ATLANTIC CENTRAL Well, it will not get any better if everyone stops buying it. Same goes for the NMRA, it is a volunteer organization. I don't have the time or personal situation to allow me to volunteer, so I pay the money to provide tools for those who can. By all accounts only one in twenty (or less) active modelers belongs to the NMRA - imagine what they could be doing if everyone belonged. They did important stuff back in the day - if I can afford this hobby I can afford to support their efforts. I'm not really the convention type, but I still belong, 52 years now. And 54 years as a MR subscriber - still have them all, in very good condition, and a lot more even older issues. And RMC too..... Youtube - not for me, most of those guys drive me nuts in 4 minutes. MR is not perfect, the hobby, the market, and the media business in general have changed and continue to change - give them a chance, they are not Apple or Microsoft, or even Ford, GM or Toyota. They are just a handful of people publishing a few magazines for some old fashioned hobbies. I would pay for a good ad free forum, I already do for my other hobby. If anybody wants to see a forum that actually works in all respects, check out www.mytractorforum.com - user owned and operated. I'm in the GRAVELY section under a user name you will recognize. I spent years trying to offer help on this forum, I have pretty much given up on that idea. I will share my upcoming layout build, and see how that goes. I thought the last 4 or 5 issues of MR were pretty good, even if only a little applied to my modeling. I posted on here about an article in MR a few months back - my post got one response. I get it, my whole life is about me, and we are all that way - what's in it for me? Well I'm real busy these days trying to get the layout room ready, and making extra money during this building boom, so I can build the layout, build a nicer garage for my tractor, keep all my savings in tact, and buy more trains. Which tends to limit my time on here - but I can afford MR, RMC, and the NMRA - and my membership in the GRAVELY Tractor Club of America. Sheldon
Well, it will not get any better if everyone stops buying it.
Same goes for the NMRA, it is a volunteer organization. I don't have the time or personal situation to allow me to volunteer, so I pay the money to provide tools for those who can. By all accounts only one in twenty (or less) active modelers belongs to the NMRA - imagine what they could be doing if everyone belonged. They did important stuff back in the day - if I can afford this hobby I can afford to support their efforts. I'm not really the convention type, but I still belong, 52 years now.
And 54 years as a MR subscriber - still have them all, in very good condition, and a lot more even older issues. And RMC too.....
Youtube - not for me, most of those guys drive me nuts in 4 minutes.
MR is not perfect, the hobby, the market, and the media business in general have changed and continue to change - give them a chance, they are not Apple or Microsoft, or even Ford, GM or Toyota.
They are just a handful of people publishing a few magazines for some old fashioned hobbies.
I would pay for a good ad free forum, I already do for my other hobby. If anybody wants to see a forum that actually works in all respects, check out www.mytractorforum.com - user owned and operated. I'm in the GRAVELY section under a user name you will recognize.
I spent years trying to offer help on this forum, I have pretty much given up on that idea. I will share my upcoming layout build, and see how that goes.
I thought the last 4 or 5 issues of MR were pretty good, even if only a little applied to my modeling. I posted on here about an article in MR a few months back - my post got one response.
I get it, my whole life is about me, and we are all that way - what's in it for me?
Well I'm real busy these days trying to get the layout room ready, and making extra money during this building boom, so I can build the layout, build a nicer garage for my tractor, keep all my savings in tact, and buy more trains.
Which tends to limit my time on here - but I can afford MR, RMC, and the NMRA - and my membership in the GRAVELY Tractor Club of America.
Sheldon
Sheldon, I don't think I have ever replied to any of your specific posts. You are clearly a more accomplished modeler than myself. And you are DC and I do DCC. That said, please don't give up offering advise. I'm not sure your motives for no longer giving advise, but I for one have always read thouroughly your threads and posts and would be sad to think your not helping us all. You are one of many here, with vast, long term knowledge and experience (all you others know who you are!). Please share that. It's invaluable. And I am sure I speak for many more members.
On another note, this thread is just talking about the magizine, what about all the other stuff like books, I may not have had a lot of subsciptions in my life but I currently have 10 and got rid of some before that did not meet currant needs. I also have a lot of DVD's.
