Model Railroader Subscription

[Mark Mathu]

OK, the latest circulation numbers for Model Railroader are in, so now I
guess it's time to revisit the eHobbies / Model Railroader topic and see how
the magazine did in the past year...

Curt Mc wrote...
> Yes, each year all publications are required by law (39 USC 3685) to
> publish their owner and circulation information. In MR it is usually in
> the December or January issue and is based on the circulation figures
> for the prior September issue. The last one was on page 191 of the
> January 2000 issue of MR and (when comparing with the previous year in
> 1/99 issue p220) showed a significant decrease (16,000 copies or ~8%) in
> paid circulation (equal to subscription plus counter sales) from roughly
> 203,000 to 187,000 copies.

The latest number are on page 161 of the January 2001 issue and is based on
the circulation figures for the prior September issue.

> I expect, given all the recent threads pounding MR and the eSlobbies
> fiasco, that at least the same decrease, if not more, can be expected
> this year...
> - Curt Mc
> (I dropped my subscription in February and have yet to buy one since)

Paid circulation was 176,786.

That's a drop of 11,000 copies. Maybe not quite as much as the 16,000 you
predicted, but a fair-sized decrease (almost 6%) nonetheless.

> Jon Miller wrote:
> >
> > >Massive fall? Sounds like a misinformation campaign. <
> >
> > Just quoting, July issue, page 17.
> >
> > I believe all magazines are required to show figures once a year.
> > Monthly figures would probably be hard to get. And I can't remember the
> > last time I believed anything any company president said!

[Mike Tennent]

"Mark Mathu" <ma...@mathu.com> wrote:

>
>Paid circulation was 176,786.
>
>That's a drop of 11,000 copies. Maybe not quite as much as the 16,000 you
>predicted, but a fair-sized decrease (almost 6%) nonetheless.
>
>

True, but that's less of a drop than the year before the "EHobby"
controversy. So you could interpret the figures as saying that it
HELPED circulation by 2% because the decrease was less than the amount
of loss they've been experiencing. <g>

Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"
Operating Traffic Lights
HO and N Scale
http://www.catalog.com/webrun/ipe

[Bilfrazier]

Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as much as
to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in the
last few years, in my opinion.
I just resubscibed to Railroad Model Craftsman.

Bill Frazier

>Subject: Re: Model Railroader Subscription
>From: Mike Tennent wbru...@gate.net
>Date: 12/20/00 8:58 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id:
><570E0F2F3A811E55.F9485C67...@lp.airnews.net>

[rathburne]

MR subscriptions are dropping because the mag is dropping in quality.
The ehobbies mess is not helping, but not the real reason. Kalmbach
has also split the market my publishing Toy Trains and Garden
Railroading etc, so if you add all the subscriptions up it helps make
their numbers look better.

I dropped my subscription because the mag just does not have much in it
anymore. MR lite is how I would describe it. Andy overhauled the mag
a year or so ago and ruined it.

Even though I don't model it, I get alot more out of their Toy Trains
and Garden Railroading mags when I pick one up now and then. Different
editors, different approaches etc.

Just my two cents. I think MR will continue to slowly dwindle in
popularity for many reasons and eventually bottom out. The content and
size of the mag is also shrinking. Yes, there may still be the same
number of ads, but they are smaller (which is what you pay for as an
advertiser, square inches etc). Why would a Cabooose Hobbies pay for a
huge ad when Kalmbach is fronting ehype at a better rate through their
back door deal? Answer, they don't............Andy and the rest of
Kalmbach either don't get it or don't care.

In article <91p982$ddq$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net>,

--
Rathburne
Visit http://communities.msn.com/BubbasBendRailfanandClearCutSociety
Some good real-train pictures

Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/

[Pac Man]

>Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as
much as
>to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in the
>last few years, in my opinion.

How so? I'm not trying to be a smart@ss, I just want your (or anybody
else's) opinion, in some more detail. Are the pictures of poor quality?
Are the articles full of typos or are less exciting to read then reading the
phone book? Are there technical errors in the "How To" articles? Are the
featured layouts too poor, or too good to believe? Are their product
reviews dishonest? Are they focusing too much on technology, or not enough?
Do they do any articles for the beginner? Or for the old pro? Are they
promoting the hobby well?
My father and I have been subscribers since 1990, and lately I've been
going through our club's collection dating back to the 1940's. So far, I
much prefer MR as it is now (or where it seems to be heading) over anything
I've seen in the past. Where is the missing quality you mention? What
would you (or anybody) have them do different?

>I just resubscibed to Railroad Model Craftsman.

Nice mag. But unless it has something particular in it I want to know
about, it's as dry as dust to me. That operating snowplow from a while ago
was cool, but the rest? Zzzzzz. :-)

Paul A. Cutler III

[john a dalton]

Mike Tennent <wbru...@gate.net> wrote:

>"Mark Mathu" <ma...@mathu.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>Paid circulation was 176,786.
>>
>>That's a drop of 11,000 copies. Maybe not quite as much as the 16,000 you
>>predicted, but a fair-sized decrease (almost 6%) nonetheless.
>>
>>
>True, but that's less of a drop than the year before the "EHobby"
>controversy. So you could interpret the figures as saying that it
>HELPED circulation by 2% because the decrease was less than the amount
>of loss they've been experiencing. <g>
>
>Mike Tennent

....the drop-off in circulation is caused by the price of the
subscription....a lot of folks just don't have $40 to spend on a
magazine subscription....to increase circulation, they should drop the
price to $19.95, and make it a nice gift to give a loved one..... :))

.....if you'll find an old Athearn kit with a $19.95 subscription card
in it, they'll still honor the $19.95 price..... :))

.....the subscription price should equal the postage.....ads pay for
the rest.....after payroll, overhead, and taxes, the owner should make
5% on his investment.....bah humbug..... :))

.....big john.... :))

[R. or I. Piscione]

I dropped my subscription this year. It's not so much a quality issue for
me as it is a cost and repetition thing. The magazine is expensive and the
content seems repetitive. Why is it that every time a magazine goes through
some sort of "improvement" it always ends up worse. The same thing just
happened with EQ magazine (a mag for small sound studio types).

Randy

"Bilfrazier" <bilfr...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001220092156...@ng-fh1.aol.com...

[Arnold 299]

I too have doubts of renewing my MR subscription. My wife was going to give me
a MR subscription for a Christmas present. I told her to hold off since I just
don't feel it has is worth $39.95 a year. I get more answers and information on
this board and quicker too. Maybe if they sponsered a website magazine and a
message board for subscribers that would get me onboard again. And just more
articles of interst in each magazine.

Just my two cents which these days can't buy you much.
Scott Arnold

[Roger T. & Heather B.]

"> >Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as
> much as
> >to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in
the
> >last few years, in my opinion.
>
> How so? I'm not trying to be a smart@ss, I just want your (or anybody
> else's) opinion, in some more detail. Are the pictures of poor quality?
> Are the articles full of typos or are less exciting to read then reading
the
> phone book? Are there technical errors in the "How To" articles? Are the
> featured layouts too poor, or too good to believe? Are their product
> reviews dishonest? Are they focusing too much on technology, or not
enough?
> Do they do any articles for the beginner? Or for the old pro? Are they
> promoting the hobby well?

