Although I've been a regular subscriber over the past few years, I'm probably not going to reup this next time around. Like this forum, I'm finding less and less that I enjoy about it.
I decided this past year to try the digital version for the extra $12/month. That was pretty much a waste of money. While the zoom feature was kinda handy, I much preferred the hard copy. Reading articles online is okay. Reading a periodical cover-to-cover, however, just isn't practical for me.
Tom
Edit: I'll probably do what Crandell does and pick up MR from my LHS if and when any of the contents piques my interest.
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
In spite of the dearth of subway related stories, I continue to subscribe. I am quite scandalized by the prices of locomotives. However, I enjoy reading it. Maybe *I* should write an article if I want to see subways (or LIONS) in the mag.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
cedarwoodroncannot part with an old friend
Russell
Why I didn't is twofold, one is that reading paper has become hard for me and even though I could go digital for an extra fee, it kinda goes against the grain as a lot of the extra videos are not of interest to me and I can find lots on youtube anyway, two, a majority of articles just don't fit into my intrest (anything beyond 1940).
I been reading MR since I learned how to read in grade school way back in the early 50s.and I will continue to read MR but,with a twist..I now read MR on my Kindle Fire.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
tstage Although I've been a regular subscriber over the past few years, I'm probably not going to reup this next time around. Like this forum, I'm finding less and less that I enjoy about it. I decided this past year to try the digital version for the extra $12/month. That was pretty much a waste of money. While the zoom feature was kinda handy, I much preferred the hard copy. Reading articles online is okay. Reading a periodical cover-to-cover, however, just isn't practical for me. Tom
Tom is it because you seen that, read that already? The articles? Same ole same ole on this forum? I'm very interested. I want to know this so I can anticipate the wall before it happens.
Joe C
I have never subscribed, but I purchase five or six issues each year at the news stand if the contents look interesting. I had thought that the staff had made a concerted effort to improve the appeal to people other than newcomers to the hobby or to the armchair modellers. The past 18 months or so have been pretty good, or at least improved.
I slouch too much and too long at a computer most days, and the thoughts of extending that bad condition to read a magazine isn't very appealing to me. The only ezine I read is Model Railroad Hobbyist 'cuz that's how it comes to me. I prefer to sit back on a comfy chair and read MR holding it in my hands.
-Crandell
I've been renewing year-to-year because it's only a matter of time before they announce that they're going digital and stopping the printed version.
As for the content I've enjoyed the last couple of years and I still think Neil is doing an awesome job.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
I renewed when offered a reduced rate, overseas, 3 year rate.
Some editions are better than others, but on the whole there is usually a good balance to keep me interested. And, in any case I also take RMC along with 2 European magazines.....
Whilst I read some magazines on-line, I do try to limit how many, as I sit in front of computers during my working day / nights!
Brian
www.deadwoodcityrailroad.blogspot.com
I agree that the present editor is doing a great job. I am also, though, not extremely experienced, finding the majority of beginner's how to articles something I'm getting beyond now.
Model Railroader was like a best friend when I was a kid in the '60s. I felt like I knew the staff-kinda and Lynn Wescott was my "hero". I took it with me to every appointment in case the waiting rooms only had "normal" magazines (Except for the dentist who had "Golden Age"/ 1940s superhero comics.) I'll bet he wished he hadn't let our grubby little paws get ahold of them once he realized what they were worth later!
I also subscribe to Railroad Model Craftsman. This magazine is on the other end of the extreme for my present skills but I enjoy the depth of craftsmanship, historical articles, etc. MRH's online magazine falls between those two camps and fills the void. Even though I can only read that online, I tend to avoid other reads on the computer screen.
From time to time, I consider not continuing my subscription with Model Railroader, but there is always the call of layout photos/articles and the occasional innovative ideas/workarounds. (under the table tortoise extension brackets, etc.) I'll make the decision to renew when my 3 yr. subscription is up.
I DO like that this present staff is similar to the '60s in that it seems very buddy buddy/personable and this comes across the the subscriber/buyer.
I've tried digital subscriptions (OPSig) and really don't think I'll back "there" until we're all forced to by the times. I enjoy the flexibility of hard copies and less eye strain and stuck in one posture if not on a laptop.
I wish that MR would have more advanced projects than they do but beginners need a magazine too.
Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
Having had both a paper and digital subscription for a while now, I think when the paper one expires I will only be renwing the digital. Just picked up Classic Trains, too, though why I picked a paper copy and not digital I'm not sure. I've hardly cracked the cover on the last 3 or 4 paper MRs I got, the digital is available up to a week before the paper copy comes in the mail, and I've usually already read itby the time the paper one arrives.
I don't like to sit at my computer to read, either - which is why my MR adn MRH go on my iPad so I can sit in my comfy chair and read. Along with most of the rest of my library. The only physical books I seem to buy any more are railroad ones, since they are either older books, or often produced my smaller publishers who don't yet offer ebook versions. Fiction books? Been years. Which drives the family crazy as I used to be counted on to provide a list of 15-20 books as options on the Christmas list.
