 75 you will get run over, and the State Police don't even look up from their reading material unless you are going over 85.
So I quess all of us here in the Mid Atlantic smart as a bag of hammers since most of us are driving 80 in the 65 zone.
And at 80 my new Ford Flex Limited with its 365 HP twin turbo ecoboost engine is just starting to streach out a bit.
As for turn signals, there are times when they are essential and times when they are meaningless, the trick is to know which is which.
Here is what I can't stand about turn signals - drivers who think the other drivers are supposed to slam on their brakes and let them in because they turned on that signal - wrong.
Anyway, I don't know anything about hobby mags in Europe or the UK, not on my radar at all - outside my narrowly focused interests.
Of course I pay little attention to most of what is published in the ones here - it is full of bias - not just in product reviews.
But on the other hand, I doubt I would pay $9 for one issue.......
Exactly how many preserved steam locos are there in the UK that it has more than all the various tourist lines in the US?
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRAL ... Here is what I can't stand about turn signals - drivers who think the other drivers are supposed to slam on their brakes and let them in because they turned on that signal - wrong. ... Sheldon
...
Unless it's a truck - their signal means they are already moving over.
I remember one time on I81, I had to stand on my brakes when a tractor trailer signaled and moved over at the same time. Even then the bumper on his trailer crossed over my hood.
Paul
ATLANTIC CENTRALAs for turn signals, there are times when they are essential and times when they are meaningless, the trick is to know which is which. Here is what I can't stand about turn signals - drivers who think the other drivers are supposed to slam on their brakes and let them in because they turned on that signal - wrong. Sheldon
I brought up turn signals because my wife, who is recently immigrated from the UK and studying the Virginia DMV hand book notices how often people turn or change lanes in this area without signaling. Of course signaling at the same time you are changing lanes is just about as useless.
As you noted, people are quite aggressive around here, but that seems to have little to do with turn signals. It's more a game of wills and chicken, the turn signal may, in some cases indicate intent, and then they back it up with action and I've found when confronted with those people, I'd rather let them in rather than risk an accident. I don't like it either but I don't see things changing until eventually I move out of the area. DC has a lot more rude and arrogant people than other places I've lived, but right now I'm putting up with it because I need a job!
T's far better to be as smart as a bag of hammers then dumb as a box of rocks.
Ken G Price My N-Scale Layout
Digitrax Super Empire Builder Radio System. South Valley Texas Railroad. SVTRR
N-Scale out west. 1996-1998 or so! UP, SP, Missouri Pacific, C&NW.
Getting back to the original subject - besides having more candid product reviews, the British model railroad magazines seem to be getting bigger. I've noticed that the average issue of "Model Rail" or "Railway Modeller" runs 150 or more pages per month as compared to the anemic size of the ever-shrinking MR and RMC. Many of the British layouts shown are extremely realistic-looking, and the articles on painting, weathering and scenery, aside from being quite good, can be applied to ANY model railroad.
riogrande5761 ATLANTIC CENTRAL: As for turn signals, there are times when they are essential and times when they are meaningless, the trick is to know which is which. Here is what I can't stand about turn signals - drivers who think the other drivers are supposed to slam on their brakes and let them in because they turned on that signal - wrong. Sheldon I brought up turn signals because my wife, who is recently immigrated from the UK and studying the Virginia DMV hand book notices how often people turn or change lanes in this area without signaling. Of course signaling at the same time you are changing lanes is just about as useless. As you noted, people are quite aggressive around here, but that seems to have little to do with turn signals. It's more a game of wills and chicken, the turn signal may, in some cases indicate intent, and then they back it up with action and I've found when confronted with those people, I'd rather let them in rather than risk an accident. I don't like it either but I don't see things changing until eventually I move out of the area. DC has a lot more rude and arrogant people than other places I've lived, but right now I'm putting up with it because I need a job!