I think the biggest complaint against MR is that it's cut the amount of
descriptive text that used to accompany feature articles. The railways
featured are now really just photo essays but little text on the how and why
of the model railway.

Mind you, the quality of the photos is excellent as well as the track plans
that accompany the articles. This is one area that RMC could really improve
one. Many of there feature model railways do not have a track plan or if
the do, it's just a poor line drawing.

So, if MR continue the fine photos and other production values but just
increase the amount of text, then I'm sure they'll regain the readership
that they've lost.

Cheers
Roger T.

[Norman Dresner]

Having recently discovered Mainline Modeler magazine, I'm letting my MR sub
lapse.

Norm

Arnold 299 <arno...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001220170940...@ng-cc1.aol.com...

[Gerry Leone]

I've gotta totally disagree with you. Having just gotten back into the
hobby after a 15-year lapse, I've been reading older MR issues. I started
with 1998 and am reading backwards in time, each full year at a time. I'm
back to 1982 right now. I started my subscription in 1978, so I've got a
few more to go.

And I've gotta say this: the MRs of the '90s are far superior to the MRs of
the 80s. Granted, there are fewer structure/scratchbuilding articles than
in the "olden days." But if you take the time to look through older MRs,
you'll find a lot of feature stories on layouts that were pretty marginal, a
lot of superdetailing articles for arcane motive power, and a lot of "let's
spend 8 issues building this layout" stories. Things seemed to be re-hashed
every 3 years.

When I look over my database list of "articles I want to refer back to,"
they're almost all from the 90s, and include a lot of innovative techniques
(foam scenery is one example) and information (DCC is one example).

As for the remark about less copy nowadays accompanying layout stories,
seems to me that's a result of the writer, not the magazine. In most cases,
articles are written by non-staff individuals.

My 2-cents' worth.

- Gerry Leone
http://home.earthlink.net/~gerryleone/trains.htm

"Roger T. & Heather B." <roge...@islandnet.com> wrote in message
news:9773612...@news.islandnet.com...

[Håvard Houen]

Is it a general trend that Model Railroading magazines have a falling circulation?
How are the special interest mags like Narrow Gauge & Short Line
Gazette, Mainline Modeller etc. doing?
And what about RMC?

Regards, Håvard Houen

[john a dalton]

=?iso-8859-1?Q?H=E5vard?= Houen <havard...@grytting.no> wrote:

.....it seems that the subscription trend seems to follow the economic
trend.....many subscribers have extra funds available for magazines,
until they retire.....$40 for a subscription is quite a bit when the
money's more closerly watched.....and, retirement means more free time
to access publications at libraries, clubs, friends, etc.....the hope
is for a gift subscription, but a new woodworking fix-it tool is more
often the gift..... :))

....on the other hand, even in the working world, subscriptions cease
when layoffs, reorganization, strikes, downsizing, job-shifting, and
the like, occur, as in the immediate economy...... :))

.....another thing is the availability of online reviews of current
issues of magazines....for the seasoned reader, a quick glance at the
contents page is usually sufficient to decide whether one wants to
spring for $4.95 or not....having the "same old - same old" in each
issue usually spells a decline in readership.....and the ads don't
seem to change much, if any.....the prices are fairly stable, even
though searching for an "advertised bargain" seems more likely done
online nowadays, as opposed to a 2-month old printed page..... :))

......failure to heed a readership survey seems to signal the demise
of lots of publications.....it can also signal a change in leadership
at some publications.....magazines run on the ego of a
publisher/editor will likely fall victim to an ever-political hobby
base.....this occurred in "Street Rodder" and "Rod Action", two hobby
magazines that i'm familiar with..... :))

.....just some thoughts on a snowy morning..... :))

.....big john..... :))

[Mike Tennent]

"Pac Man" <cut...@tp.net> wrote:

>>Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as
>much as
>>to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in the
>>last few years, in my opinion.
>
> How so? I'm not trying to be a smart@ss, I just want your (or anybody
>else's) opinion, in some more detail. Are the pictures of poor quality?
>Are the articles full of typos or are less exciting to read then reading the
>phone book? Are there technical errors in the "How To" articles? Are the
>featured layouts too poor, or too good to believe? Are their product
>reviews dishonest? Are they focusing too much on technology, or not enough?
>Do they do any articles for the beginner? Or for the old pro? Are they
>promoting the hobby well?
> My father and I have been subscribers since 1990, and lately I've been
>going through our club's collection dating back to the 1940's. So far, I
>much prefer MR as it is now (or where it seems to be heading) over anything
>I've seen in the past. Where is the missing quality you mention? What
>would you (or anybody) have them do different?
>

Paul, Paul, Paul. You should know better than to ask for facts to back
up opinion! <g>

I, too spent some time going back over old issues. MR has changed, but
the quality, especially compared to the other mags, is still head and
shoulders above everything else out there.

I suspect that for some folks their specific focus, not the magazine,
has changed.

Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"
Ironman Canada '98
Great Floridian '99, '00

[Dave B]

If anyone can develop a simple explanatory model using readily available
public data that can explain why a specific magazine subscription
fluctuates, then they should. And they should sell their services to the
magazine publisher. If they can generalize that model to PREDICT
subscription rates for any specific magazine, they should apply for a
patent and set up a consulting agency and can probably retire within 10
years.

In the meantime, it sure is fun to speculate with pet theories ain't it?
;-)

Dave

[Donald Lodge]

In article <8s506.688$cv5....@e420r-atl1.usenetserver.com>, "Pac Man"
<cut...@tp.net> wrote:

>>Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as
>much as
>>to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in the
>>last few years, in my opinion.
>
> How so? I'm not trying to be a smart@ss, I just want your (or anybody
>else's) opinion, in some more detail.

OK, here goes. MR has become the USA Today of model railroading; flashy,
but not much depth.

Too many small photos in which you can't make out what is being demonstrated.

Too many articles by staff and friends. Do I really need to hear from
Tony K. every month?

I almost didn't renew for 2001, but am giving Andy one more chance.

Don Lodge
The Fourth Street LInes

[john a dalton]

Dave B <david....@bigfoot.com> wrote:

.....predicting subscription trends = predicting the stock
market.....nobody knows for sure....too many variables.....who'd have
predicted eBay would ever rise to the top, then plunge down, down,
down, bouncing like an Otis elevator in a power outage ?....certainly
not the trillion "savvy" investors who paid the fare and took the
ride....MR will do just fine.....for the millions of model railroaders
who still aren't on the internet, everything is fine with
everything.....i talk to my neighbors at the auction here.....they
know what they see on TV.....that's it......"hey, big john, did'ya see
that thar train show on the dish ?"..... :))

......big john..... :))

[mcb...@my-deja.com]

In article <3a41f78d...@news.mindspring.com>,

jape...@mindspring.com wrote:
> the subscription trend seems to follow the economic trend....

