I'm a fairly recent arrival in these forums (fora ?) and so forgive me if i'm asking something that has been hashed over a few times before...
1) I received the latest issue of MR today in the post - very impressive when you consider I live in the UK. But I was somewhat confused by the date references in one of the articles - until I realised I was holding the April issue. We're still in February - has MR entered some kind of space time continuum unknown in the UK? Most magazines here are just releasing their March 2016 issues.
2) The MR Archives are great - but search facility essentially seems to have two options. I can search by article title, or I can search through the text using keywords like "kitbash". My problem is that if "Kitbash" isn't used in the title an article won't show up and if used in the text I can be swamped with "Kitbash" references that are irrelevent. Is there a method for weeding out irrelevent results, or could articles be tagged by subject matter? Currently I've been looking through back issues from cover to cover bookmarking anything of interest but this doesn't seem very efficient (but is a lot of fun!).
Malc
Malc,
US magazines are usually a month ahead of time in releasing a new copy. MR just follows industry practice. Btw, I just got my March copy a week ago ...
If you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!
It took me about 2 weeks to get my March issue once the preview appeared on the MR website. That would put deliver into the 1st or 2nd week of March, for the April issue, which is typical of monthly magazines in the US.
Weekly mags are delivered consistently on time, monthlies are a little more variable and newletters that are shipped bulk mail may take several weeks before everyone receives the current issue.
Can't help you with number 2. This forum is the only one I participate in where you can't search using and/or, dates or authors. I'm not surprised if the mag is the same.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
MalcyMalcThe MR Archives are great
when you say Archives, do you mean the forum 'Search the Community' feature or the CD with the all the MR articles?
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Sir Madog Malc, US magazines are usually a month ahead of time in releasing a new copy. MR just follows industry practice. Btw, I just got my March copy a week ago ... If you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!
G Paine MalcyMalc The MR Archives are great when you say Archives, do you mean the forum 'Search the Community' feature or the CD with the all the MR articles?
MalcyMalc The MR Archives are great
As a former retailer that had an account with Kalmbach just a couple years ago, I can tell you that it is common practice for US magazines that the date on the cover is the date the item is to be removed from the rack.
So when the magazine has "April 2016" printed on the cover, it is to be removed from the rack on April 1st, 2016 and replaced with the May issue. Since the next issue has to be at the retailer's business a few days before the first of the month (for inventory and other purposes), and one needs to leave time for shipping, etc., the issue is usually shipped a week before the first of the month.
Therefore, subscribers (who get the issue direct from the printer) tend to get the issue 2 months ahead of the month that's actually printed on the cover.
Paul A. Cutler III
Paul3 As a former retailer that had an account with Kalmbach just a couple years ago, I can tell you that it is common practice for US magazines that the date on the cover is the date the item is to be removed from the rack. So when the magazine has "April 2016" printed on the cover, it is to be removed from the rack on April 1st, 2016 and replaced with the May issue. Since the next issue has to be at the retailer's business a few days before the first of the month (for inventory and other purposes), and one needs to leave time for shipping, etc., the issue is usually shipped a week before the first of the month. Therefore, subscribers (who get the issue direct from the printer) tend to get the issue 2 months ahead of the month that's actually printed on the cover. Paul A. Cutler III
Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK. That is impressive in that hard copy subscribers in the US just received the March issue a couple weeks ago and will not recieve their copies of the April issue until some time in March.
By the way the April 2016 issue is in the All Time Digital Archives.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
MalcyMalcbut search facility essentially seems to have two options.
if (and I mean if) the search engine is similar to google, you can put words between quotes (e.g. "kitbashed locomotives") to find things with exactly that phrase which avoids find things with both of those words anywhwere in the text.
the other thing is the minus option which means things not having the word. Example, structures -stations, would find things with structures but exclude any with stations.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
The best way to search this site is to go to your favorite search engine and enter http://cs.trains.com plus your search word. The result should be only links to pages on this site.
j............
The OP's specific question is about navigating through the "All-Time Digital Archives", not just the forums.
Since I just resubscribed to the print version of MRR, I also subscribed to the Archives, and it's great. I haven't tried to use the search function in the archives yet, but I'm going to give it a try.
I would think it should work like any search function, such as seperating words with commas, or surrounding in parenthesis, or even adding "and" between the words. I guess I'll have to go try it out!
Mike.
My You Tube
It is awkward to search for things in the old issues of MR strored on this site on the digital archives -- or for that matter, in the paper issues stored on your shelves (and I have MR solid back to 1949, with sporadic issues back to 1934, but I often use the digital archive All Access Pass magazines because they are convenient.
As a rule I use the magazine index under "Resources" on this site and then seek out the digital or paper issue.
A true "word" search would be a really nice addition to the All Access Pass digital archive, so that even if a word (or a name) was embedded in a letter to the editor it could be found. That matters because over the years many articles have been corrected by letters to the editor, including scale drawings that had mistakes, electronic ciruits that were printed in error, and such. And some pieces that are like articles are part of something like Clinic or the editorial.