As far as contributing articles to the magazine, I think MR is just happy to have their thin magazine with tons of overdone and over worked photos. I actually did try years ago with an article on building a narrow gauge diesel. Of course, no reply. This was around 2001. I never tried during the Neil B. era...something about him just rubbed me wrong.
I did end up writing several articles for a small narrow gauge magazine and all were published.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
I am a MR subscriber because of this Forum. The forum is what helped remind me that MR still existed and of the great community of MRR that exists out there. I have griped about the magazine on here before but ultimately I do find value in it and would hate to see it disappear. While the page count is down, the value per page is actually up in my opinion. I subscribe because I never know when I'm going to find something interesting or useful and the subscription cost is a small price to pay.
Yes, there are paid forums out there. I am aware of at least 1 railroad/model railroad related website that requires an annual subscription if you want access to the meatier sections.
maxman"Yes, but I refuse to use one on principle" Interesting. I'm curious as to exactly which principle this might be.
Interesting. I'm curious as to exactly which principle this might be.
I'm as 'cheezed' as anyone at those **** expanding ads, which now occupy over a third of the already-compromised display of meaningful content on a phone. But I do not think it is fair -- from my end -- to deprive Kalmbach of the compensation they get from serving the ads, which I believe many, if not most, ad-blockers do.
Perhaps curiously, I had no such compunction about using commercial-blasting software on VCRs...
I am beginning to understand, though, that the current management does not have the same ethical sense regarding us marks and our ability to be shortchanged on functionality as long as we remain part of a lucrative potential niche market. We have not experienced any significant upgrade of what the site provides, in fact have had repeated major breakages that compromise much of its usefulness to the community as opposed to increasing the asset usefulness and available 'collateral' that comes up under the Kalmbach umbrella, and despite repeated back-and-forth about fixing it, all we have is comments on the level of "pray I don't alter it any further".
Incidentally, it has not escaped me, and it should not escape you, that as of now the Model Railroader site, home of "I don't even understand why we still have the forums", is the only Kalmbach railroad site of the three I follow that has the new ads turned on between posts. Trains only has them bouncing in the outside margins; Classic Trains doesn't have any of them.
Even so, that won't make me change my mind about the basic idea of fairness. What might is if I continue to see content that is abysmally non-railroad-related, or that indicates that it is harvesting data from my other activities to 'target content' via some exploitive algorithm. I'll expect compensation for that kind of market information and participation, let alone continued degradation of the site functionality that is most of the reason for that 'opportunity' at all.
maxman "Yes, but I refuse to use one on principle" Interesting. I'm curious as to exactly which principle this might be. Is it the one where instead of moving your hand you'd rather allow someone to hit the back of it with a hammer so that you can complain later?
"Yes, but I refuse to use one on principle"
Is it the one where instead of moving your hand you'd rather allow someone to hit the back of it with a hammer so that you can complain later?
Until the website can guarantee that the ads do not serve up malware... Better to err on the side of caution.
I use AdBlock and have no qualms about it.
I would be happy not to, if the ads were related to model railroading. But loading up a web page with a bunch of crap that is not even remotely related to the subject of the page and significantly increasing loading times is just too much.
So AdBlock will stay on my browser.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
The deal is that older computers *CAN* handle it, but some browsers and newer computers cannot. And Windows 11 will tighten that security.
Still you cannote blame Kalmbach since they have little to do with the forum, and their contractors in Texas clearly contract ads out to an ad contractor who accepts ads from somewhere and puts them in their rotations, you get to see ads for products that you have searched or visited on the internet.
Adult Diapers indeed! Why whould those show up in my advertisments! I got many ads for computers and computer parts, but between my ad blocker and the stout industrial grade firewall that our network contractor provides, few advertisements manage to get in.
I view some videos about drivers in Russia, (entertaining and youo do not have to keep track of the plot) and even he has made his advertisement a part of the video. Now if I could only speak Russian...
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
HarrisonI've already tried, all of my emails are either not delivered or responded to...
Boy I hate saying anything critical of our kind host.
I have submitted at least a half-dozen articles to Kalmbach through the portal for contributions. None were used, and I never had any response about any of them.
The only time I have had responses was when I emailed Steve Otte, Dana Kawala, or Tony Koester directly. Even then, only my April Fool article that I worked with Dana on was published.
Articles about subjects that were never used included:
Building a full sized cardboard mock-up for accurate track planning.