I agree with John's economic based theory. Likewise, his comments
regarding reader input are equally valid.

I love the magazine, myself. My wife stuffed the January 2001 edition in
my stocking as a pre-holiday gift. She ordered it in time for me to
begin my subscription with the January issue. Wonderful gift!

I carry the magazine with me in my shoulder bag. I take it out at every
free moment along with a couple of other art magazines. I think MR is
well written. The articles vary nicely from month to month, the pictures
are wonderful, and I am constantly finding a new website in their ad
columns.

Could it improve? Probably.

How? I have no idea.

Will it? I think they have their finger on the pulse of their
readership. They seem very much up to date covering the latest trends.
Based on the last dozen or so issues I have looked through, I am quite
satisfied with their ongoing efforts.

[john a dalton]

mcb...@my-deja.com wrote:

....THANK YOU !!!.....i just reviewed the latest issue of MR (just
received),,,,,it looks pretty darn good to me....i really don't know
what else they could do to improve it.....hobby publications are
complicated.....if you show more N-scale articles (as requested), then
everybody else complains....but wait, back when they published a lot
of HO articles (as requested), everybody complained then, too.....and
the S-guagers wanna know when it's their turn in the barrel..... :))

......over in stamp collecting, the American Philatelist would publish
articles about obscure subjects, very-well researched, by serious
philatelists....then somebody would complain about it....."not of
interest to most of the readers", they'd say.....even as they
published less-serious articles about everyday collecting, the
readership would write in and say, "this type of article belongs in
the weekly press, not a serious publication"......there was no
pleasing everybody.....so they gave up trying.....all complaints are
now sent to the individual authors for any needed reply..... :))

.....those folks who would like to see something different in MR than
what's in there now, please reply below.....i'm curious.....and don't
say, "more recipes"...... :))

.....big john..... :))

[Ditch]

>OK, here goes. MR has become the USA Today of model railroading; flashy,
>but not much depth.
>

I have to agree with that. I can think about three good articles on protoype
modelling (Railroads you can model stuff). The layout tours are nice. I like
the trackplan that is included.
Kinda like reading Playboy...entertaining but you ain't gonna learn much from
it.

>Too many articles by staff and friends. Do I really need to hear from
>Tony K. every month?

So he went to a "linear" design. Thanks for telling me over and over and over
and over again.

-John
*You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North
American*

[Bob Boudreau]

One thing that I do get tired of in MR is the constant stream
of "attaboy" letters from readers in each and every issue. From
reading these love-in letters one would assume it is always wonderful.
I wonder if they have former Penthouse magazine letter writers on staff?

Speaking of prices - have any of you from the U.S. noticed the small
print below the price on the cover? It says "$6.50 in Canada". Add on
our beloved 15% HST tax (Horse S**t Tax)and MR costs us $7.48!

As for subscribing, fergeddaboudit! I don't recall what the current
price is, but the last time I checked there was an additional $1.50-
2.00 per issue for subs to Canada. This is above and beyond what U.S.
customers have to pay, and it does not cost this much more per issue to
mail it to Canada. No bargains here. Besides the subscription copies
always come weeks after they are out at hobbyshops or newsstands.

Tony Koester - I gave up reading his columns a long time ago, I'd
rather spend my time reading something interesting. To me he's mostly
just fulfilling his obligation to MR to provide so many words each
month.

My 2 cents worth anyway!
--
Bob Boudreau

[Roger T. & Heather B.]

"> >Too many articles by staff and friends. Do I really need to hear from
> >Tony K. every month?

Yes. The first column I always turn to.

> So he went to a "linear" design. Thanks for telling me over and over and
over
> and over again.

I don't get that impression. But then, back in the 70s, people complained
about the late lamented V&O series in the RMC.

Cheers
Roger T.

[Charles F Seyferlich]

I like Model Railroader as it is. I want to read about all aspects of
the hobby. This includes all scales, modern and old - you name it I want
to read about it. I like the ads also. I want to know what is available.

I feel Model Railroaders editors know what they are doing and that they
do it very well.

Perhaps MRR is not on the cutting edge of modern model railroading, but
then why should they. The fact that MRR does cover what the do quite
well leaves other magazines room to offer more specialized coverage of
the hobby, without need to devote space to general topics, layout design
and the like. By the way -- Model Railroader (IMHO) has no equal when it
comes to layout design. And hasn't for 40+ years.

If there has been a change in type and number of construction articles
it could well be due to changes in the hobby itself and types of
products available. Even ignoring brass models I think it safe to say
there are more and better products available today that are built-up and
painted than there ever was before. Those that do build (and they have
more to work with than ever before) are better served by a magazine that
is devoted almost entirely to them, without need to cover basics and
minority scales & interests.

As far as magazine cost goes - it would be nice to pay 50 cents per
issue again, but I bet no one wants to be at same salary level they were
at when they paid 50 cents a issue.

[Andy Harman]

On Thu, 21 Dec 2000 13:33:20 -0500, Dave B <david....@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

>If anyone can develop a simple explanatory model using readily available
>public data that can explain why a specific magazine subscription
>fluctuates, then they should. And they should sell their services to the
>magazine publisher.

I think that even accounting for inflation, etc. when people see
subscription rates hitting the $40 mark, instead of something they can
bend and rationalize as being "twenty-something" even if it's $29.99,
then they are more inclined to say no. In my case, I just am not the
subscribing type, I go to the hobby shop and get 'em there. Yes, I
pay a lot more, but I don't pay it all at once. If I subscribed to
all of the Big Five plus X2200, Diesel Era, Trains, etc. I'd be
looking at a $300 annual renewal. It's easier to spend $500 at the
rate of $40 a month than $300 all at once, plus I do like the trips to
the hobby shop.

I occasionally buy subscriptions at show promos - I signed up for
'Ding back in 95 for 3 years, then renewed for 3 more years I think in
98. I subscribed to the Pentrex pubs a couple years in a row, during
their free video promo, and then they shut them down and Kalmbach took
over the remainder with Trains and Classic Trains... so now I'm on
Kalmbach's junk mail list, which is IMO the biggest reason to buy
magazines at a hobby shop instead of subscribing.

I even received telespam from a Canadian hobby dealer. I bought some
Intermountain CN & CP custom run stuff from them at the SJ show, and
filled out a survey figuring they would email or snail mail me some
stuff occasionally. Instead I get a phone call on a Sunday evening,
in the middle of a family get-together, trying to sell me some MDC
hopper repaints. Sight unseen yet. I was as nice as I could be under
the circumstances (since I apparently did give my phone number on the
survey) but I will NEVER buy anything from these people again.

Andy

----------------------------------------------------
Please reply to aharman at hhcustom dot com
Visit the RPM Web Page at http://www.rpmrail.org
Or my personal site at http://www.hhcustom.com/nspmg
----------------------------------------------------

[Andy Harman]

On 21 Dec 2000 20:24:54 GMT, lod...@mindspring.com (Donald Lodge)
wrote:

>Too many articles by staff and friends. Do I really need to hear from
>Tony K. every month?

