Please pardon me if this has been brought up before, but I recently noticed a problem with MRR’s Track Plan Database and missing plans. Searching for “Shasta” produced only one result - that of the O-Scale South Shasta Lines (July, 2009). However, I recall that Ottis McGee’s Shasta Division plan was previously available, but no longer comes up in search results (either with Shasta or Southern Pacific as keywords - not case-sensitive). I know it was at one time available because I’ve located the copy that I previously downloaded, and I recall the plan may have been published in at least two issues over the years.
Are some of the plans being dropped? I believe the plan I have here was originally published in 2010 or 2011 (copyright says 2010). I also noted that there were in excess of 800 plans at one time, but now there are only 533, and some - even the newer ones - are missing their thumbnail images. What gives?
If you have a digital subscription like me, you have to enter your subscription code sometimes. Because the system doesn’t recognize digital subscriptions like print versions.
I have a traditional magazine subscription, and I’ve found that many of the GMR track plans match those I have on hand. However, I did notice that the database backend has been altered slightly, so perhaps it’s a matter of updating the content.
I noticed that not only are the plans from many of the GMR layouts gone, but also those from past issues (not too old - '01 through '08 or so). The links from these past issues used to be displayed, but half of those links from one issue or another have now been disabled.
I’m starting to feel a bit gipped in supporting MRR with my yearly subscription. [^o)]
I was looking for layout plans in general and had some difficulty. I did a search of the database going back. It appears there are no plans prior to January 1998. Strange since when MR first developed this database had a lot of plans. There are many interesting plans dating back into the 80s, 70s and 60s.
It’s just one more reason, for me, to considering dropping MR.
VideoPlus! who would take their tablet on a boat fishing?? Right!
I don’t believe that is correct. The track plans database, if I remember correctly, always began around that same year – which corresponds with MR going digital for track plan production. The GMR and MRP plans have not always been complete in the past.
I don’t remember any plans from before that event ever being available on the database. And I’ve used it often since it came on-line. They would have had to be scanned from the hand-drawn art, and I I’m pretty sure that never occurred.
I’ve never had a problem with older issues not being made available - it’s the dropping of previously published digital plans that I have a tough time coping with. (Especially since I find that binaries are much easier and cheaper to store than paper mags - except in the case of a hard drive crash.)
Nevertheless, it’s not yet a subscription deal breaker, and besides, we also have you and the good folks at MRH to help keep us happy and satisfied.
