The wife asked me the other day why the heck do I keep all those model train magazines around for. She then went crazy when I brought back some of my grandpa’s old MR magazines. (I didn’t get back into the hobby until two years after we were married, so she doesn’t understand what is wrong with me.)
I’m assuming that I’m not the only one out there that holds onto my magazines like they were the last on the planet, or am I just a collect-o?
I told her that my magazines aren’t like any other magazine where you read the gossip about someone and then it’s no good. My magazines have instructions and Ideas that I could use for the rest of my life: my Model Train Bible. Hey, at least it’s not a nudie magazine.
You assume correctly! I have a collection dating back 20 years! It’s hit or miss from 1985 to 2000, tho. I have a complete 7’ long closet shelf filled with them and starting on a second shelf!
This is EXACTLY why I keep mine. I can’t count the number of times I ran into a problem and remembered I had seen a solution in the MR pages. A little time searching the online magazine index and pulling the issue from the collection and viola! Problem solved. Matter of fact, I just pulled the Oct 2002 issue because of a recent mention of an article describing how to set up a sequenced timetable for operations…
I’ll throw out ALL my other books before I get rid of my MR mags and books. [:D]
You see, keeping those back issues was worth my time. I just remembered that last year my BB Athearns started lagging and I remembered a issue of MR that had an article of cleaning them. It was there at my fingertips and it came in handy A LOT!
I started my MR subsciption in 1999 Infact the NOv issue because it was my bday gift I have gotten it every year since. I have them in a Printer box. Of course I dont have a wife to tell me I should throw them out but my parents are always kidding me saying if you dont getr rid of them the house will sink on that side. Of course I know my magazine wont do it, it will be all my electronics lol. Also I had an idea why not riip out or scan in what you want put it on a CD or DVD and then give the magazines to a retirement home or sell them? Just a thought.
Not long ago when moving I chucked out 12 years of a dutch RR mag. About 1978 till 1990, darn, still regret it. My whole youth… and it wouldve been such a nice reference, plus there even were articles on American railroading !! And yes again a woman telling you it’s not worth lugging all THAT with us and me, in the hurry, just going with the flow… darn…
I just wish someone would scan all of them in digitally and make them avaiable online to search for articles etc. I know it’s a lot of work but man it would make things so much easier for me.
Not only do I have MRR and Trains dating back to pre-historic days, but National Geographic, Popular Science and Mechanicc as well. I think it all started back when I went into the Army. My mother would cry every time she went into my room ( I was the 1st to leave the nest ), so she had my father take all my stuff and bring it to the basement. Not too bad right? WRONG !!! We lived in an old 2 1/2 decker mill house with no central heat, a dirt basement. Do you know what that does to ANYTHING after just one New England winter? I had prime issues of comic books, The Lone Ranger, Tarzan, etc., a Lionel Train set, an old RCA record player, the kind you wind up, and many baseball cards. When I came back home, not only was all my stuff gone, but the house too.
So I guess I have become my own protector of the “goods”. Who knows, someone may want to buy some of my collection, then I can buy more trains.
I hold on to all of my train magazines, and over the years I have acquired quite the collection. I have a subscription to Model Railroader, and I used to pick up older magazines at a train store I used to work at. So, I have magazines dating back as far as 1953. (Steam Locomotives, a special issue by Trains & Travel).
I hope to hold onto these as long as I can. I was looking for a file cabinet for them, but couldn’t find an adequate one.
Hmmm Same thing happened to my original unopened Star wars figures. After my parents built a new house in 1990 it seems the cold winter day had caused the concrete to crack around a waste pipe going into my parents basement. You guessed it in the spring the basement flooded and couldn’t be fixed until my dad convinced the builder it was thier fault. Best part was my mom threw away a lot of items because they developed mold. (MOM I COULD OF WASHED THEM) Insurance covered a lot but my dad didn’t ask nearly enough for the lost figures. Sorry didn’t want to put this off topic.