Tony the K has a true internet personality... the blow by blow of his
new layout for instance would fit right in here. I'm not on the LDSIG
list but I guess that's where this is taking place. I don't mind his
monthly column at all, but there isn't anything particularly inviting
to new people to contribute material. Even the "One Reader's Opinion"
column... IMO that is something they should have done 30 years ago,
but in the internet age it's nothing but lip service up against a
medium they can't compete with, i.e. "Every Reader's Opinion" <g>.
It's interesting reading, but I imagine I'm not alone in my feeling
that my opinion would probably never quite get past the filters.

[Mark Mathu]

Håvard Houen <havard...@grytting.no> wrote...

Yes. I too would be interested in seeing how other model railroad magazine
circulation numbers have stacked up in the past three years. (I don't
subscribe to other magazines so I don't have those numbers.)

The NMRA has been on a downtrend the past few years also. Aging
demographics of our hobby may be taking a toll.

--
Mark Mathu
The Green Bay Route: http://members.nbci.com/gb_route/

[Mark Mathu]

Arnold 299 <arno...@aol.com> wrote...

> Maybe if they sponsered a website magazine and a
> message board for subscribers that would get me onboard again. And just
more
> articles of interst in each magazine.

As you may be aware, Model Railroader's attempt at sponsoring a website
magazine was done in conjunction with ehobbies.com.

I did a quick check at their web site, and saw the following on-line
articles which were done by MR staff:
http://www.ehobbies.com/ShowContent.asp?ContentID=artlist_modelrr_cnt-bysub

As you can see, there's already quite a lot of content. They include
information from their "Prototype Info" and "Workshop" columns, as well as
some of their product reviews and quite a lot of their recent how-to
articles. And there's a few layout tours thrown in as well. Granted, the
articles lag a few months behind what you get in model Railroader magazine,
but you can hardly fault Kalmbach for wanting to keep the most current
articles for their paying subscribers.

- - - - - - - - -

For those who may be reading this off-line, I've included the titles of the
MR articles that are at the ehobbies web site below.

FEATURED LAYOUTS
Kevin Shanahan's HO Union Pacific: A Free-lanced Model Railroad With
Strong Family Ties
Pete Fordyce's MoPac Arkansas Division: Happily This Beautiful Layout Has
Been Saved By A Museum
Harlowton, Montana, In N Scale: Adding Operating Interest With A
Removable Layout Section
The Hy-Sioux Southern: A Professionally Built HO Layout Set In The Smokey
Mountains

HOW-TO
A Pair of Great Northern Wide-Cupola Cabooses
Rolling Stock Kits: Tips and Techniques for Turning Simple Plastic Kits
into Reliable Operating Models
Back to Basics: Weathering
Painting Cast Resin Vehicles-Use a Paintbrush and Auto Modeling Tape to
Detail Cars
Detailing Tunnels
The A&LS Goes DCC
Pennsy Shark Attack: Getting a Signature Diesel on the Roster
Brighten Up Your World: Lighting For Realism
Video Monitoring for Staging Yards: Surveillance Equipment Makes It Easy
to Control Train Movements
Making People Unique
A Basic Tool Kit
Building a Lamppost: An Inexpensive Detailing Project
Add Depth to Your Forests: Using Floral Shop Plants to Make a Model
Forest Look Real
Detailing and Painting an Athearn BNSF C44-9W: Extra Details and a
Striking Paint Job Enhance an HO Scale Plastic Model
Stencil Cream Weathering: Drybrushing Brings Out Highlights on Models
Back to Basics: Making Model Trees
Industrial Gears and Machinery Parts: Making Quick and Inexpensive
Details
Ballast: The Finishing Touch - Good-Looking Ballast Greatly Improves
Realism of Track
Western Scenery: How-tos for Handling the Subtleties of Arid Scenery in
Foreground Locations
Back to Basics: Control Panels
Some Scenery Fundamentals: Materials And Techniques For Transforming A
Plywood Central Into A Realistic Model Railroad
Build A Small Brick Depot: Easy Kitbashing Creates A Distinctive HO
Masonry Structure
Wipe Out Freight Car Wobble: Easy Adjustments Stabilize N Scale Cars For
Enhanced Performance
Handy Layout Table

PRODUCT REVIEWS
N Scale Electro-Motive E6 A and B
HO Scale GS Drop-Bottom Composite- and Steel-Side Gondolas
New HO FA-1 and FB-1 Diesels Capture Distinctive Look of Prototype

PROTOTYPE INFO
June 2000
May 2000

WORKSHOP
June 2000
May 2000

[Dave Anderson]

On Wed, 20 Dec 2000, R. or I. Piscione wrote:

> I dropped my subscription this year. It's not so much a quality issue for
> me as it is a cost and repetition thing. The magazine is expensive and the
> content seems repetitive.

Sure, some of the how-to and beginner articles repeat themselves over the
years. There are always beginners picking up their first issue too.

I have subscribed since the early 70's and have never felt like I didn't
get my money's worth.

I *never* get tired of looking at and reading about other
people's layouts. That never gets repetitive.

I always try to keep in mind that within model railroading, there is a
wide variety of interest in different subjects. A wide circulation(by
hobby standards) magazine has to cater to all of our tastes at once.

Dave

Dave A. | e-mail: dran...@tfn.net

[Mike Tennent]

lod...@mindspring.com (Donald Lodge) wrote:

>
>OK, here goes. MR has become the USA Today of model railroading; flashy,
>but not much depth.
>

In a later thread, Mark M attaches a list of articles from MR that is
currently online. It's not even everything that was published. The
list of subjects is multi-faceted and would be useful to a wide range
of skill levels. No, not every article on the list is useful to
everyone, but I find it difficult to look at that list and equate it
with "flashy, but not much depth."

And I won't even mention last year's series on how to scratch build a
brass loco. Was that too shallow?

Or the proto-type drawings that are published every couple of months.
Not enough detail?

[Dave B]

In article <3a42f7c9...@news2.one.net>, aha...@yeahright.net
says...

> Yes, I
> pay a lot more, but I don't pay it all at once. If I subscribed to
> all of the Big Five plus X2200, Diesel Era, Trains, etc. I'd be
> looking at a $300 annual renewal. It's easier to spend $500 at the
> rate of $40 a month than $300 all at once, plus I do like the trips to
> the hobby shop.

Well I prefer subscriptions because they usually don't sell all the mags
I want close by and I always miss the month with the second part of an X
part series.

I renew different mags at different times of the year. That way I spread
out the cost. I get 3 main mags and 2-3 historical society mags. That's
one every two months. Guess I try to save because I was a student so
long learning to live on assistantship "salary."

