What do you miss most from classic issues of Model Railroader Magazine

[SeeYou190]

Pruitt

I miss the general sense of having fun the magazine used to convey.

.

Yes, I miss that too. There is such an emphasis on doing it the "right way" that the fun side seems to have slipped away.

.

I was really pulled into the hobby by the modeling and photography of Malcolm Furlow. He always conveyed a sense of having fun in the articles he wrote.

.

-Kevin

.

[Bubby]

I miss: Jim Hediger (especially his monthly Paint Shop column)

           Gordon Odegard

           Issues with enough pages that took it took me several days to finish.

           Railroad You Can Model (although MR did resurrect this one time in the past year or so.)

            A more “model railroading is fun” philosophy. Less striving for perfection, and more ”close is good enough”.

 

Al

[Pruitt]

I miss the general sense of having fun the magazine used to convey. Now it focuses too much on being a "professional looking" publication.

I also miss the much freer writing styles of the past. Without meaning to degrade current writers, writing styles in the past were much less turgid than they generally are now, I think.

[emdmike]

I miss the brass dealer ads, the artices that showed actual modeling vs just taking it out of the box. The older versions just had more "meat" to each issue.  Be it the advertising, the classifieds ect.  And PFM followed by Overland dominating the back cover on one side or the other.   Mike

[Boiler-man]

I have been a reader since 1957, purchased MR at my LHS and what I miss are the old manufacturers that advertised in the msg, Like Varney and Pacific Fast Mail and the Student Fare articles.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

rrebell

OK, how about Mad Magazine, Metropolitan Home, Gourmet, Teen, Seventeen, P.C. Mag., Money and it looks like Time and Sports Illisrated may be killed off too.

Never paid money for any of them either, at least not on any regular basis......

Sheldon

[andrechapelon]

What do I miss?

The 50¢ cover price.

[rrebell]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

 

 

rrebell

 

 

riogrande5761

 

 

SeeYou190

 

 rrebell

Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.

I don't know if that is true.

 

 

 

I don't know if that is precisely true but he has the right idea.

 

That process is already well along.  Quite a few publications have discontined, and existing print media circulation is down.

 

And to flesh this out, even online publications are now loosing their paying advertisers because the advertisers have found the can get a lot of effective advertising for free via Facebook and other social media.

 

 

Maybe I am a dinosaur, but not sure. I subscribe to several magazines, Time, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Model Railroader. I cannot imagine life without them.

Kevin

 

 

Judging by what I'm seeing, that's true.  And we know what happened to them!

 

 

 

 

Even the womens mags have gone digital or just gone. Like Glamour and redbook, both digital only, way more subscribers there than for model railroading.

 

 

 

 

 

My wife, or even my first wife, never read that stuff print or digital..........

 

 

OK, how about Mad Magazine, Metropolitan Home, Gourmet, Teen, Seventeen, P.C. Mag., Money and it looks like Time and Sports Illisrated may be killed off too.

[IRONROOSTER]

Scale drawings and Bull Session for me also.

I know the times and economics are changing, but I really miss the 200 page issues.

Paul

[DavidH]

"A Railroad You Can Model" is the only specific thing I miss. Most of the other changes have simply been evolutionary in nature. I suppose an argument can be made that some of the recent project railroads carry on the tradition with the amount of prototype information provided, but they're just not quite the same. Reader since December 1964 BTW!

Dave

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

rrebell

 

 

riogrande5761

 

 

SeeYou190

 

 rrebell

Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.

I don't know if that is true.

 

 

 

I don't know if that is precisely true but he has the right idea.

 

That process is already well along.  Quite a few publications have discontined, and existing print media circulation is down.

 

And to flesh this out, even online publications are now loosing their paying advertisers because the advertisers have found the can get a lot of effective advertising for free via Facebook and other social media.

 

 

Maybe I am a dinosaur, but not sure. I subscribe to several magazines, Time, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Model Railroader. I cannot imagine life without them.

Kevin

 

 

Judging by what I'm seeing, that's true.  And we know what happened to them!