ATLANTIC CENTRAL: As for turn signals, there are times when they are essential and times when they are meaningless, the trick is to know which is which. Here is what I can't stand about turn signals - drivers who think the other drivers are supposed to slam on their brakes and let them in because they turned on that signal - wrong. Sheldon
As a life long resident of the Mid Atlantic, mainly the Baltimore suburbs, I can tell you this whole area has long been known for speedy and somewhat agressive drivers. I grew up in what was then "rural" Anne Arundel county and my parents seem to have two speeds, 70 on any kind of highway and 50 everywhere else.
When I was a new driver of only several weeks, age 16, my mother had me drive her to the store. After several miles at 45 mph in a 40 zone on a two lane State highway, she looked at me and said "come on, lets go, we don't have all day".
Not being shy even then, I replied "I just got my license and would like to keep it awhile, if this is not fast enough, I will pull over and you can drive".
Here is when I DON'T use turn signals:
When I'm already in the lane that only goes left or right.
When there is no one close by - light traffic on the expressway - the guy 1/4 mile behind be really does not need to know.
When a fast manuver is safer than being polite.
I drive fast, but I don't cut people off, I don't expect anyone to get out of my way, I don't tailgate - but if the road is open.........
I have had very few tickets or traffic stops since I started driving in 1973. My current record perfectly clear for the last 15 plus years - It's not how fast you drive - it's how you drive fast.
I have never caused an accident that hurt anyone or required a car to be towed.
I have only been in two serious accidents caused by others - so I would say I'm very defensive.
I have had occupations that required driving a large stepvan and other heavy trucks, and have logged some pretty high milage at times.
But I am from Maryland, and we do plan to get there sooner rather than later.
The wife and I once made it from Disney Orlando to our home here in Forest Hill, MD - 14.5 hours - in a Ford Explorer with a luggage carrier on the roof.
And the new car is a blast:
AWD, 3.5 liter, twin turbo direct injected 365 HP, six speeds with paddle shifters.....
The grand daughter loves it too.
I must admit, I like the U.K. Magazines better, the quality seems higher, I like the layout articles and photos, plus many of the advertisers put out impressive product listings( Hattons, Gaugmaster, Rails of Sheffield, etc). They are an excellent and fun way to keep with what is happening on that side of the pond. The amount of new products coming out in the U.K. has been impressive the last few years, I hear the hobby is actually growing over there.
Cheers,
Jim
James Sanchez
i have subscribed to trains magazine and railroader for many years got every one from 1970 i enjoy reading them.... however a lot of the articles are re run every few years in the railroader so i just kind of glance at these articles.....
i live in australia i model modern north american railroads not interested in steam F 7 locos or anything older than a sd40/2 .... what i would like to see is a magazine that is for people who model 1980 onwards modern railroading... anyone else agree
i buy the australian magazine sometimes just to have something to read i like some of the articles however i dont get a lot of reading out of it...
a friend of mine buys lots of english and continental magazines and passes them onto me as i said i dont model those railroads however i find the reading very good and the amount of detail that a person can put on a 2 ft x 8 ft layout can be fantastic
i agree that the product tests are a lot better than those in american magazines if a manafacturer does a bad job they say so if they do a fantastic job then they say so and the product sells
regarding changing lanes..... my sunday car is a very nice jaguar.... the sort of car that stands out from the rest no one ever tries to push in on me perhaps its because it looks expensive..... mmmmm perhaps ...... ok bi bi for now peter
Having been an avid reader of most of the American model train rags, I have always noticed the Model Railroader has nearly always had the most "friendly" reviews - where they usually were somewhat critical in the sense that they discussed shortcomings as all reveiws do, but only minimally. Probably they have been the "fluffiest" of the magazines, but to be fair, MR doesn't always pull punches. Let me give a few examples:
I remember reading MR's review of the Bachmann Spectrum F40PH, which I had always wanted a set after riding Amtrak's CZ in 1990. I recall MR did point out the dimensional flaws such as the model sitting 9-inches too low (roof), the trucks were spaced about a scale foot too far apart from the center, and the nose had a flat spot on the pilot. The way the couplers were mounted it would have been very difficult to come close to scale distance.