Dave
--
_________________________________________
http://southern-railway.railfan.net/ay/
http://smrf.railfan.net/SMRF/
http://cvrr.railfan.net/cvmrr/

[mogul]

In article <91v41i$b2r$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net>,

At last some specifics backing a point of view. Thanks Mark. And this
list doesn't include all the information/ideas that can be gleaned from
layout photos, trackside photos, etc. Yes, issues vary, but I feel MR
does a decent job of providing a wide range of information/ideas that
will appeal to a wide range of readers. I also read more narrowly
focused sources to supplement or get specific info. Aloha, Phil
--
mogul

[Andy Harman]

On Fri, 22 Dec 2000 00:58:05 GMT, jape...@mindspring.com (john a
dalton) wrote:

>......over in stamp collecting, the American Philatelist would publish
>articles about obscure subjects, very-well researched, by serious
>philatelists....then somebody would complain about it....."not of
>interest to most of the readers", they'd say.....even as they
>published less-serious articles about everyday collecting, the
>readership would write in and say, "this type of article belongs in
>the weekly press, not a serious publication"

Topic police... the magazines have them too! Only thing is here every
topic-cop gets to have his say.

[David Nebenzahl]

Norman Dresner wrote:

> Having recently discovered Mainline Modeler magazine, I'm letting my MR sub
> lapse.

Perfect segue into comments about *MM*: I've been getting this mag for
<mumblety mumble> years now: it's definitely for what I'd call the "nerd
modeler" only, not the general unwashed public; the writing is
atrocious[1] and the general look chaotic. Plus, it ain't cheap at
$42/year.

Having said all that, I *highly* recommend this magazine, especially
over the increasingly generic *Model Railroader*, what I call the Circle
K of model train mags. The photography is beautiful, and well-printed.
And because the content is on the quirky side, they cover a lot of
interesting aspects of railroading which you never see in other
publications.

[1] I know something here whereof I speak, since I worked as their copy
editor for a couple of years in the mid-'90s. It was a constant battle
with them to try to clean up the most basic and glaring usage errors,
misspleddings, and garbled syntax. Apart from these kinds of problems,
many of the articles are simply incomprehensible; this is especially
frustrating when the author is trying to explain a complex construction
process, and you have no friggin' idea what they're really trying to
tell you. Too bad, because these articles are usually otherwise
fascinating and worthwhile.

Maybe someone else can convince Bob Hundman that he really does need
someone to clean up the writing (not me, though: been there, done that).

[Nelson Kennedy]

David Nebenzahl wrote

> Maybe someone else can convince Bob Hundman that he really does need
> someone to clean up the writing (not me, though: been there, done that).

Hans was looking over my shoulder when I read this and he said that he
thought you'd be just the right person to take it on again.

--
Nelson Kennedy
Christchurch, New Zealand
0 gauge NZR and H0 Espee at http://downunder.railfan.net
Stuff for 1:32 scale at http://ninemill.railfan.net

[Stefan]

In article <92026p$glc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>, mogul <phil...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>In article <91v41i$b2r$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net>,
> "Mark Mathu" <ma...@mathu.com> wrote:
>>
>> For those who may be reading this off-line, I've included the titles
>of the
>> MR articles that are at the ehobbies web site below.

I think Mark's point is well taken. Every now and then, we seem to have a
bitch session about MR. I think the point is that they have to appeal to a
wider point of view among their readers than some of the specialty
mags(ie: those with specific focus such as narrow guage or more
protoype detailing etc...) Either way, I'm thankful that there's lots out
there to chose from. Just pick the mag you like or find useful and stop
whining about the rest!
Stefan

[David Nebenzahl]

Nelson Kennedy wrote:

> David Nebenzahl wrote
>
> > Maybe someone else can convince Bob Hundman that he really does need
> > someone to clean up the writing (not me, though: been there, done that).
>
> Hans was looking over my shoulder when I read this and he said that he
> thought you'd be just the right person to take it on again.

Oy vai iz mir.

By the way, who's Hans? Oh, I think I know ... <inside joke: you hadta
be there>

[Mark Stephens]

The presentation is awful. They seem to put a lock and key on their older
content, expecting everyone to have years of old magazines laying around.
In the features layouts they don't even bother to show track plans or give
links to larger pictures. Why? Why don't they use their website to list
plans of featured layouts? I'm not asking them to give away content, just
embelish it with web content.

Take a look at the benchwork article at ehobbies, no pictures or examples of
benchwork, but a nice link to their book on benchwork. This is bad. It
shows an attitude that they have no interest helping people who do not buy
their stuff.

Personally; I own 3 track planning books, 4 other books on scenery and
wiring, and a book on N Scale. I am also getting an MR subscription for
xmas.

mark stephens

"Mark Mathu" <ma...@mathu.com> wrote in message
news:91v41i$b2r$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net...

[Frank A. Rosenbaum]

--
Frank R.
Note New EMAIL address: faros...@mediaone.net
The train club I belong to is the Gratiot Valley. See us at:
http://chives.michvhf.com/~gvrr/index.htm
+-------------------------+
| DO NOT FEED |
| THE TROLLS |
+-----------+-+---------+
| |
| |
| |
| |
....\\|.|/....

If at first you don't succeed, throw it in the spare parts box.
Thanks to Lindy9113

David Nebenzahl <n...@microtech.com> wrote in message
news:3A43C50C...@microtech.com...

I know Hans, he is the guy who wants to control everything. His full name is
Hans Onn.

[john a dalton]

David Nebenzahl <nob...@nowhere.at.all> wrote:

.....i'd be glad to do it free, for a life-time
subscription.....wouldn't that be an interesting magazine ?..... :))

....big john..... ;))

[Nelson Kennedy]

David Nebenzahl wrote:

> By the way, who's Hans? Oh, I think I know ... <inside joke: you hadta
> be there>

You mean he's been forgotten already? He'll be shattered. He's busy
getting ready for another exhibition and he's gathering up all the O
Tannenbaum that are on special in the shops at present.

[john a dalton]

"Nelson Kennedy" <nel...@chch.planet.org.nz> wrote:

>David Nebenzahl wrote
>
>> Maybe someone else can convince Bob Hundman that he really does need
>> someone to clean up the writing (not me, though: been there, done that).
>
>Hans was looking over my shoulder when I read this and he said that he
>thought you'd be just the right person to take it on again.
>
>--
>Nelson Kennedy
>Christchurch, New Zealand

.....well, it's good to see my old friend Hans mentioned here again
[IMAGE]....it's been several months now, and the Delawinkle sisters
(twins Delia and Darla, both 80 now) [IMAGE] were asking about him
last week at the Knock'em Back Club (where they still perform their
tassel-twirling act) [IMAGE]..... :))

......WELCOME BACK, HANS !!!!.... big john.... :))

[Rusty Keeney]

>Maybe someone else can convince Bob Hundman that he really does need
>someone to clean up the writing (not me, though: been there, done that).

Especially the misspleddings?

[Nelson Kennedy]

John, Hans is not able to respond himself at present because all his log in
details were lost when his HDD blew up and I won't let him near my computer
in view of what he was doing with one of his surplus bottles of oxygen and
caused the mishap (cure for stiction, indeed!).

