I’m trying To understand the relation between MRVP and Trains.com. When they first started talking about Trains.com I understood it to be compilation web site of their individual web sites, Trains, Classic Toy Trains, Mosel Railroader, etc. but now I see you need to sign up. So my question is does having a current subscription to MRVP become a de facto subscription to Trains.com? Do I need a Trains.com subscription to continue to have a MRVP subscription? Please explain just what each is now. Thnx all.
I too am confused. I think it is fair to say that Kalmbach has been incoherent in their roll-out of trains.com.
Dave Nelson
Same here not really understanding the effect on current subscribers
I’ve been wondering about this Trains.com thing, as my subscription to the hard copy magazine and the digital archives just renewed.
To sign up for everything Trains.com I think is about $80.
The mag and the archives is about $70. Do I need both???
Confused, and no answers as to what is happening, to description of services, just questions. [%-)]
Mike.
The trains.com subscription is what I think Kalmbach is transitioning its ‘core’ pay services to. It is NOT something grandfathered from any current subscription; in fact a couple of current things are available at a lower monthly charge, as has already been mentioned in a couple of other posts.
What they appear to be ‘banking on’ is that the monthly-$6.99-fee-billed-yearly-in-advance will appear to offer so much for only ‘a couple of dollars more a month’ that everyone who wants paid access will choose to get it that way. I’m tempted to note that global magazine-archive access alone is a significant perk (compare it to the cost of the Trains Complete Collection alone that became obsolete for early-adopting Mac marks – $149 down the memory hole) and it will be interesting to see how this situation evolves as we go into stage 3 of the “improved Internet experience” in the next few months.
As I recall there is a reasonable FAQ somewhere on the trains.com splash page, together with ‘new’ links to customer service. Until proven otherwise I’d say to call or e-mail there with any detail questions…
Just gotta run a VM with Windows on your Mac and the old DVD collection will work fine - still works even on Windows 10 which is several versions newer than current when that all came out.
But it does seem the trains.com is al all-inclusive thing. Maybe next year when my magazine subscription runs out, because I still have a year left, don;t want to double down there, and then I would also need to cancel my MRVP subscription since that is included int he “all-in”: trains.com one.
But I don’t see what it buys me, really. Archives of the other magazines? I already own the Classic Trains DVD collection, which is the main point of coverage for the era I model. And since I have the MR 75 year DVD plus the next 10 year update they released, the archive is of no value to me. Right now I pay for a digital MR subscription plus another $2.25 for MRVP. trains.com all-in would cost me more for what exactly?
The trend everywhere is clearly to ‘renting’ software and services. I try to avoid it - I will not use Adobe stuff any more, there are alternatives to Photoshop. A very good electronics EDA package went all subscription only recently - well, if I have to go subscription model, I found one that not only is free, it offers far less restriction on the size of board I can design than the affordable version of the other.
–Randy
I agree - it is confusing. And logging into the new MR splash page still accesses the exact same un-updated forum and customer service webpages.
It would be nice to at least get some additional updated details from Kalmbach about the MR forum upgrade - even if the exact date for that is still unknown at this point. And, if I need to have a subcription in order to utilize the “new” forum…I’ll be moseying on.
Tom
I’m a little confused too. My magazine subscription is up in two months and I’d like to switch to new trains.com, but not sure what comes along with the higher price. Especially when it comes to the future of MRVP.
I have been watching my email inbox for an explanation from Kalmbach Media.
Hoping for a good explanation because I am a bit confused too.
-Kevin
I just renewed the MR magazine for three years at the “best rate you can get from us.” The videos don’t interest me much and I prefer ordering a la carte. The fate of the multi-magazine index seems to be sealed, but it has come back from the dead in the past.
It’s certainly disappointing that Kalmbach’s rollout of this Trains.com concept has so many forum members (like me) pretty clueless what it’s all about, and more importantly, how it affects our print mag and MRVP subscriptions. You would think after all this time promoting it and talking about it that maybe someone could have thought about issuing an email, forum posting, video, print mag article, et al explaining the product. Yikes!!
Yea, you would think - even if all the details haven’t been finalized yet. I’m as dumbfounded as all of you. [:S]
Earlier this morning, I clicked on my usual book mark to get here, no problems.
Just now, when I clicked on the same book mark, it took awahile, but the MR splash page ( as Tom called it) opened up.
When you go to Community, and click on forums, a seperate page opens, but the top of the page is a mess.
This must be the “new” home page.
I just noticed the logo/avatar of the bookmark has now changed.
Mike.
Software upgrades never go smoothly. Murphy never sleeps
My wife has told me horror stories of how EPIC would do upgrades in the middle of the work day.
It would drive the Dr.'s office girls crazy.
Mike.
Yea, I’m seeing all the site links listed but squished into the upper left portion of the webpage along with “Welcome back, Logout!” I guess the roll-out will be a work-in-progress.
No change yet to my PM page…blank as can be. And I don’t have a very high expectation that it will be rectified with the upgrade.
Tom
Got the new site, getting the same thing - same forums, just an entiirely blank top section. My PM page still works.
–Randy
I’m interested in the archive. Classic Trains is obviously useful to me and so would part of Trains(but it would also bring back memories of the Terrible Sixties and Seventies) but I have to wonder about MR. While it might be interesting to see the paleolithic days of modeling, how much, I don’t know, earlier than year 2000 is useful to todays modeler) . Maybe stuff from Whit Towers and John Allen, bt I wonder if they aren’t rare nuggets in a lot of obsolete material (Reviews of Penn Line or the Lionel HO line, etc). Your opinions, please, folks.
Trains.com has videos MRVP members can’t access…
just letting you know. That’s probably why MRVP content has gotten so thin recently - it’s being diverted to Trains.com.
Anyone think Kalmbach will make this right?