 

 

 

 

Even the womens mags have gone digital or just gone. Like Glamour and redbook, both digital only, way more subscribers there than for model railroading.

 

 

My wife, or even my first wife, never read that stuff print or digital..........

 

[rrebell]

riogrande5761

 

 

SeeYou190

 

 rrebell

Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.

I don't know if that is true.

 

 

 

I don't know if that is precisely true but he has the right idea.

 

That process is already well along.  Quite a few publications have discontined, and existing print media circulation is down.

 

And to flesh this out, even online publications are now loosing their paying advertisers because the advertisers have found the can get a lot of effective advertising for free via Facebook and other social media.

 

 

Maybe I am a dinosaur, but not sure. I subscribe to several magazines, Time, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Model Railroader. I cannot imagine life without them.

Kevin

 

 

Judging by what I'm seeing, that's true.  And we know what happened to them!

 

Even the womens mags have gone digital or just gone. Like Glamour and redbook, both digital only, way more subscribers there than for model railroading.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

I still receive four print magazines, Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, NMRA magazine and The Old House Journal. 

I have reasonably complete sets MR back into the early 50's, nearly as complete a selection of RMC. I have NMRA publications back to when I joined in 1969.

I consider them a very important resource for my modeling.

I subscribe to the archive mainly as a way to search and answer quick questions. For actual modeling projects, I pull out the hard copy and make photocopies of the information.

I have watched the hobby and the hobby press change a lot in 50 years. I worked in the hobby business from age 14 to 24.

Model Railroader is simply trying to keep pace with a hobby that keeps getting more diversified with every passing year. 

In my view, they are doing a good job, even if the direction of the hobby and the magazine are not in line with my modeling...

Sheldon

[mbinsewi]

Maybe the scale drawings.  I've subscribed to the archives for a couple of years now, and I've spent some time looking at older issues.  I think the archives is worth the cost.  Nice to be able to look back when you want to.

I've been an "on & off again" subscriber to MR for the last 30+ years, and I think the current mag is just fine.  

Mike.

[MidlandPacific]

I miss the authors.  I started reading in the mid-70s, as an elementary student, and most of the people who were writing them have ceased to produce, for one reason or other.  The style of modeling and photography at the time was very different.  In the ’50s and ‘60s, MR was mostly craftsmanship articles with layout features hat were not particularly well photographed.  In the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were lots of great articles on craftsmanship and technique, and a whole slew of people who were doing amazing things with layout photography.  I enjoyed every issue.

[Outsailing86]

I agree, the Digital Archives has some great hidden gems. 

But now we have the internet, where you can “chase a purple squirrel“ and find Sandborn Maps online, along with town historical societies, and if your lucky, footage on YouTube from the location. Having so much information at your fingertips is incredible for the hobby. 

They do great work on the video side, but they also have to contend with some good material on YouTube as well. Cody, David, and Eric are all excellent modelers and their work shows. The videos on setting up the Beer Line for Operating are worth the price of admission. 

 

[nycmodel]

I have to go back to the 60's and early 70's but I miss the excitement of the occassional article and/or photographs from John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid. I enjoyed the later Symposium on Electronics. I even contributed an article to the Symposium. The Internet now provides us with much more electronics content.

[riogrande5761]

SeeYou190

 

 rrebell

Truth is most of the comunity has moved on from the magazine format.

I don't know if that is true.

 

I don't know if that is precisely true but he has the right idea.

 

That process is already well along.  Quite a few publications have discontined, and existing print media circulation is down.

 

And to flesh this out, even online publications are now loosing their paying advertisers because the advertisers have found the can get a lot of effective advertising for free via Facebook and other social media.

 

Maybe I am a dinosaur, but not sure. I subscribe to several magazines, Time, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Model Railroader. I cannot imagine life without them.

Kevin

Judging by what I'm seeing, that's true.  And we know what happened to them!

[mobilman44]

Hi,

I've been a reader/subscriber since 12/55 (I was 11).  My layouts and interest has always revolved around the 1930s thru 1950s - and it still does today.  

