Survey Says!!

After reading a number of posts I got curious - How many of the Trains.com forum members have subscriptions to Model Railroader magazine? So let’s start a little, informal survey.

Do you currently have a subscription to Model Railroader magazine?

  • If yes, how long have you had your subscription?
  • If no, why not?

Please keep the replies short. As a matter of clarification, picking up the occasional copy at the LHS does NOT count as a subscription.

There are a lot of individuals on this forum, curious as to how many actually support the company that provides this space with a subscription to their product.

Since I posed the question I’ll start things off.

YES - I’ve been a subscriber for over 32 years.

Silver,

Even if they only buy it from the newstand every once in a while, semi-regularly, or once a month - they are still “supporting” Kalmbach.

After a small gap of not getting MR, I’m currently a subscriber again and have been, for the most part, the past 3 years.

Tom

NOT a subscriber. I feel the content is lacking compared to years past.

David B

[:-^]

I am a subscriber and have been for two years, although I have bought read and wore out MR for over forty years…

I loved the last issue, keep the publication going in that direction.

How apprpriate is this… It is my 500th Post here. RBFs all around on me.

Johnboy out…

I’ve been a subscriber since 1965. I still find the magazine content to be stimulating and reinforces my interest in the hobby.

Joe

Not a subscriber. If I read about something it here that interests I’ll pick one up at Wal-Mart. I’ve bought 3 in a year and a half.

Yes, coming up on a year now. I purchased it for several years back in the mid seventies and before I decided on which mag to purchase,(between MR and Railroad Modeller, I believe was the name), life changed and the layout got put away. I’ve recently got back into it alittle over a year and a half ago and one of the first things I did was buy MR, shortly after I subscribed. That reminds me I need to renew.

Hah! Nice suggestion but with me [#dots] {[(-D]}

Yes…since 1982

I have been an off and on subscriber for years. I didn’t subscribe for many years because subscription delivery in my area was typically 7 to 10 days later than availability at the hobby shop. I started subscribing again to get access to all the additional content on the website. I have purchased every copy of MR since my first one in January of 1965 when I was thirteen years old!

David

Yep! Ever since I got back in he hobby in 2004.

My subscription just expired. In a money saving effort I’m not going to renew, I’ll thumb through them at Barnes and Noble and decide if I’m interested enough in the issue to purchase it.

I’m looking at a wall of bookshelves which support, among other things, Model Railroader magazines dating back to 1948. I became a subscriber something over a half-century ago, and have no intention of dropping that subscription.

I admit that I’m a poor customer for the ‘compiled article’ books that KalPubCo is producing now - I already have the original articles.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

Been a subscriber since 2002. Before that, I subscribed as a teen from 1978-1982. Picked up a few issues here and there between the two periods.

I did not subscribe until about a 15 months ago. My LHS saved every copy of MR and RMC until I was able to get in to pick them up. When the owner became very ill and eventually passed away I was forced to subscribe. I am a big believer in supporting my LHS.

Me too, but I read here a while back that the retail profit margin on a copy of MR is pretty small. It’s more to get customers to come into the shop. If you’re going there regularly anyway, buy trains where they make more money.

I’ve subscribed for the last 3 years. The first two, I had a really good online discount from a magazine broker site. Those have gone away now, and I almost didn’t re-subscribe. I’m glad I did, though, because I think the magazine has improved substantially since the latest editorial / managerial change.

I’ve not ever been a subscriber in the sense of ordering the catalogues and having them dropped off at my doorstep. When I was a kid, I would regularly buy a copy at my LHS. Now that I’m an adult and really just getting back into MRR-ing, I’ve gone back to buying a copy every month at the store (speaking of which, its time to buy the newest one). The wife and I have talked about getting me a subscription, but everytime we talk about it, we don’t have the funds, nor do we think about it when we do have the funds…so yeah, I subscribe, just non-traditionally.

I have been a subscriber of MR since 1972. I also have all but about 5 issues of MR back to 1950 plus many of 1947-1949. I have subscribed to RMC and the NMRA Bulletin, through all it name changes, for the same time.

Enjoy

Paul

I’ve been a steady subscriber to MR since the early 'seventies.

Tom

Yep,

MR is the standard (but RMC is invaluable too). Subscribed 50 yrs. and have MR complete thru 1935.

Ernie C