I just discovered that my local library has hard bound issues of trains magazine in storage, that go all the way back to the inception.
Maybe some of you guys who have the searchable DVD collection could give me recommendations on specific back issues that cover the following subjects via feature articles?:
First, a sincere thank you for trying to help. Much appreciated!!! [8)]
BUT, I can’t believe how lame our host’s back issues search set up is. Evidently the search works only with the tags they have chosen to apply, and not with actual table of contents for the issues themselves.
I’ve read more stories about many of those listed subjects, just since 1998, than their search function produces as “finds”.
I know there has gotta be better stories on these subjects in their back catalog, than the search feature admits to.
A search for “N&W merger” doesn’t even list the Sept '64 news item “ICC gives N&W their blessing”
You’d think they’d want to do better than they have?
Regardless, that’s not your fault…thanks for trying
You are correct. The reason is that it is a news item, not an indexed article.
The standard search of the Trains Magazine Collection does not find it either. Doing a Full Text search for “N&W” and “merger” I found it among the 963 results. This was the search that yielded the fewest results that included the news item. An Exact Match search for N&W merger" yielded 20 results , but none were the news item.
I go to the first link you provided above and see provision for only a standard seach and an advanced search. How are you commanding that search feature to jump through hoops for you? (doing a “full text” search, versus what I am getting)
Bottom line though, going to that search box and searching for “Nickel Plate”… there are stories I’ve read first hand in new issues during the past 15 years that do not come “up” as finds in that search tool.
The Full Text search is an option on the Trains Magazine Complete Collection 1940-2010 from the DVD.
There is no provision to do a Full Text search on-line, because the text of the magazines is not on-line. The various on-line indexes are only indexes of article titles, brief descriptions and keywords entered by the people who made the index.
The item on the merger is in the News Section. It is not an article. Even entering its title “ICC Blesses Norfolk” does not find it on the DVD or the on-line index.
It would be nice if the on-line indexes included the news items, but making an index is very labor intensive and apparently it was decided not to include them. I tried several other on-line indexes, the did not find the item either.
I see, well thanks just the same. I did find several other articles of interest using the native search function you linked to, so most assuredly thanks for that!
sometimes the annual index – the kind that used to come bound in the magazine around February or March for subscribers – is more useful, if a bit cumbersome, for this kind of searching than is the online search function. This site does have downloadable annual indexes going back to 1980.
Sometimes at swap meets you;ll find someone selling their collection of annual indexes. And sometimes at swap meets you’ll find copies of the old old “Stephenson” (spelling?) indexes for MR, Trains, RMC and R&R. They only go up to around 1985 or so but I have found them useful particularly for things in MR but also things in Trains.