Obviously MR has a huge mix of interests to cater to, and the articles relating to "my era" are now fewer and fewer.  That is what I miss most - steam/diesel era layouts, projects, and so on.

 

[SeeYou190]

cuyama

more interaction and help right on this very Forum than was ever available in Student Fare.

.

Studen Fare was not so much about help, but just a place where young inexperienced modelers coulds share what they are up to.

.

I was quite proud when my letter was published at age 15. 

.

-Kevin

.

[PRR8259]

I miss the brass dealer advertisements.  The price of many brass models is allegedly quite reduced according to brasstrains.com valuations, but I cannot find more than a handful of models actually available for sale anywhere at the prices quoted by brasstrains, and internet searches become challenging as they keep referring one to Ebay auctions.  It seems rather few brass dealers are left or they are getting buried in the "search results".

Specifically, I miss Jolute from Diesel Consignment.  He really tried to keep his customers happy...and other fine people like Armand Mazzetti, Thomas Cornwall, etc.

 

I miss the great people I got to know.

[trolleyboy]

I miss the model of the month and Lional Strangs working on the railroad. Also the more in deapth how to build plans of buildings odd bits of rolling stock etc. Anyhting really that made you think and create from scratch. I guess chalk me up as a dinosaur as well.

[saronaterry]

Thanks. I missed that.

Terry

[cuyama]

Harrison

Student Fare, by far... I reread all of my 1970's issue's student fares. I guess there just isn't enough students anymore.

It seems to me that students (including yourself) have much more interaction and help right on this very Forum than was ever available in Student Fare. 

[cuyama]

saronaterry

Is there a simple way to apply  and pay online without downloading and mailing? Technologicaly challenged here, but I'd rather do it all online.

It's a volunteer organization and may not be as up-to-date on technology as commercial firms.  OpSIG does accept PayPal. If you email the address shown on this page, I'm sure that they can tell you the options.

[cuyama]

oldline1

I don't care for the push for the non-magazine content. As a subscriber I feel snubbed since I don't join in the other things. So much points to them rather than magazine content. The whole magazine seems like an ad for those other items like video plus and all.

August 1970 Issue: Kalmbach/Model Railroader ads on 7 pages out of 88 – 8%

August 2019 issue: Kalmbach/Model Railroader/MRVP, etc. ads on 6 pages out of 76 – 8%

 

[dstarr]

I am a model builder.  Used to be, MR carried stuff of interest to model builders, scale drawings, prototype photos, real railroad writeups, how to do it articles like Paint Shop and Dollar Model.  Now it's mostly layout tours.  Less interesting.  I look at the photos but they don't help or inspire me to model anything. 

[saronaterry]

cuyama

Or join the Operations SIG and receive their fine magazine

Is there a simple way to apply  and pay online without downloading and mailing? Technologicaly challenged here, but I'd rather do it all online.

Terry

 

[BRAKIE]

I miss:

Bull Sessions.

Paint Shop

Letters to the Editor

At the throttle-Linn Westcott would bring up some very interesting improving the hobby subjects. 

Working on the railroad monthly column usually had a good idea or two.

The scale drawings of building was very useful in kitbashing a similar building.

Kitbash articles by Art Curren.

 

 

[AntonioFP45]

Enjoyable taking a trip on memory lane.

A) ”Paint Shop”, and/or anything paint related, as a number of good well-detailed articles by modelers that included tips made for some enjoyable reading.

Got my start into “Metalizing for Stainless Steel Appearances” with Alclad-2 thanks to an article featuring a pair of N-scale RDC’s that were beautifully refinished by the author. After realizing that the RDC’s in the photos were models and not prototype....I was hooked! 

B) Passenger Rail related articles. I very much appreciated the “PIKE SIZED PASSENGER TRAINS” articles. Very well thought out and protypical, especially helpful for those of us that don’t have the space to model 15-car long Bwdy Limiteds, Chiefs, Cali-Zephyrs, and Silver-somethings. It proved you could realistically model prototype passenger trains with, in some cases, as little as a boiler-equipped EMD Geep and 2 cars.