How to pin metal and resin models for handling and durability.
How to design stand-out fantasy railroad paint schemes.
Building a fantasy Climax steam switcher.
How to hard shadow and tri-color highlight for intesified detail.
How my "magical" staging for local freight runs will work (not April Fools).
-Photographs by Kevin Parson
-Kevin
Living the dream.
BroadwayLionA very good reason to use an ad blocker.
The issue is not "Kalmbach" per se; it's their somewhat ignorant allowing of certain advertisers whose content is poorly or maliciously written, or who let their feed 'break' in ways that hang the page load. I get the impression that at least some of the ad feed is outsourced via one of their little experience-optimizing 'partners' and that's the entity that isn't doing its homework properly...
It is very obvious in Chrome because you see the little line at the bottom freeze on some gibberish that is obviously ad code. This got so bad on a then-modern Windows 10 machine at one point in 2015 that the browser would lock and not allow a quit from Task Manager, something I still can't quite believe can happen.
How old is your computer? Older machines and or video cards cannot handle today's content.
Overmod And perhaps the few, myself included, who put up with excruciating page-load times every time the browser locks up receiving bad code from an advertiser will 'bite' on one of the many ads infesting various parts of the interface.
A very good reason to use an ad blocker.
How old is your computer? Older macines and or video cards cannot handle today's content. My content come in almoist instantly, and never mind that we have rtwenty-five computers using the same connection. Truwe we have fiber optic but we do not pay for gigabit service, we are doing just fine with about 250 Mb service. Gigabit is only for those with more money than brains and have been over sold by their providers.
Sill, good RAM and a new video card can fix things up right away!
I will re up for the print magazine when my current subscription comes up for renewal but I share the concerns of others that the quantity and quality of MR content has declined over the past several years. And there is perhaps a little too much effort to cross sell products available from the Kalmbach store in the "how to" articles. I also agree that the Trains.com debacle represents lost value. I used to be able to access the MR Website and have some access to free video content, including member videos and video reviews, that is now locked out. The "on line" extras for magazine subscribers were nice features. I never really wanted the MRVP content but I did like seeing the work of magazine subscribers and forum members and I agree with others that MRVP subscribers were treated poorly in the transition.. And it is disconcerting that despite over a year of transition a number of MR Community features such as events are still not implemented.
My intent is to clearly establish something "profitable" for the magazine out of the experience and the hivemind in the forum community.
And to make sure Mr. Otte has no more reason to deprecate the free forum and its activities because 'we don't support Kalmbach enough'.
Of course any thread here presented as an article would rapidly become valuable to most who read it. And perhaps the few, myself included, who put up with excruciating page-load times every time the browser locks up receiving bad code from an advertiser will 'bite' on one of the many ads infesting various parts of the interface. But "that does not sell papers", and Model Railroader is the Old Gray Lady of model-railroading publications. We should do what we can to keep it so.
Overmod Here for the record is the Contributor's Guide. Read it, learn it and learn from it, abide by it: https://www.trains.com/mrr/magazine/contributor-guidelines/#:~:text=Present%20your%20subject%20simply%20and,your%20way%20toward%20the%20end. Everyone should consider putting together at least a few article proposals, on the specific topics of greatest interest or concern to them. Truthfully it does not really matter if 'they' can write the actual article, or edit it, or supply the necessary photos or other collateral ... they can request that here, or get permission here, for anything actually needed to flesh the things out. I for one happily volunteer to edit anyone's text free. Time to see, once and for all, if Kalmbach is actually interested in publishing what this community wants to see published.
Here for the record is the Contributor's Guide. Read it, learn it and learn from it, abide by it:
https://www.trains.com/mrr/magazine/contributor-guidelines/#:~:text=Present%20your%20subject%20simply%20and,your%20way%20toward%20the%20end.
Everyone should consider putting together at least a few article proposals, on the specific topics of greatest interest or concern to them. Truthfully it does not really matter if 'they' can write the actual article, or edit it, or supply the necessary photos or other collateral ... they can request that here, or get permission here, for anything actually needed to flesh the things out. I for one happily volunteer to edit anyone's text free.
Time to see, once and for all, if Kalmbach is actually interested in publishing what this community wants to see published.