I have paper indexes going back well before 1960 but that too can be a laborious way to search for something, although I have used color coded highlighters to indicate articles I know I will want to find again. Also at various times the compilers of the annual index have changed topic headings or indexing criteria. What I do find useful, although it comes to a halt around 1985, are the softbound Stephans' Railroad Directory indexes for MR, Trains, and RMC.
Dave Nelson
dknelson A true "word" search would be a really nice addition to the All Access Pass digital archive, so that even if a word (or a name) was embedded in a letter to the editor it could be found. That matters because over the years many articles have been corrected by letters to the editor, including scale drawings that had mistakes, electronic ciruits that were printed in error, and such. And some pieces that are like articles are part of something like Clinic or the editorial. Dave Nelson
Dave - isn't that what the word search in the Archives does? I know if you search by word it brings up that word even if included in adverts, so I'm sure it does so in letters too.
The biggest problem is if you are just searching on a general basis - so if you want to fill a space on your layout and are looking for plans of an industry to fill it, then you need to make multiple searches using keywords. Or just go through the article index each month and bookmark anything that looks promising (which is much more fun and allows you to additionally find stuff you weren't really looking for but is nice to have).
If each article was tagged with a few keywords then you could have a search system that worked a bit like Walthers website - hit "structures", specify "scale" and zero in from there.
Click this link:
http://trc.trains.com/magazineindex
Click Advanced Search
Where it says Limit search to:
Use the drop down to select Model Railroader
Include all years unless you have an idea when the article was published
Put your search term in the box and click search.
Look up the result in the All Time Digital Archive.
I wish they would link directly to it, that would be awesome.
------
Greg WilliamsCanterbury, NBCanadahttps://www.gregstrainyard.com/
DSchmitt Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK.
Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK.
is the issue delivered in UK actually printed in the US? My copy ships from a local business, so if it was printed in the US then it comes in a bulk shipment and re-shipped locally.
Bill
Sir MadogIf you don´t want to load up a high level of frustration, forget the search function!
Problem is, it is a search function, not a filter function. A filter would be very difficult for MR to create, but it is useful when ordering computer parts.
I can search MEMORY and the apply filters for DDR3 memore, for 8 GB, for Brand Name etc.
You could try searching "Kitbash"+"Stations"+"1900" and see what that will do.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Hi, all,
We're well aware of the limitations of the search function in the MR All-Time Archive. We, too, would much prefer a Google-like algorithm. Unfortunately, the companies that could write that code for us expect Google-like pay.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
cprfan Click this link: http://trc.trains.com/magazineindex Click Advanced Search Where it says Limit search to: Use the drop down to select Model Railroader Include all years unless you have an idea when the article was published Put your search term in the box and click search. Look up the result in the All Time Digital Archive. I wish they would link directly to it, that would be awesome.
Here's an interesting observation: Malcolm has received his April issue in England, but it has yet to arrive at my local hobby shop on the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line!
This is not a complaint; just an observation.
Tom
Hi, Tom
I seem to recall that a few years ago Kalmbach went with Quad Graphics for printing and distribution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad/Graphics
With everything being web-based, I imagine the magazine workup is zipped over the network to one of the European facilities and fed to the presses, collated, stapled and shipped to customers in a matter of days.
The company also owns one or more private cars!
http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2015/02/19/the-tough-part-of-working-for-trains-a-day-on-the-quad-graphics-private-cars.aspx
https://www.flickr.com/photos/railohio/5631048435
Many of the big newspapers in the US were contract printed like this, too, so the NY Times might be sent to the production plant of the LA Times by wire, printed and distributed overnight.
Regards, Ed
ACY Here's an interesting observation: Malcolm has received his April issue in England, but it has yet to arrive at my local hobby shop on the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line! This is not a complaint; just an observation. Tom
I have to say i was rather impressed too. This is only the second issue of my subscription (the first was sent in a plain brown envelope from the US and I received it a week or two ago) and I rather expected to be lagging behind things here in the UK with the postage etc but possibly this won't be the case. We'll see.
I have noticed that I'm tending to skim the online version and just reading anything that particularly catches my eye, whereas I read the hard copy much more closely when it arrives. Probably a sign of my being old (although quite a young railway modeller by Wall Street Journal standards) and regarding Kindles etc as an abomination to be scorned!
I very much prefer reading real magazines to online versions. I can take a magazine to the bathtub, the beach, the tree stand or the doctors office without worrying about my tablet getting wet or stolen.
And it's just easier to read than paging through a computer screen. Millenials probably don't think so. They don't read books either.
bagal DSchmitt Note that the OP got the April 2016 issue in the Post (Mail) in the UK. is the issue delivered in UK actually printed in the US? My copy ships from a local business, so if it was printed in the US then it comes in a bulk shipment and re-shipped locally. Bill
Even here in the US, the time for receiving a particular issue can vary greatly. It's not unusual for someone on this forum to reference an article in the "new" issue of MR a week or two before I receive my copy in the mail. Apparently some people receive their issue after me. Not sure if they do bulk mailings to different regions at different times or, as the OP suggested, perhaps they send the information to different printers in different areas who create and mail the magazines.