Anyway I wanted to tell you that the image you posted of him is a bit dated
now. His hair and eyebrows have re-grown since the unfortunate episode with
airbrushing with oxygen and he is looking almost humanoid as you can see
here [IMAGE]. I'm sure he'd be grateful if you would use this more up to
date likeness as the pointy topped helmet that he was wearing in the other
image is not the way we usually see him. It was just his way of hiding the
charred hair and bandages.

Love those tassels! hehehe.

--
Nelson Kennedy
Christchurch, New Zealand

0 gauge NZR and H0 Espee at http://downunder.railfan.net
Stuff for 1:32 scale at http://ninemill.railfan.net

"john a dalton" <jape...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3a440183....@news.mindspring.com...

[demetre_argiro]

He he he, yeah, especially the misspleddings.
I figured that hadda be on purpose. I thought it was a joke.
It was wasn't it?

Hundman does need someone. That's no joke. Here a while back I was reading an article about
something or other and I turned the page to continue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .nothin'. Gone.
Winked out in mid-sentence. No explanation, no "continued" no nuthin', just gone. Well I
looked all over the mag and the next three issues or so and it never was continued AFAIK.

Drawings have been published with missing dimensions, most notably the FA2 where the overall
height of the unit was not called out. There are others as well.

Still, it's a good mag and I buy it regularly. I will probably continue to do so whether or not
he gets a proofer.
--
Demetre [argi...@mindspring.com] Argiro

[troll...@my-deja.com]

In article <xzR06.1787$RJV.83...@news.xtra.co.nz>,
"Nelson Kennedy" <nel...@chch.planet.org.nz> wrote:

> You mean he's been forgotten already? He'll be shattered. He's busy
> getting ready for another exhibition and he's gathering up all the O
> Tannenbaum that are on special in the shops at present.

Tell him to wait till the 26th of the month; talk about being on
special! Hoping to find [at 50% or MORE off] one of those 3' trees with
all that fibre-optic stuff on/in it. Can probably find a use for the
lights and color filters as well.

--
Jack "The trolley nut" Priller
Honorable Association of Good Guys and Irreverent Souls
Amatuer practitioner of the art of
Micro-cosmic Electro-ferro-equinology

[Jeff Scarbrough]

On Fri, 22 Dec 2000 16:34:22 -0500, "Mark Stephens"
<mark.kil...@one.net> wrote:
>
>Take a look at the benchwork article at ehobbies, no pictures or examples of
>benchwork, but a nice link to their book on benchwork. This is bad. It
>shows an attitude that they have no interest helping people who do not buy
>their stuff.

Well, of course...eHobbies, despite their attempts to obscure it, are
in the business of making money....

We here at r.m.r, are in the business of making mischief, and helping
others enjoy model railraoding in all it's forms. I bet if you asked
a benchwork question here (for example), you could get several
different ideas, with links to [image]s to help you with your
construction.

My money's on r.m.r to last in the long run.... <G>

Jeff Scarbrough Proud Charter Member Athens, Georgia
CEO and Section Gang, Piedmont and Southern Railroad
je...@negia.net http://members.home.net/p-srr/
http://serr.railfan.net http://smrf.railfan.net/SMRF

[Kennedy]

Dave Anderson <dran...@tfn.net> wrote:

> > I dropped my subscription this year. It's not so much a quality issue
> > for me as it is a cost and repetition thing. The magazine is expensive
> > and the content seems repetitive.
>
> Sure, some of the how-to and beginner articles repeat themselves over the
> years. There are always beginners picking up their first issue too.
>
> I have subscribed since the early 70's and have never felt like I didn't
> get my money's worth.

This discussion got me thinking about my subscription to Hot Rod magazine.
I've been reading/subscribing for 35 years now, and can't begin to count
the number of times they have an article about how to read a tire, how to
install a cam, do a brake job, etc. As you say, there is always a new
reader just getting into things, and those articles are for them. For
those of us who have been long-time readers, we just look at the parts that
are interesting.

Same with any long-running magazine for the masses. Your audience is both
the long timer, plus those who are just starting out. I see Model
Railroading at Borders, but not RMC, MM, or any of the other magazines that
might be more specialized.

> I *never* get tired of looking at and reading about other
> people's layouts. That never gets repetitive.

Me neither. I think MR's layout diagrams are a lot better than those in
other magazines.

Kennedy

--
-------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ --------------------
Usenet for the Web

[Kennedy]

Dave B <david....@bigfoot.com> wrote:

> > pay a lot more, but I don't pay it all at once. If I subscribed to
> > all of the Big Five plus X2200, Diesel Era, Trains, etc. I'd be
> > looking at a $300 annual renewal. It's easier to spend $500 at the
> > rate of $40 a month than $300 all at once, plus I do like the trips to
> > the hobby shop.
>
> Well I prefer subscriptions because they usually don't sell all the mags
> I want close by and I always miss the month with the second part of an X
> part series.

I like subscribing because it saves some money, as well as not spending
extra money when I go into the Hobby Shop on "impulse" buying! Still, I do
have a couple of mags I don't subscribe to, and will get an issue if it
looks interesting, when I go in to buy other stuff.

> I renew different mags at different times of the year. That way I spread
> out the cost. I get 3 main mags and 2-3 historical society mags. That's
> one every two months. Guess I try to save because I was a student so
> long learning to live on assistantship "salary."

Most magazines come out at the same time, so if I did buy at the store, I'm
buying nearly $60 worth all in one shot. And, if they don't arrive in a
timely manner, then I'd have to make another side trip. Which isn't really
bad if you don't have other things to do....

:D

[Christian]

| You mean he's been forgotten already? He'll be shattered. He's busy
| getting ready for another exhibition and he's gathering up all the O
| Tannenbaum that are on special in the shops at present.

I went on vacation before his final solution was cleared up last summer.
Did he solve his barbed wire issue?

CTucker
NY

[Mark Mathu]

Arnold 299 <arno...@aol.com> wrote...

> Maybe if they sponsered a website magazine and a
> message board for subscribers that would get me onboard again.

Model Railroader claims to have a "Reader Forum" at their web site, but I
don't think it is working. It sure doesn't work on my end of things.
http://www.modelrailroader.com/InterChange/InterChange.html

I'm not sure how a message board for subscribers would provide any
enhancement to hobby above and beyond what we already have at
rec.models.railroad, however.

> And just more articles of interst in each magazine.

Scott, what do you consider "articles of interest" that Model Railroader
should include? That is a pretty vague statement.

The February MR covers such topics as scratchbuilding an O scale bromine car,
modeling tall field grass, and making Shinohara turnouts friendlier to DCC
systems.

- Mark

[Nelson Kennedy]

"Christian" <ctuc...@rochester.rr.com> wrote in message

> I went on vacation before his final solution was cleared up last summer.
> Did he solve his barbed wire issue?

The barbed wire issue was still a thorn in his side when he went off in a
bit of a huff after the comments made about his unterbrückentrollen. It
was a tough time for him because he was recovering from the oxygen
airbrushing incident (which he passed off as having happened to 'a friend')
which very nearly did become a final solution for him.