I've already tried, all of my emails are either not delivered or responded to...
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
OvermodHere for the record is the Contributor's Guide. Read it, learn it and learn from it, abide by it: https://www.trains.com/mrr/magazine/contributor-guidelines/#:~:text=Present%20your%20subject%20simply%20and,your%20way%20toward%20the%20end.
Interesting input, and some good advice.
The flip-side of it is that anybody on-line can have a "How do I do such-and-such", query, and someone will reply with their version of a how-to, and if they're really interested in helping, will include photos. That, in-turn, often prompts others to respond with their twist on the project, and suddenly anyone who's interested can learn all sorts of things for free.
My sole contribution to MR was probably 7/8s written and only 1/8 illustrated (with a single photo...the first offering of which was not good enough).I now have a camera good enough that Kalmbach could manipulate the photos to be exactly what they want them to be, but I have nothing of interest to offer them in way of a project or even a layout tour, as there's more not-done than done.
I'd guess that if the magazine folds (I hope that doesn't happen), this Forum will fold, too.
Wayne
Overmod Here for the record is the Contributor's Guide. Read it, learn it and learn from it, abide by it: https://www.trains.com/mrr/magazine/contributor-guidelines/#:~:text=Present%20your%20subject%20simply%20and,your%20way%20toward%20the%20end. Everyone should consider putting together at least a few article proposals, on the specific topics of greatest interest or concern to them.
Everyone should consider putting together at least a few article proposals, on the specific topics of greatest interest or concern to them.
Alton Junction
Early railroading was just more exciting, less routine. Also it was labor intensive and much more visable. In the steam era in a large yard you needed a roundhouse, turntable, ash pits, sanding and coaling along with water tanks and icing etc., come the diesels and you needed less stuff but also a lot of the inferstructue could be hidden, fuel could be a column instead of a massive coaling tower as were other needs. Even trackwork was labor intensive instead of massive machines. Now I have nothing againts those who like modern stuff but I find it boring and I grew up in the last of steam but never saw it except in excursions as it was long gone where I lived.
DoughlessIf MR stays relevant, I'll continue to subscribe. Relevant would mean articles and discussions about modern railroad modeling. Growing up in the 1970s, I read articles about railroading 20 years earlier. In 2022, I expect to be reading a lot of artictes about railroading 60 years earlier. I guess over the past 40 plus years of reading the same content, it can get a little repetitive.
If you want to see what you want, you also gotta WRITE. Write an article and see what happens.
Maybee I will write an article!
(ROAR)
Whatever.
richhotrainWell, there you go, LION again. That quote was from Doughless, not me.
Yes, this is true, but you quoted him, and I copied your quote.... Did you think I was going to search the forum for the original post?
I was replying to what was said, not who said it! If the forum cannot keep track of the original poster, then how in the world can I do it!
BroadwayLion richhotrain I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF.
richhotrain I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF.
Rich
richhotrainI suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF.
LION was never a fan of ATSF, but then him was never a fan of the south-west either. Their 'warbonet'... How pretensious!
LION'S favorite railroad is the LIRR. PASSSENGER TRAINS...
Ah.. I can picture that grey MU car with its orange painted end coming arount the cornwer three miles away, growing larger as it approached the station. In those days the LIRR still had low level platforms, if you did not watch yourself the traion would roll right over your toes.
And then when I returned from the city... Freport was the last station with high level platforms. The conductor would come down the train, open the doors and lower the trap doors while the train was still moving. Once the conductor moved to the next car lhe LION would climb down to the lowest step, one foot on the train, one hand on the grab bar and lean out over the platform while the trainswept into the stations.
Ah! THAT was railroading! What more could a twelve year old boy want from his train!
What people fail to relize is that railroads today are like ships today, moving vast amounts of cargo as cheaply as possible so what we will eventuly have is less trackage and more centrized hubs and fewer branch lines. Surprised there are any passenger trains left but then are politicos like to supsidize them.
Doughless richhotrain Doughless I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF. Yes, I do. Rich You probably follow it not as a focus of modeling or to buy MR. I'd think a person would be more likely to buy TRAINS if he had a non modeling interest in BNSF. edit: Or did you mean...yes, you do hate the BNSF
richhotrain Doughless I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF. Yes, I do. Rich
Doughless I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF.