Another review MR did which was critical was about the Bachman Plus GP35 and SD45's, both of which I recall had badly proportioned windshields, and this was pointed out, as well has very shallow detail on the truck side frames and a few other things. The reviewer summed up the review by calling them "four foot models" - in which you would have to back off to 4 feet away to find viewing the models more acceptable or they would look ok from 4 feet away.
As a general rule, I found the reviews of Rail Model Craftsman (Carstens Pub) to have more indepth reviews on train products, for which I got more information out of. Model Railroading (MRG RIP 2006)) in later years became one of my favorite magazines along with Rail Model Journal (RMJ RIP 2008). During the 1990's and beyond, MRG and RMJ bacame my favorite magazines which served up more "meat" than MR and RMC, which are a more "general interest" model train magzines. I found the reviews of MRG and RMJ to be a little more meaty too, and a heck of a lot more information. I also liked the very indepth prototype articles which discussed commond freight cars such as the CF5250 4-bay plastics pellet covered hopper which Athearn has offered and identified all of the RR's which owned them, and version built . That kind of stuff was meat and potato's for me!
It was in the above two magzines, that there were actually very in depth articles which attempted to identify real world freight cars which matched HO models such as the Walthers (kit) 52' mil gondola - and in that article I learned there was only ONE perfect match, from a class of 99 SP gondola's. You can bet I picked up a couple of them, and my D&RGW Gon is a close standd-in. They did other articles too, much like that, which helped me to narrow my focus on some of the models I collected. It also opened my eye's to how few prototype freight cars actually match the models produced, and I suppose how difficult it must have been for model makers to chose a freight car and then offer a model which matches some of them. Another example was Walthers 62' (kit) gondola, which happily for me perfectly matches a class of D&RGW gondolas, and BN was very close too.
To sum it up, the loss of MRG and RMJ was major for many of the fans and we are left, for the present, with MR (generalist - all things to all modelers) and RMC (more old guard craft oriented) magazines, which have held cost down but at "other costs" such as pointed out here - the reviews are less frank or critical than they could be.
While I have traveled to England twice, and married a Brit (my loving wife Jean) who is a Geordie from up near Newcastle (same city as the Newcastle beer everyone see's here in all the grocery stores!), but I never read their train magazines. I have also been to Germany 4 times and did read some of their magazine. They definitely cost more per issue and were very well made magazines with fewer advertisements. But as some may have noted, things are done differently over there - the magazines do cost more, the model trains cost more, but they don't buy as many I would imagine. I suppose they might argue, quality over quantity? But it's hard to model US railways without quantity and this is a BIG country size wise - one thing my wife still remarks and she hasn't seen much yet!
----
Sounds like of the drivers in here are kind of like Germans at heart, love to drive fast! =D Since money has been a bit tight for me past 4 years, I usually keep to a little more modest speed for fuel economy - mainly the thing I hate is being stuck behind a slow poke, so I guess I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle. I've gotten nailed a few times while living in up-State NY so I try not to push my luck if I can remember to!
I'd say the best US magazine for reviews is Model Railroad News. They often devote several pages to each review, usually with a main / featured review that can run up to 6 pages or so.
Weird thing is that MR's sister publication, Fine Scale Modeler, does offer "warts and all" reviews of scale models, and always notes pros and cons in their in the summary box that accompanies each product review. I wish MR would do the same.
wjstix I'd say the best US magazine for reviews is Model Railroad News. They often devote several pages to each review, usually with a main / featured review that can run up to 6 pages or so.
Just as the title implies, the Model Railroad News has always been primarily a product information publication, not a general publication about the hobby. Reviews, announcments, etc, have always been its main focus.
Unlike MR, or RMC, which have traditionally been more about the activity of "modeling" - how to build it, etc.
So it would stand to reason their reviews would be a more focused look at the product.
Of course that publication is just barely hanging on at this point - I'll be happy if it just hangs on until my subscription is up.