Reading posts on Trains.com about the NMRA left me with really low expectations for ‘Scale Rails’ their magazine. It is not clear how often the mag is published, and I am working from a statistically unsound sample of one. This makes my comments totally anecdotal, translation; take it for what it is worth to you.
In a word, WOW! I expected to see a bunch of poorly exposed prototypical photos of a Mac 70 rolling across Iowa somewhere and 37 bad pictures of switch stands and rail joiners the BNSF or UP had not repaired. Boy did I have a wrong impression!
If the April 2007 issue is anything like what the next dozen issues are going to be like, you can bet I’ll be renewing my membership. IMHO, This is the best $12.00 subscription out-there! As a good friend always tells me, this is a no-brainer.
What impressed me on first blush:
The Athearn addvertisement for their Ford’s. (I am a Chevy nut, but whew, neat!)
The Swamp article’s photography was so realistic, it made me want to lay my own track!
The Denver, Front Range & Western layout was one of the best layout pieces I have ever seen.
I am checking to see if they have any back issues today!
I think its turning into a high quality magazine. Since they have gone in a different direction with the magazine I feel its improved 100% from what it use to be. Its published every month.
The magazine was never a huge reason why I’ve been a member of NMRA, that’s already been discussed to death, but with the new changes I do look forward to reading it now much more so than I have in the past.
I personally think the years that Whit Towers was the editor, when it was called the Bulletin were the best. It didn’t try to duplicate the commercial press, but did some things that the commercial press didn’t do.
But I agree that the recent issues of Scale Rails have shown improvement.
Paul,I could not agree more…It seem those were the good days when 90% of the modelers was happy and enjoyed the hobby…I miss going the the local and regional NMRA meets…Of course and sadly a lot of the older guys I knew has pass or to old to attend.
I like the length of the articles. It tells enough to know what the article is about. The tradeoff is that it has to do less articles, but that is my preference anyway.
A year ago, I would have not been unhappy if they scrapped ‘Scale Rails’. Since then, it has been a pretty good magazine. I still think it is ‘one too many’ magazines out there, but if they can cover the costs and not force dues increases…