I hope over the next few weeks the new ownership will let us know what is happening. Maybe even let us know of any plans for the forum.
If anyone in control is reading this, I want you to know that I originally subscribed to Model Railroader after reading the forum for a while. I think it’s important for your publishing business to keep the forum and improve it.
+1. [Y]
Regards, Chris
While I think that the Forum is well down on their list of priorities; how, when, and,most importantly, if the new owners communicate, will be the litmus test for me.
[2c] Cheers, the Bear.
The new owners seem to be very comfortable with online media, so I wouldn’t sell their interest in the forums short.
Though honestly they may be more interested in just moving to a new more modern platform.
Hi YoHo1975,
I agree. Nobody in their right mind would walk away from an already established online clientelle in this day and age. However, I do suspect there will be changes, like perhaps charging a modest fee (which I wouldn’t object to).
Cheers!!
Dave
Let’s see where things go with the new owners. They might not change anything, so no need to panic yet. Nonetheless, it does make sense to look at other related forums should this one stop or they charge a fee. Not paying a dime beyond what I owe as a MR subscriber
Been through this before and it was all bad but then that forum was not broken. I feel it can only get better here.
Well, at least I can now get into the forum again, so THAT’S an improvement - sorta.
I had begun to suspect I had posted my last in these forums which I have been part of pretty much since the beginning – the Erik Bergstrom era. Maybe this posting is my last, who knows?
One thing I don’t think I have seen anybody mention yet. OK they will publish the magazines. It appears they will keep the Trains.com content going. They MIGHT keep the forums going.
But what about the Kalmbach books, hardcover and soft cover? Publish them? Or license the coyrights to others? Or just let them die on the vine? The yearly special issues (Model Railroad Planning, Great Model Railroads, etc.)? I don’t much care about the Kalmbach hobby store, but some might care.
Dave Nelson
Dave, I see you joined in 2002. Wow, you are an old timer. I am a relative newcomer, having joined in September 2004. [swg]
Rich
In the United States, the comprehensive railroad model magazines MM, RMJ, MRG, and PTM have disappeared, and now only RMC and MR remain. On the other hand, in Japan, three magazines (TMS, RMM, and Train (not Trains)) continue to be published endlessly.
The one reason I came up with is the appearance. In addition to the binding, the three Japanese magazines are superior in terms of thickness, number of pages, paper quality, and the resolution of photo printing. Regardless of the content, this is clear.
This difference did not start yesterday. In fact, the most beautiful photos of the G&D taken by John Allen is from the Japanese TMS magazine from the 1970s. It’s been like this ever since. 687
In other words, I think that magazines exist not only as information but also as adding value as objects. Of course, there are cultural differences, so it’s hard to generalize. I would appreciate new owner’s consideration.
BN7150, I agree with you wholeheartedly! I wish I could read Japanese because these magazines are superior in many ways!
Donnell
Nope. The difference is advertising. Nothing else. Same goes for UK magazines. American comapnies don’t want to advertise, American modellers just want to spend the least amount possible. Hence the magazines are small.
Well, as a customer and someone who has an emotional investment in MR by how much I’ve enjoyed what Kalmbach has produced, the fact is, no company needs to make its strategic plans public.
I would assume I will be getting my MR mag in the mail like always, afterall, the only thing that has changed is that the same on the shareholder stock certificate changed from Kalmbach to FireCrown. Its not like FC had to rescue Kalmbach from the brink of failure, as many comments seem to have that tone.
Fact is, the third generation of family owned businesses are usually the ones that sell, having no real observation or emotional attachment to what Grandpa went throught to start and run the business. I assume the Kalmbach family simply thought it best to cash out than to keep running the business. Its a common thing.
We’ll find out the changes as they happen. Will MR change content somehow? Probably, but why would we expect to get an announcement about that plan 6 months before it happens?
I’m curious too. But I think I’m probably just going to have to wait and see what happens.