As for content, I think there's been a big improvement in MR over the past year. Lots of interesting construction articles with scratchbuilding and kitbashing.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Well, I go back into the hobby about 2 years ago, and I found the magazine and, particularly, this forum very helpful. For me, the magazine is in the ballpark of usefulness it was to me many years ago, and this forum most valuable. Some of the Kalmbach publications have also been a good resource. I've recently added the video plus, a bit pricey, very useful in some videos such as track ballasting, but as I progress, I'm not so sure I will continue this as it approximately doubles my annual expense. Overall, I think MR has done a reasonable job in a changing environment.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Like others, I still enjoy sitting down and opening a paper copy each month. I think it reminds me of when I was younger and couldn't wait to get home from the hobby shop each month when the new issue of MR came out. It was never a question of only buying it if I saw something I liked. I could always find something interesting even if it was just the ads for new products. I might not get quite as excited as I did about 35 years ago, but I still look forward to each issue with anticipation. It's a small price for the enjoyment it brings each month.
I've also found that while some articles don't appeal to me at first glance, if I force myself to read them, I often end up learning about something or a new technique that proves helpful down the road. That sort of reminds me of older radio stations that played a variety of music compared to today where everything is neatly divided into specific formats. I used to hate listening to certain songs or artists I didn't like, but in the end, it gave me a much wider exposure to music I would have never listened to on my own. And you know what? Sometimes I would hear something different that I really liked!
Maybe not the greatest analogy ever, but that's why I still buy MR each month,
Getting the new issue of MR is the one thing I look forward to at the beginning of the month. My onthly ritual is to take the new issue out to screened-in porch, light up a cigar, crack open beer and read the magazine cover-to-cover. I subscribe because it's quite a bit cheaper than buying it newsstand.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
I have been reading MR since the Fall of 1961. Initially, from the LHS, then the news stand. Over a period of time I became a subscriber, and remained one off an on until a couple of years ago, when I let it lapse while pinching pennies.
I continued to buy the magazine at Barnes and Noble, and ultimately decided I could save money by subscribing again.
Most months, I get my money's worth, as there is always an interesting article. Although, I've been around for a good while, someone almost always comes up with a better idea or better method. I have not tried the electronic version yet, but do read MRH and some of the various society modeling publications on line.
The staff at MR today, is no different than back in 1961. Big difference back then they were all older than I, while today, I've got years on them.
I do enjoy MR .
Joe
I let the subscription go a few years ago to try to save a few pennies - In the end I bought enough of the issues off the shelf to be very close to the subscription price, so there was no real savings.
Fact is, every issue has at least one item of interest to me, and usually more, that are worth the price. If I get to the point where I actually can't afford $3.25 a month I'll have to re-evaluate my use of money for any hobby.
And oddly, though I read 7-10 magazines a month on the iPad, I have no desire to have MR in 1s and 0s. It and Trains are the only 2 I get in print, but it just seems right to me.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
I have been reading MR since December 1971, and been a subscriber since shortly after that - over 40 years now. It has been and is my favorite magazine.
Even though a lot of the articles are doing things that were done before, they frequently use new materials and / or techniques. So really there's always new stuff to learn.
MR along with RMC and the NMRA Bulletin (or whatever the name is this month) are the big 3 for me and I have all the issues back 40 years plus earlier back issues.
Enjoy
Never have subscribed & don't want to. If I had no local hobby shop, I might. But the L.H.S. is a place for social interaction, & I like going up there & shooting the bull with the other guys (and a few gals too). Even if I don't buy anything else, I have the excuse of buying the mag. to justify the trip to the shop. I like the dealer & I like patronizing the shop. I'm sure I end up spending more $ this way & I don't get some of the on-line perks, but I'm OK with that. IMHO, the intangibles make it worthwhile to swim against the current.
......By the way, it's interesting that MR used to be the mag. for the advanced modeler and RMC was the one for the beginners & less talented ones. Then Tony K. became editor of RMC and started its climb in status. Now MR seems to be the one that focuses on beginners, & RMC seems devoted to the more advanced modelers. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way it feels.
Also, I wish MR (and lots of other publications too) would stop relying on spellcheck, and go back to using a good old dictionary & Thesaurus, as Al K. would have liked. Gaffes are rare, but they do appear, & they never did in Al's day (or Paul's, or Linn's). Back in the '50's and '60's, I think I learned as much about good writing from them (and D.P.M.) as I did from my teachers.
ACYNow MR seems to be the one that focuses on beginners, & RMC seems devoted to the more advanced modelers. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way it feels.
If I may.
Oddly enough I haven't bought a RMC in years I always felt MR supplied my simple needs since I never really got caught up in the modeling skill badge thingy or "expert" status that's toss about like a ship in high seas..
