I was wondering if anybody knows the story about the demise of Pacific Rail News (or whatever they called it in the end). One day instead of receiving my issue I got my sub switched to Trains(duplicating my existing Trains sub). I never got any explaination as to why, and have yet to find out what happened.
The same thing happened to me. I had watched the earlier demise of Passenger Train Journal, another enjoyable ‘slick’. But didn’t Rail News go ‘national’ before they quit?
It must have been supply and demand and finances – probably not profitable enough for Pentrex (who I believe was running it at the end). I was sorry to see it go; there are plenty of subjects to coverso that more than one magazine to co-exist.
I belive your right. Going national may have killed it. I really enjoyed PRN as they were west coast and so am I. I also miss Flemsies. Being from LA you might have read that one too. They also dissapeared.
I’m not sure in the case of Pacific Rail News.
In the case of Flimsies, it was computers. They just couldn’t keep up any more.
I too miss PRN.I think going national is part of what killed it.The other,is that it was owned by Pentrex,and they wanted to put all of thier money into videos.The west coast needs a regional magazine,like the northeast has in Railpace,which is a very fine magazine.Flimsies published a magazine of Southern Pacific news called SP Review.I wi***hat it was still around.
I never heard of SP Review. When was it around?
I know they were around to a few years after SP was devoured. I don’t know when they started. It was basically Flimsies only it covered just SP. The good things about these magazines was that they went into minutiae about railroads in the west. Then PRN became RN they no longer did.
Also, didn’t Flimsies go national?
PRN had to go national because there wasn’t that much profit reporting on two class 1s and maybe a few regional carriers ( all western roads). I too was saddened when Pentrex and Kalmbach formed a “partnership” or “agreement,” and started receiving Trains issues in PRN’s place.
Take care,
Russell
What killed Rail News in the end was that in the age of the internet there just isn’t a large enough market to support a number of national railfan publications. Pretty much you have TRAINS and Railfan & Railroad and to a lesser degree CTC Board. With all that competition Rail News just couldn’t keep up. I also seem to recall they had some personnel and financing issues…
LC
What failed with Pacific Rail News, was Pentrex and its effort to take it national. It was a sad day when it went from PRN to RAIL NEWS. A very BAD deal. I absolutly enjoyed the updates on western news. No where today do we have educated observation on western news.
Trains is a good publication, giving us a national view, but us serious western railfans miss the columes on western railroading. Although the internet provides instant news, haven’t seen well thought out western columes since PRN!
If Trains had a hint, they’d produce a western newsletter to fill that void. You know, putting all the internet news reports together, and then making sense of it all. I’d pay extra money for that, I so much miss a real railfan magazine reporting on my part of the world!
Along with my Trains subscribtion, I’d pay an extra twenty bucks a year for a western newsletter. Trains, could you make money on something like that?
Jim
Sorry I never heard of this publication so I can not assist you. It sounds to me though that Trains bought them out [8D][:p][:)]
I also feel the void in western railroad news and articles. And I too would pay to have western material once again. I used to be able to keep up with all that was going on in all the west with a couple puplications. Now even in the computer age I feel as though I miss a lot. Often I come across major changes that I never read anything about.
The forums are great place to find out about things, if you ask for it. but I really miss the railroad by railroad news sections that kept on top of things. And the in depth articles on things in my back yard are what I miss the most.
Mabee one day we will see better coverage of the west. I sure hope so.
Yes, Tony J did a great job with that newsletter called the “SP Review.” I also enjoyed just the plain “Flimsies.” A Good newsletter about western railroading.
Jim
With the vast amonut of space here in the west, publications like PRN, SP Review and Flimsies will be missed.[:(] Heres hoping that we as railfans can help keep each other up-to-date on whats happening out here.
I had seen the SP Review in the late 80’s early 90’s. I’m not sure when it started or ended.