I have a lot of MRs, RMCs, and NGLS in my collection with a few of them going back to the 1940s. I keep a lot of the older MRs because of the useful information about scratchbuilding. The NGSLs are all excellent reference sources for narrow gauge and shortline modeling. I don’t actively collect magazines as I can find just about any issue I happen to need at the public library.
Keep 'em, and organize them. My run goes back to 1975. Before that I have various issues back to volume 1. I love reading about how the hobby has changed. And the issues from the early to mid '50’s are excellent, because they describe businesses and equipment that were in use at that time. That’s my era, kids!
I recommend keeping them in order by year in “Princeton” files (plastic magazine tubs that holds about a year’s worth. The '50’s sell on eBay for less than $10 per year, and are a great deal. That’s about the same as a “special issue” of MR.
With the index at index.mrmag.com your back issues are a regular reference library.
I consider collecting magazines almost a splinter hobby for me. I purchased my first MR in September of 1977 while in high school, even though I had been a model railroader since the age of 10. I still have that original issue. Since then I have acquired all issues from January 1970 to present. The same goes for Railroad Model Craftsman. I also have Mainline Modeler back to the late 80’s as well as Railmodel Journal and Model Railroading. In addition, I have every issue of Great Model Railroads and Model Railroad Planning. All of my magazines are stored in individual plastic storage sleeves from a local comic book store.
Here is a photo from my website of some of my stored magazines.
I have gone through each and every magazine (!!!) and created my own data base of articles of interest in such categories as structures, scenery, operation, design/construction, diesels, steamers, urban modeling, etc. Once I pour over each new issue, anything of interest is entered.
A friend of mine chooses a different approach and only tears out articles he likes…the rest of the magazine is trashed. My only problem with this is that how can anyone be sure that what goes in the trash won’t interest them 10 years down the road? I consider my collection to be a literal library which can be researched and utilized - way too much of an asset to discard. Besides, I’ve paid good money for that information!
I’m glad to know that there are others who feel as strongly about their hobby periodicals as I do.
By the way, this afternoon I did my annual March renewals to RMC, MM, RMJ and MRG. I renew MR for 2 years every other December.
I just got back into the hobby after 30 years and just have about 1 1/2 years of MR so far. I wi***hat MR and others would offer an option that some computer magazines offer - back issues on CD. The CD’s were indexed and it is very easy to find topics. Problem is that with MR selling 4 page PDF files for 8 bucks - the CD’s would cost way too much.
I used to keep my MR’s. I had about 5 years’ worth. After moving several times over the years, I realized I “had a problem” and got rid of them.
However, I scanned in articles I couldn’t live without.
Honestly, any “instruction” type articles could be found again, you could get info on the internet, etc. The only instruction articles I’ve kept are handlaying track articles and diesel detailing, oh, and the brass loco scratchbuilding article from a decade or so ago.
Everything else are “inspiriing” articles - just the layout stories that make me dig the hobby. (I might add I’ve got MA&G’s previous layout in my scanned collection).
If I kept everything in life that I, “might need someday”, I’d need a warehouse the size of a small city to keep it in.
And my “inspiring” collection is right here at my fingertips on my laptop. Makes for fun browsing sitting in a coffee shop, etc.
I’ve done the same thing with a drum magazine collection.
Scanning stuff also keeps me saving only the “really good stuff”, helping me to make my collection stay higher quality and smaller. Perfect!
For those who keep all the mag’s, just consider how many ads, etc. you’re actually keeping. The amount of “meat” is pretty small when you consider how many pounds of magazine you’re keeping.
Well I would have to say keep the old MR magazines becuase sometimes you can figure out your problems in modelrailroading if you keep your modelrailroader magazine. I’m pretty sure you can figure out the solution to your problems with the magazines.
i have every issue from 2001 and most trains mags i also have a large collection of 60s and 70s trains mags taht i found at an antiques store $5 for 20
!! And yes again a woman telling you it’s not worth lugging all THAT with us and me, in the hurry, just going with the flow… darn…