I suspect that most fans of ATSF have not kept up with BNSF. In fact, they probably hate the BNSF.
Yes, I do.
You probably follow it not as a focus of modeling or to buy MR. I'd think a person would be more likely to buy TRAINS if he had a non modeling interest in BNSF.
edit: Or did you mean...yes, you do hate the BNSF
Just as Video Killed the Radio Star, the BNSF killed my beloved Santa Fe RR, and the evil UP killed my beloved C&NW.
Oh, the humanity!
- Douglas
NHTX I've been on the fence about this discussion since it began. I have to admit, I intentionally let my subscription to MR expire, with no intent to renew. My introduction to MR came about in 1959 and, I bought it for years in hobby shops. As hobby shops began to disappear, subscription was the way to go. After a lot of thought, I had to pull the plug. There are myriad reasons for my decision including the switch to a darker, more grey paper. Then the pictures seem muddy, almost like watercolors, in many instances. Could this be the result of the change in paper? There is almost zero prototype content, and what there is, is accompanied by a photo that is usually a little larger than a postage stamp. As a very unscientific evaluation, I went through the February 2022 issue, looking for prototype, photographic content, no matter where it may be found, or the subject. On the inside cover, there were three photos of rail equipment that were about half the size of a business card-in an ad. On page 11, Hatton's had a picture of their building in their ad. A picture (also small) of the hind end of Southern Pacific's "Del Monte" appeared on page 16-in an ad. Page 18 has the first picture of a piece of real rail equipment, a crane, that is not in an ad. Page 21 has a skeleton log car-in an ad. Page 24 has a cement silo off in the distance of a picture (also very small)of the laker S.S. Alpena. Onward to page 36, where we are treated to a business card sized photograph of a two footer being "sparked". Page 45 brings us to the conclusion of the Severna Park club layout article and, we have another one of those small prototype photos; of their club building! The next page treats us to a larger picture--of a derelict coach riding piggyback on a flatcar. Page 50 has a photo that is so large it overlaps onto the adjoining page--with absolutely nothing rail related at all, of a street scene, somewhere on this planet! Finally, on page 60, we have a train picture! And, its bigger than a business card. Page 62 is the keeper, with a pair of Santa Fe geeps shuffling stock cars! I guess this is what made the magazine worth $7.99. But wait! As a bonus, on p.74, there is a picture of a real prototype-wait for it-man. With a model locomotive. In a postcard sized photo. After being a dedicated reader and once the hobby shops died, subscriber who chased down back issues and bought the archives disc when it became available, I'm bewildered in one way, and a bit peeved in others. Sitting in the files that Kalmbach has probably amassed over the decades, is this the best you've got? Articles on how to cut, ream, paint and weather a piece of tubing so it looks like a rusty piece of pipe? An urban street scene from only the Creator knows where? During the 70s, 80s and 90s, I every subscribed to every model and most of the prototype magazines in print. During those years, we were fed information on the prototype to bring realism into our creation and what we want it to be. I don't need a magazine to get a 3 car train set and run it on the kitchen floor. If I was into sound and DCC, maybe MR would have some value but, I'm not and it doesn't as currently being presented. As far as this forum goes, if it becomes a subscription operation and the price doesn't exceed the subscription price for the magazine--I'll go forum only. I learn a lot, occasionally comment on something I have knowledge about but scratch my head wondering how many of these simple, newbie questions on this forum, could be used to generate better content than street scenes from far-away, mysterious places? I hope Kalmbach puts the "railroad" back into that "Railroader". Until then, it will be RMC for me.
I've been on the fence about this discussion since it began. I have to admit, I intentionally let my subscription to MR expire, with no intent to renew.
My introduction to MR came about in 1959 and, I bought it for years in hobby shops. As hobby shops began to disappear, subscription was the way to go. After a lot of thought, I had to pull the plug. There are myriad reasons for my decision including the switch to a darker, more grey paper. Then the pictures seem muddy, almost like watercolors, in many instances. Could this be the result of the change in paper? There is almost zero prototype content, and what there is, is accompanied by a photo that is usually a little larger than a postage stamp. As a very unscientific evaluation, I went through the February 2022 issue, looking for prototype, photographic content, no matter where it may be found, or the subject. On the inside cover, there were three photos of rail equipment that were about half the size of a business card-in an ad. On page 11, Hatton's had a picture of their building in their ad. A picture (also small) of the hind end of Southern Pacific's "Del Monte" appeared on page 16-in an ad. Page 18 has the first picture of a piece of real rail equipment, a crane, that is not in an ad. Page 21 has a skeleton log car-in an ad. Page 24 has a cement silo off in the distance of a picture (also very small)of the laker S.S. Alpena.
