Lately I have been quiet, but I cant take it anymore. CTT used to be the greatest magazine, but I dont think so anymore…In the latest issue, you have the Misty Mountain Railroad. One of the finest O gauge layouts in the country, yet you show only 6 photos and a track diagram. 6 photos?? Thats it???
A few pages later, your building yet again another start up type layout, with about 20 photos!!! Didnt you recently build a small layout a few issues ago?? Most people reading this magazine, already have layouts and know how to build them.
I am sorry, but I am tired of seeing photos of men assembling bench work, and playing with styrofoam. This magazine should be about CLASSIC LIONEL AND AMERICAN FLYER TRAINS!!!
It seems to me, your really losing out now, to the “other” magazine…
Obviously everyone has a different opinion in regards to what they would like to see in a magazine. I found the latest issue to be excellent. In fact, I have never been disappointed with any issue of CTT. I have been reading this magazine for five years and have enjoyed every issue.
Have you considered canceling your subscription so you don’t have to suffer needlessly? Just a thought, you seem quite upset and life is just way too short to be that unhappy.
OK! I gave the magazine another look over and I need to say I jump the gun.
This issue was ok, but Bob and Kent need to stop building layouts and go get
Some feature layouts for CTT from outside CTT.
I received my copy of CTT today. I just resubscribed after letting it go do to the fact it did not offer much for the HiRailer and or me [2c]. I will most likly just pay for the issue I got today and tell them to drop me again I just as you say “Dissapointed”
Well, naturally I would like to see many, many more American Flyer articles with a full-production spread. But guess what folks, there has to BE worthy American Flyer layouts of mention to feature. Most of them are toy train layouts that are made to amaze grandkids. Hardly CTT worthy. If you want to SEE more awesome American Flyer layouts featured in CTT, then BUILD more awesome American Flyer layouts and they will come…
No doubt putting out a magazine such as CTT is a balancing act. It can’t be easy with such a wide-ranging hobby.
The only specific problem I have with the issue in question is that the Q&A authors seemed a little testy, and they also published some misinformation regarding postwar signals and Atlas switches.
The “Readers Choice” railroad certainly isn’t my choice, but the previous project RR, a classic toy train layout, was. I confess to being slightly bemused that with the RCRR the editorial staff somehow found a way to make what should have been a $100 train table cost upwards of $500. Ridiculous to me but probably not to others.
Bottom line, I suggest that anyone who has a problem with the magazine’s content should check the publication guidelines and submit the kind of article that they would like to see. It’s like jazz guitar immortal Joe Pass said, “Anybody can do it.”
Whenever I read that “Classic Toy Trains” isn’t the magazine it once was and that it needs to cover more vintage Lionel and American Flyer, I wonder whether the person writing that comment is checking our website on a regular basis. Every month, I write or edit a brand-new research article on some aspect of prewar or postwar trains. This article on the website does not appear in the magazine and represents new research and writing. These articles tend to be longer than what would be in the magazine. So all I can suggest is once more to go to ClassicToyTrains.com and look under “Collecting” for “Web Exclusives.”
Between the magazine and the website, there is more available for our subscribers than ever.
This is rather a glib answer. It’s like saying “If you don’t like your car, then all you have to do is build your own, since anybody can do it,” or “If you don’t like the music on the radio, all you have to do is write, produce and record your own, since anyone can do it.” Not everyone has the requisite skill set or background to be producing their own magazine articles. I used to write articles for a computer magazine, and believe me, not everyone can do it, Joe Pass notwithstanding.
As for the magazine itself, any reader who doesn’t approve of the content should simply stop buying it. That’s something anyone can do.
It seems the mag has gone from Classic toy trains to big layouts and Hi rail. It may be due to what material is available to them but I think they have moved in that direction. Me, as soon as I read it was built for me, I look at the pictures and move on. I vote go back to the Classics, where it all started.
I’m not so sure this thread serves us very well. Isn’t it rather like biting the hand that feeds us? After all, we are airing this out on a public forum that is provided to us by CTT. Not too cool, IMHO. [B)] Perhaps PM’s to the principals of CTT would be more in line. I’m just sayin’…
Regards,
Timboy, The American Flyer Post-War Classic Train Nerd
I do R/C airplanes too, and many years ago, on a lark, I submitted an article to a model airplane publication. Much to my astonishment it turned up in the magazine and led to me being invited to produce quite a few build and fly product test reports. If I can do it anybody can. And besides, how can anyone know if they don’t give it a shot?
I enjoy the toy-like layouts. It was nice to see the Misty Mountain layout but a layout like that is beyond the means of almost everyone who reads CTT. I prefer layouts and ideas that I can reasonably incorporate in my layout. Not every issue of CTT is a home-run, but many are.
Since we are complaining, I mean giving feedback, one problem I’ve had as of late is the focus on high rail and not the toy train aspect. Most of the reviews these days seem to be on high priced engines rather than traditional sized engines. Maybe they have been done already, I don’t know. I would also like to see more traditional sized layout features rather than these hi-rail ones where most of us cannot or can’t afford or don’t have the space to do. One of the best features ever was the American Flyer layout where the 2 guys became good friends and I don’t even like American Flyer.