A ridiculous proposal from a Japanese modeler, part 2
Picky eating is not good for your hobbies either
My relationship with model trains began around 1960. At first, it was a 3-rail O gauge that my parents bought me. After a while, I started to develop my sense of self and moved on to the HO gauge, and by buying a few parts and magazines, I became immersed in a fantasy world. After being freed from the shackles of study, I got used to scrachbuild EMUs with cardstock. As my pockets warmed up, Swiss-type BEMO became more interesting. When I visited the United States in 1993, became immersed in the North American type models. 1482
What deserves special mention here is the influence of magazines. All three Japanese magazines covered railroad models comprehensively. It was packed with everything: not only Japanese prototype models but also foreign models, not only HO-scale but also O and N-scale, not only scratches but also kit bashes and collections, not only layouts but also prototype railways.
Of course, narrow gauge fans are dissatisfied because they are only occasionally mentioned. Japanese style fans hate American style. There must have been some people who felt that expensive collections are boring.
However, as years pass, times change, and as one’s circumstances change, so do tastes… And when I review past issues, I make new discoveries. I am fascinated by an article that I had skipped over. I can trace history through old advertisements. Magazines are not something to be enjoyed only today when they are published.
Calmbach are publishing multiple magazines related to railroads and railroad models. In addition to MR, the models include Garden Railways and Classic Toy Trains, and the prototypes include Trains and Classic Trains.
I think they may have divided too much. However, if they put it all together, you will be forced to pay extra pages…
A comprehensive magazine packed with various elements is a Washoku-Makunouchi bento lunch that is nutritionally unbiased. If you accumulate these skills, a vast world will expand and you can enjoy it for a long time. It can also be expected to help people with different tastes understand each other.
The above is an anachronistic and ridiculous delusion.
Model Railroader and Trains have ALWAYS been separate magazines.
The others aim at specific interests which have ALWAYS been separate.
MR, RMC, Trains, Railfan & Railroad, Railpace… there’s ZERO history of these types of magazines being combined. Oddly enough, the UK magazines are exactly the same. Perhaps the Japanese are the oddity?
As much as I want to, I’m not going to respond to your offensive statement about Amerrican model railroads being “expensive collections.”
A long time ago, I was interested in railroad model magazines and bought them from all over the world. In Europe, it’s British Railway Modelling, Railway Modeller, Continental Modeller, Miba, and Eisenbahn Kurier. Among them, iTreni from Italy was my favorite.
If you are interested in Japanese magazines, please contact the publisher. Although it is expensive, I recommend Train magazine. You will be amazed when you pick it up. A British story is currently being serialized.
Train https://etrain.jp/
RM Models https://www.neko.co.jp/tax_magazine/railmagazine
Tetsudo Mokei Shumi (Hobby of Model Railroading)
1-15-11 Soshigaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Amazon.com
A ridiculous proposal from a Japanese modeler, part 3
Editors should not have hobbies
A long time ago, TMS magazine in Japan had a company owner and editor-in-chief named Kiyo Yamazaki, who wrote a column called Mixt in every issue. I was offended by the way the sentence was written from above. I wonder if he have the qualifications to comment on what’s so and so without even making a model.
On the other hand, I admired Yutaka Nakao, one of the magazine’s editors, for his style of drawing detailed plans for models, scrachbuilding models, and writing articles.
Being the cocky 20-year-old I was, I asked Mr. Nakao himself this question. Of course I was being euphemistic. Then, a surprising answer came back. He says that his style makes him unsuitable as a magazine editor. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but after thinking about it for a while, I was able to interpret it that way. I think the story went something like this when I broke it down.
When he starts working on models, he will definitely need to concentrate and immerse himself in it. He stop looking at anything other than what he is working on. When he is scratchbuilding a brass, he won’t see the plastic N gauge, and he’ll look down on it. That’s no good for editors.
Also, magazine representatives must always show readers the direction of their magazine…
In later years, Mr. Nakao developed an LGB garden railway at his home. Many readers who knew him as a scratchbuilder may have found this strange, but I believe this was the background.
Returning to Kalmbach, the employees are developing a layout called MR&T, Milwaukee, Raicine & Troy Railroad within the company, and articles are sometimes published in MR magazine, and even a special issue is published.
If we associate this fact with Mr. Nakao’s story, we can think that the layout had the effect of narrowing the editors’ perspective.
Well, please ignore this as just an old man’s ramblings.
[(-D]
Like Atlas did with their Forum?
That’s quite possible, one forum I used to go to (Fender Guitars) switched from free to pay some years back. MR etc. forums might do the same. Be interesting to see how many people would leave. There are other model railroad forums out there.