I challenge the MR staff to come up with a special issue magazine or book with articles that are not from previous MR magazines. I am sure a lot of readers are like me who save articles from previous issues.
I just received an email about the new “Structure Projects” book. The copy states: “…a collection of 19 popular HO and N scale projects from Model Railroader”.
When I see this, why would I be interested in purchasing it when I already have the articles?
you might not
but others don’t have the articles, and it might be nice to have collections of worthwhile articles on particular topics.
Its also nice to have the better articles in one magazine instead of several-takes up less storage space.
Yep. I do keep all of my Model Railroader issues and they are filed away according to dates with some quick notes on articles that I may want to refer back to for easy finding. *But…*sometimes even the best laid plans get a wrench thrown in them. I can remember reading a great article in a past issue that fits my current project but for the life of me forget which issue/year that it was in and I didn’t make a quick notation. Most times I can ballpark the year and I eventually find it. But sometimes I can’t. Low and behold a goodly portion of those articles that I go looking for end up in a collections/special issue of some sorts. I don’t always buy the special issue(s), but at least it’s an option.
Happy modeling!
Don.
I agree. I have bought several of the specials/books just to have a whole book of like material together.
Enjoy
Paul
As others have pointed out there can be a virtue in convenience that is worth paying for. I have Model Railroader solid going back to 1949, and sporadic issues back to 1934. But I also have the Steam Locomotive and Diesel Cycloepedias, both of which reprinted published plans (although both also had some new material) and if I am looking for a plan for a locomotive I am way more likely to go to the Kalmbach Cyc’s than I am to the individual issues, even with easy indexing.
The How to Operate Your Model Railroad special book as I understand it brings together years of Andy Sperandeo columns. I have all those issues but again having them together in one book makes some sense to me.
Also there have been special issues that are not reprints, such as Modeling the 50s, the How to Build Realistic Layouts series, the Guide to Industries Along the Tracks series, and of course Model Railroad Planning and Great Model Railroads special issues.
Dave Nelson
For the same reason that I don’t. You already have sixty-five years of bound, cross-referenced issues of MR on about 36 linear feet of shelving above your computer/research center.
HOWEVER, you and I are NOT typical! How about the newbies? How about those who left the hobby for (fill in the number) decades, thereby missing all of the things in magazines they never purchased? How about the experienced old-timers who just don’t subscribe to or purchase magazines?
Just as the Walthers sales flier contains a few things I can use and a few thousand I won’t ever need, Kalmbach advertises their offerings to everyone, not just the people who are guaranteed to buy them.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi I agree, Sometimes its a little disheartening to pick up that special Plastic seal edition of Model railroader that includes A SPECIAL Book On Track plans , only to discover I already have those plans in the Magazines I have purchased,I too wish they would come out with some new ideas, Maybe Books on certain Shortlines, Maybe repair shops Hopefully they will
The issue is making money for Kalmbach Publishing…NOT providing new material for serious modelers! I’m also one of those that has binders full of various articles and use them for reference all the time. I don’t have room to keep every MR and other mags. Personally I think it’s sort of “cheap” adding a new cover photo, one new chapter and 3 or 4 new pictures to a book and hawking it but it’ll sell like crazy and create much new income for Kalmbach for little cost. My 2¢, Roger Huber Deer Creek Locomotive Works
I agree with the OP in general principal. I think the perfect balance from Kalmbach would be to issue more new material in their books rather than reprints than they have in the past (present).
Once in awhile, although I dislike paying for the same thing twice (if I have the magazines) I do cave for the convenience. The Operations book was one of them. It was handy for a hands on/intensive activity like Ops to have everything in one convenient book to take into the train room while I thought through new scenarios.
BUT…all new books would be more than welcomed! Tony Koester’s new book on kit bashing/ scratch building (although I’m a huge Tony/“Trains of Thought” fan, was a huge disappointment. Extremely general info. No detailed how to projects without choosing specific kits, etc. Anyone know if the Carstens scratch building book is much more useful for beginning scratch builders and using ANY kit rather than specific projects made from specific kits?
I spoke with two Kalmbach book authors at the NMRA national. They told us that Kalmbach publishes to a certain price point/page count. They said that they found it sometimes limiting for an author. Perhaps a few larger books would be in order now and then. They could always be on a pre-order basis if Kalmbach thinks it risky otherwise?
Jim