In view of the amount of rebuilding that needs doing to Hans' train room
(the charring is quite deep in places) he is thinking about going outside in
G scale. I asked him if it wasn't a waste of time buying up the O
Tannenbaum if he was going to a bigger scale but he seemed to think that if
he placed them towards the back of the garden he could make the garden look
bigger with forced perspective. Personally I think it will just make it
look grosse.

[TOM]

Kinda like Playboy??? :>))

<><><> TOM <><><>
-----------------

[TOM]

Somebody had a special on the G Whiz, but I can't remember who it was,
Arghhhhhh!!!

Anyway, the barbed wire incident left an indelible mark on 'im, mentally
as well as physically... :>))

Speaking of a huff, I heard that he went to Vegas to spend some of his
money and somebody stole his Huffmobile. Pretty sad, EH???

"Don't Fence Me In."

<><><> TOM <><><>
-----------------

[john a dalton]

"Nelson Kennedy" <nel...@chch.planet.org.nz> wrote:

....we had a neighbor that tried that....the results were
hillary-ous....it was all the circumventing he did to the esplanade
around the layout.....the boards along the back [IMAGE] were covered
with circumspect fly-trap paper....the scenery just kept getting
better and better....like a wintry day in Dayton.....you never knew
what the dawn would bring....after his last attack, they promised him
a shadowy future.....it's winter again.....cabin fever.....gets to a
lot of modelers....it's all the cookies and trolls and candy and
people hugging each other.....dogs and cats eating out of the same
fine china.....nostrums galore.....vinvi vicyor vannawhite.... :))

....Brickert Bronsort..... :))

[Russ]

Bob Boudreau wrote:

> Speaking of prices - have any of you from the U.S. noticed the small
> print below the price on the cover? It says "$6.50 in Canada". Add on
> our beloved 15% HST tax (Horse S**t Tax)and MR costs us $7.48!

C$7.48 = US$4.93

Remember: The Canadian dollar is worthless (I mean worth less)

>
> As for subscribing, fergeddaboudit! I don't recall what the current
> price is, but the last time I checked there was an additional $1.50-
> 2.00 per issue for subs to Canada. This is above and beyond what U.S.
> customers have to pay, and it does not cost this much more per issue to
> mail it to Canada. No bargains here. Besides the subscription copies
> always come weeks after they are out at hobbyshops or newsstands.

Again same comment

>
>
> Tony Koester - I gave up reading his columns a long time ago, I'd
> rather spend my time reading something interesting. To me he's mostly
> just fulfilling his obligation to MR to provide so many words each
> month.

Gee, I find his columns very thoughtful and well written.

>
>
> My 2 cents worth anyway!

That's US$.01!

[Bob Boudreau]

In article <3A45923A...@grnet.com>,

Russ <Rada...@grnet.com> wrote:
> > Speaking of prices - have any of you from the U.S. noticed the small
> > print below the price on the cover? It says "$6.50 in Canada". Add
on
> > our beloved 15% HST tax (Horse S**t Tax)and MR costs us $7.48!
>
> C$7.48 = US$4.93
>
> Remember: The Canadian dollar is worthless (I mean worth less)

I'm well aware of the differences, I just intended to show that some of
us pay more than $4.95 for MR. While lots of out prices are higher,
lots are also relatively close. I went to a movie in New Hampshire
this past summer, and it cost $7.50, the same we pay here in Canadian
dollars. A can of pop costs around a buck, etc.

>
> >
> > As for subscribing, fergeddaboudit! I don't recall what the current
> > price is, but the last time I checked there was an additional $1.50-
> > 2.00 per issue for subs to Canada. This is above and beyond what
U.S.
> > customers have to pay, and it does not cost this much more per
issue to
> > mail it to Canada. No bargains here. Besides the subscription
copies
> > always come weeks after they are out at hobbyshops or newsstands.
>
> Again same comment

Not the same thing at all. The prices for MR subscription have to be
paid in US funds, THEN the additional cost (again in US funds) of
$1.50 -2.00 PER ISSUE has to be added. My comment was it does not cost
MR an addtional $1.50-2.00 per issue above and beyond what it costs
them to mail copies to the US. If it costs 80 cents (or whatever it
is) to mail an issue in the US, then it does not cost an additonal
$2.00 to send it to Canada. I've received mail and packages and
magazines from the US and the extra postage does not cost that much
more. MR actually sends their Canadian subscription copies in bulk to
a distributor in Canada who then mails them in Canada. This may be the
reason for the extra cost, but other magazines (non hobby) don't have
to do this.

>
> >
> >
> > Tony Koester - I gave up reading his columns a long time ago, I'd
> > rather spend my time reading something interesting. To me he's
mostly
> > just fulfilling his obligation to MR to provide so many words each
> > month.
>
> Gee, I find his columns very thoughtful and well written.

To each his own!

Bob Boudreau

[TOM]

One time I bought my wife a gift from Nostrums. Notice I said ONCE!!!
:>))

<><><> TOM <><><>
-----------------

[Kennedy]

TOM <tom...@home.com> wrote:

> "For those of us who have been long-time readers, we just look at the
> parts that are interesting."
>
> Kinda like Playboy??? :>))

Ahem, erm.....

:D

[Dennis E. Golden]

Oh God, here we go again. Why do we waste time on this kind of silly thread.
If you have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, send it directly to MR.

Den

rathburne wrote:

> MR subscriptions are dropping because the mag is dropping in quality.
> The ehobbies mess is not helping, but not the real reason. Kalmbach
> has also split the market my publishing Toy Trains and Garden
> Railroading etc, so if you add all the subscriptions up it helps make
> their numbers look better.
>
> I dropped my subscription because the mag just does not have much in it
> anymore. MR lite is how I would describe it. Andy overhauled the mag
> a year or so ago and ruined it.
>
> Even though I don't model it, I get alot more out of their Toy Trains
> and Garden Railroading mags when I pick one up now and then. Different
> editors, different approaches etc.
>
> Just my two cents. I think MR will continue to slowly dwindle in
> popularity for many reasons and eventually bottom out. The content and
> size of the mag is also shrinking. Yes, there may still be the same
> number of ads, but they are smaller (which is what you pay for as an
> advertiser, square inches etc). Why would a Cabooose Hobbies pay for a
> huge ad when Kalmbach is fronting ehype at a better rate through their
> back door deal? Answer, they don't............Andy and the rest of
> Kalmbach either don't get it or don't care.
>
> In article <91p982$ddq$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net>,
> "Mark Mathu" <ma...@mathu.com> wrote:
> > OK, the latest circulation numbers for Model Railroader are in, so
> now I
> > guess it's time to revisit the eHobbies / Model Railroader topic and
> see how
> > the magazine did in the past year...
> >
> > Curt Mc wrote...
> > > Yes, each year all publications are required by law (39 USC 3685) to
> > > publish their owner and circulation information. In MR it is
> usually in
> > > the December or January issue and is based on the circulation
> figures
> > > for the prior September issue. The last one was on page 191 of the
> > > January 2000 issue of MR and (when comparing with the previous year
> in
> > > 1/99 issue p220) showed a significant decrease (16,000 copies or
> ~8%) in
> > > paid circulation (equal to subscription plus counter sales) from
> roughly
> > > 203,000 to 187,000 copies.
> >
> > The latest number are on page 161 of the January 2001 issue and is
> based on
> > the circulation figures for the prior September issue.
> >
> > > I expect, given all the recent threads pounding MR and the eSlobbies
> > > fiasco, that at least the same decrease, if not more, can be
> expected
> > > this year...
> > > - Curt Mc
> > > (I dropped my subscription in February and have yet to buy one
> since)
> >
> > Paid circulation was 176,786.
> >
> > That's a drop of 11,000 copies. Maybe not quite as much as the
> 16,000 you
> > predicted, but a fair-sized decrease (almost 6%) nonetheless.
> >
> > > Jon Miller wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >Massive fall? Sounds like a misinformation campaign. <
> > > >
> > > > Just quoting, July issue, page 17.
> > > >
> > > > I believe all magazines are required to show figures once a
> year.
> > > > Monthly figures would probably be hard to get. And I can't
> remember the
> > > > last time I believed anything any company president said!
> >
> >
>
> --
> Rathburne
> Visit http://communities.msn.com/BubbasBendRailfanandClearCutSociety
> Some good real-train pictures

