Just got my April 2017 MR in the mail- haven't yet read it, as I want to savor the experience for April.
A few thoughts- many of us remember dozens of magazines, with far greater national circulation and subscription rates, from our youth (I'm 63) that we enjoyed but which have been long gone from the scene- Life, Saturday Evening Post, etc. In their heyday, before the internet, they seemed like part of our cultural landscape- but, alas, destined not to be.
MR, having the opportunity to publish it's 1000th issue, is a rare bird. As we age, continuity often becomes more important in our lives. Thankfully, MR has been there throughout. It has been an inspiration, a resource and- yes, a friend to model railroaders for a long time. While MR wouldn't be still published if not for us hobbyists, many of us might not be in the hobby if not for MR.
Thanks to MR, it's editors over the decades, and to Kalmbach.
Cedarwoodron
I was thinking about this the other night and did a small math calculation and figured the first issue came out 83 years and 4 months ago that would be somewhere around January 1934 if a 10 year old got the first issue he would be 93 I wonder if there's any 93 year old model railroaders that are still around out there with the first issue. Makes you think doesn't it Al
I was a little dissapointed with it, was hoping for a lot more photos from great layouts over the years. Timeline was a complete waste to me.
Terry
Terry I agree with you one hundred percent I was expecting it to be twice as thick as it usually is I mean they sure hyped it up before it came out. Al
It was an OK issue. If nothing else, the binding method seemed different than usual. Does anyone recall if the 75th Anniversey issue was double the usual thickness?Slight off topic, but I must admit, if I hadn't known beforehand, I would have thought the multi-page spread on the "Human Model Railroad Interface" paper signal system was the April's Fool Joke (spoiler - it was the TrainClap 2000).It just seemed like such overkill for "we printed out some cartoon signals and this is how we use them"...
I have not read the entire issue yet, but I really enjoyed Tony Koester's article comparing the Allegheny Midland with the Nickel Plate Road layout.
.
That surprised me, I rarely enjoy anything Mr. Koester writes.
I was not expecting much special. The anniversary issues are special. The 1,000 issue is just a milestone worthy of note and some celebration.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190That surprised me, I rarely enjoy anything Mr. Koester writes.
Kevin,The first thing I read is Tony's column.I started that years ago because I've always been a fan of his AM which was in my top five freelance railroads.
That's not saying I agreed with everything he wrote but,he always made some excellent points.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Kalmbach used to sell back issues of MR and Trains with the slogan "Every magazine is new until you've read it." Railroad and model train magazines are in that special class of periodical where even very old issues can be not just interesting/quaint to read but actually very useful and entirely practical.
While I also expected more retrospective type stuff in the issue, I thought the paper signal article in that issue was interesting and am a bit surprised by the adverse reactions to it. If you have operated on layouts that have "working" signal systems (squinting vigorously to try to see what the heck the indication is, while trying not to crush stuff on the layout by getting your head so close to the track), or ever tried to investigate what it would take to install a fully working block signal system (eek the wiring!) that would actually protect trains the way the prototype does, the paper signal system offers a clever and inexpensive alternative, even if it is temporary, or meant to be. At the very least it is a good way to learn what the basic signal indications are and be tested on your knowledge before committing the time and resources to a scale model system. I guess I do agree that I am not sure I would install the paper signal ON the layout surface itself but could imagine trying to accomodate it on the fascia.
Dave Nelson
Well, I finally got my issue today. After all the buildup and all about it I have to say I was very underwhelmed with it. I expected a much more spectacular issue especially for $10. I'm sure many years from now when the question comes up in a post about "What's your favorite issue?" the answer won't be the Mega 1,000th!
Just my disappointed 2¢,
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works
I liked the issue. I don't subscribe, but end up buying one every month. Even some issues that I've found underwhelming. Mostly because even the lesser ones have something of interest.
I enjoyed the Spine Line track plan. I suppose I am a little biased since I'm a RI fan and that's mostly ex RI, and I've worked that line and yards has both an engineer and trainman/switchman for UP. I don't currently work that end of the RR, but my last trip down there last year was on a grain train that we spotted at the ADM bean plant. .
Jeff
I have made it further through this issue now.
I enjoyed the timeline and the favorite issue article(s). I have been reading MR since the 1970s, and I remembered many of the issues that were described.