I've always been a simple down to earth old school modeler that hasn't changed that much over the years.
I've gone to the e-edition since getting the wife's hand-me-down iPad. Kind of pinching pennies these days, but one sub I'll not give up is MR. Much like the NY Times is for print journalism, MR is the journal of record for model railroading as a hobby.
Some folks think MR has various things wrong they just "gotta do something about." And if you were editor, maybe you would. But MR has to serve the needs of a very broad audience. Rarely do I hear such a concern where I don't think of how the change desired could be good in one way, but detract from the experience of others. That's a tough balance to achieve for any editorial group, but MR does a pretty good job of it.
One area where I did have a bit of a gripe was the trend toward beginner level topics being repeated. That now seems dialed back to a more comfortable level. Thing is that people rarely take up this hobby on a whim. It creeps in to take over their entire life......well not quite that bad, but people will pick up the beginner's stuff over a longer period than as one or two issues or as a yearly cycle where regular readers can almost anticipate a reprise of what they read this month, last year. Maybe it's slipping toward a 3- to 4-year cycle and that's a good thing.
After all, we have these forums to refer to if we're a beginner and get stuck on something, where advice is easy to find and specific enough to solve most any model railroad related problem or to help take your modeling to the next step. So the forums can fill in until a beginner's topic next makes it into the print edition.
As a 40+ year reader of MR, I keep reading it to stay up to date with common basis of information that is widely shared in the hobby. It's not everything, but it tries to serve everybody; that's important to model railroading and useful for me.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I have subscribed to MR mag for 10 years now, as well Classic Trains.
The problem that I have with any hobby magazine, be it model railroading, golf, or tropical fish, my three hobbies, is that after a period of time, I grow bored and disinterested in the monthly or quarterly issue.
As a newbie to any hobby, I would eagerly wait for each new issue, pour through it, absorb it, save it.
But after a while, I get the new issue in the mail, browse through it and then discard it.
I just don't get the rush that I used to get.
Rich
Alton Junction
A friend of mine gave me around 10 years worth of MR, a bunch of MR How To Books and the DVD set last year. They were great reading as I was very new to the hobby. I would never subscribe to the magazine due to personal reasons but I do buy the odd old copy at a train show.
Years ago i started buying the interesting ones off the shelf at the local hobby shop when my dad stoped his subscription. After awhile i found i was spending alot of money on magazine. So when i found out how much i could save by doing a multi year subscription i signed up. I find it is worth it in the long run because it gives me alot of ideas for my layout.
Cederwoodron:
I am glad for you that you renewed.
I did NOT renew my subscription last year.
Right now there IS a budget strain with a tightening budget and the $50 went to other necessary expenditures. The $150 for the three {MR, TRIANS, CLASSIC TRAINS} Was spent eleswhere. Then there was the "just $8.95" fo the SPecial mags that is added in there ecah time I renewd!...When the others run out, they too may go.
Secondly, I wasn't reading it much and neither was MOH {who is also into trains, aren't I the lucky one?}
Thirdly, I actually enjoy TRAINS magazine more than MR. Ditto MOH. I like the 1:1 info far better than "just modeling" info.
Fourth, I wasn't "getting much out of" the MR amgazine..A relative statement, I assure you.
Fifth, I was passing them onto a train nut friend without even having read, or so much as glanced through them, and He can get his own subscription!
Sixth, I do, If in B&N or the like, look for such mags, but I feel I can buy the ones I am really really interested in owning, even if cover price is higher. I may miss "special" issues, but I can deal.
I DO like to support our hosts, but I can't always do it.
Its a hobby have fun!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
richhotrain I have subscribed to MR mag for 10 years now, as well Classic Trains. The problem that I have with any hobby magazine, be it model railroading, golf, or tropical fish, my three hobbies, is that after a period of time, I grow bored and disinterested in the monthly or quarterly issue. As a newbie to any hobby, I would eagerly wait for each new issue, pour through it, absorb it, save it. But after a while, I get the new issue in the mail, browse through it and then discard it. I just don't get the rush that I used to get. Rich
Rich, I couldn't have said it any better. I just re-upped my digital editions, but I understand that the majority of content is targeted at beginners and those that choose to keep it simple. For more advanced tactics I go elsewhere as I am always seeking to improve myself instead of just being good enough to get by. My main focus on MR is the the products reviews, adverts and "whats new" as far as products.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
The key to Digital is a good device. Older lower resolution devices won;t be nearly as satisfying. Most of the newer tablets (and I'm sorry, gadget freak though I am, a single task reading device or limited content somewhat more general device doesn;t cut it) have high enough resolution displays that the individual pixles in the lettering fonts are indistinguishable to the naked eye. This makes them as clear as print. And when they have things like those bird's eye view shots of a prototype location, I can zoom the picture until it is effectively LARGER than the version in the print magazine so I can catch all the little details, without pulling out a magnifying glass.