[TOM]

"Dennis E. Golden" wrote:
>
> Oh God, here we go again. Why do we waste time on this kind of silly thread.
> If you have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, send it directly to MR.
>
> Den

Praying about it (as you did in your post) might just work... :>))

<><><> TOM <><><>
-----------------

[john a dalton]

TOM <tom...@home.com> wrote:

......"pray earnestly, lest the need be overlooked"..... :))

..... big john..... :))

[Andy Harman]

On Mon, 25 Dec 2000 13:14:00 -0600, "Dennis E. Golden"
<dgo...@warwick.net> wrote:

>Oh God, here we go again. Why do we waste time on this kind of silly thread.
>If you have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, send it directly to MR.

Right, so it can vanish into the black hole of their file room. In
case you haven't noticed, MR rarely prints anything but "attaboy!"
letters. The net is a great place to hear the opinions of people you
would normally tune out, or prefer to have censored. Stick with the
printed media if you want your content filtered.

Andy

----------------------------------------------------
Please reply to aharman at hhcustom dot com
Visit the RPM Web Page at http://www.rpmrail.org
Or my personal site at http://www.hhcustom.com/nspmg
----------------------------------------------------

[rathburne]

By that logic 90 percent of RMR and other internet groups
would be offline. That is what this is for. If you want
to read it, fine. If not, fine (or read letters to MR which
will all be nice ones). The subject is clearly stated in
the posting to save you from reading what you think is silly
but other do not.

In article <3A479C78...@warwick.net>,

"Dennis E. Golden" <dgo...@warwick.net> wrote:

[Dieter Zakas]

Demetre, Argiro wrote:
>
[snip]

>
> He he he, yeah, especially the misspleddings.
> I figured that hadda be on purpose. I thought it was a joke.
> It was wasn't it?
>
"Hundman does need someone. That's no joke. Here a while back I was
reading an article about something or other and I turned the page to
continue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .nothin'. Gone. Winked out in
mid-sentence. No explanation, no "continued" no nuthin', just gone. Well
I looked all over the mag and the next three issues or so and it never
was continued AFAIK.

"Drawings have been published with missing dimensions, most notably the
FA2 where the overall height of the unit was not called out. There are
others as well.

"Still, it's a good mag and I buy it regularly. I will probably continue
to do so whether or not he gets a proofer."

There are any number of reasons why Hundman continues to put out a
magazine despite the glaring linguistic errors, which have been
discussed in this thread. Some off the top of my head:

(1) He’s probably concerned with running the business as a whole, so he
decides to let those errors slip by. Not logical, but possible.

(2) His financial picture may not give him the "luxury" of hiring
someone for the task, i.e., insufficient revenue.

(3) He simply might not care. The attitude could then be, "They're
buying the mag anyway, so why bother with proofreading?"

I'm not claiming these are THE reasons why Hundman has not, or refused
to, clean up the grammar and usage errors. I'm just pointing out some
possible reasons why.

Dieter Zakas

[andrew hebron]

I agree with Mr Man.

I have also a goodly collection of MR's back into the early '60's and although there was more scratch building plans of structures etc,the late 90's issues are a mile in front.
The pictures are exceptionally clear.Only a few issues would have just one tiny colour shift.No grainyness.
In fact as I have mentoined before to anyone who listens,my wife worked for a magazine subscription agency and handled literally hundreds of different titles..either trade,or hobby etc..
Model Railroader I am reliably informed is one of the THE best produced mags that came through their doors...also Kalmbach were one of the easiest to deal with publishers.

IMHO,MRC is dead in the water,why anyone would want to sub to that is beyond me.
Some really quirky topics,and a steady level of grainy,hexagonal pixelly looking colour shifted picture reproduction(for as long as I can recall),not only that,but it cost almost $12 here in Oz-if you can find it.
I buy the others when they have more than one article that looks interesting.MR I buy all the time.Even if it does get very steep price increases.

I still think MR should go electronic,or cd'd.
Pay a smaller sub price,and give me a password and for 1% extra a yearly cd....I'd love to get my MR online.Print out the articles or pics I like to have a hard copy of. A yearly CD,yessiree,the Germans do it don't they?

But then again,they've had those tiny little N scale deisel switchers for 30years now,and only the last few years has any one else made a small N scale US outline switcher...that is realiable as well....

I'm suited up and ready.

Andrew.

Pac Man wrote:

>Maybe the lower circulation is not due so much to the eHobbies thing as
much as
>to the decreasing quality of the content. MR has been going downhill in the
>last few years, in my opinion.

    How so?  I'm not trying to be a smart@ss, I just want your (or anybody
else's) opinion, in some more detail.  Are the pictures of poor quality?
Are the articles full of typos or are less exciting to read then reading the
phone book?  Are there technical errors in the "How To" articles?  Are the
featured layouts too poor, or too good to believe?  Are their product
reviews dishonest?  Are they focusing too much on technology, or not enough?
Do they do any articles for the beginner?  Or for the old pro?  Are they
promoting the hobby well?
    My father and I have been subscribers since 1990, and lately I've been
going through our club's collection dating back to the 1940's.  So far, I
much prefer MR as it is now (or where it seems to be heading) over anything
I've seen in the past.  Where is the missing quality you mention?  What
would you (or anybody) have them do different?

>I just resubscibed to Railroad Model Craftsman.

Nice mag.  But unless it has something particular in it I want to know
about, it's as dry as dust to me.  That operating snowplow from a while ago
was cool, but the rest?  Zzzzzz.  :-)

Paul A. Cutler III