Onward to page 36, where we are treated to a business card sized photograph of a two footer being "sparked". Page 45 brings us to the conclusion of the Severna Park club layout article and, we have another one of those small prototype photos; of their club building! The next page treats us to a larger picture--of a derelict coach riding piggyback on a flatcar. Page 50 has a photo that is so large it overlaps onto the adjoining page--with absolutely nothing rail related at all, of a street scene, somewhere on this planet! Finally, on page 60, we have a train picture! And, its bigger than a business card. Page 62 is the keeper, with a pair of Santa Fe geeps shuffling stock cars! I guess this is what made the magazine worth $7.99. But wait! As a bonus, on p.74, there is a picture of a real prototype-wait for it-man. With a model locomotive. In a postcard sized photo.
After being a dedicated reader and once the hobby shops died, subscriber who chased down back issues and bought the archives disc when it became available, I'm bewildered in one way, and a bit peeved in others. Sitting in the files that Kalmbach has probably amassed over the decades, is this the best you've got? Articles on how to cut, ream, paint and weather a piece of tubing so it looks like a rusty piece of pipe? An urban street scene from only the Creator knows where?
During the 70s, 80s and 90s, I every subscribed to every model and most of the prototype magazines in print. During those years, we were fed information on the prototype to bring realism into our creation and what we want it to be. I don't need a magazine to get a 3 car train set and run it on the kitchen floor. If I was into sound and DCC, maybe MR would have some value but, I'm not and it doesn't as currently being presented.
As far as this forum goes, if it becomes a subscription operation and the price doesn't exceed the subscription price for the magazine--I'll go forum only. I learn a lot, occasionally comment on something I have knowledge about but scratch my head wondering how many of these simple, newbie questions on this forum, could be used to generate better content than street scenes from far-away, mysterious places? I hope Kalmbach puts the "railroad" back into that "Railroader". Until then, it will be RMC for me.
A few thoughts:
Personally, I'd love to see more photos of trains post-2000 and articles about how to model them....like the guys who were interested in pre-1990s railroad modeling had articles about modeling current railroads published in the pre-2000s era MR.
Perhaps Kalmbach has taken a more "silo'd" strategy of keeping its mags more separate. What you are looking for might be found in TRAINS mag.?
Most of what people are interested in on this forum, and maybe the MR reader, is getting to be railroad history. Although they probably don't think of it as history.
Its 2022. I don't think people realize just how long ago Santa Fe disappeared.
Information on the prototype would involve railroads like UP, CSX, NS, BNSF, CN, and a few other smaller RRs. That's it. Any current photos will be of these railroads.
Maybe MR should have more railroad historians on staff?
Its a different task for a publisher to research historical photos. Its a little different type of writer than what MR had in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s; who had the benefit of taking a photo of something down the street and have that photo serve tons of readers.
Andy Sperandeo was a great source of knowledge for the ATSF. If he were alive today (RIP Andy), would he be as knowledgeable about the BNSF? Or, if in 2022, would he fall into the category of Railroad Historian when he talked about the same pre-1990s version of the ATSF that he spoke of in 1995? He grew up with what was current, then knew the history of that current railroad too.
A protoype photo as a basis for kitbashing or scratchbuilding. Fine. But MR is not going to publish a photo of a Trinity 5660 pressureaide covered hopper, built by Trinity 10 years ago, when Atlas makes such a dandy model of it. And as I write this, about 75% of the readers have no idea what that covered hopper is....but 75% still want MR to publish a photo of a 50 foot airslide that ran in the 1960s and 1970s?
As time moves on, the coverage of the past gets more sporadic.
And with today's model manufacturers making a model of every car or locomotive under the sun, there probably is less demand for historic photos of railroad cars and locomotives. I don't think there would be a reason to publish a drawing of an AC4400cw, but I could be wrong.